The Irish division of budget hotel chain Premier Inn generated revenues of £16.4m in the first half of its current financial year – more than double its turnover for the same period last year.
Over the six months to the end of August, Premier Inn – which is owned by UK hospitality conglomerate Whitbread – generated most of its revenue from its home core market of the UK, but saw the largest turnover growth in its operations in Germany and Ireland.
Premier Inn unveiled its ambitious growth plans for Ireland, back in June.
It said it plans to open a further 5,000 bedrooms here – both in Dublin and around the country. This would represent a 30% increase in its room portfolio in Ireland.
Prior to that, Premier Inn had been planning to expand by only 3,500 rooms in Ireland.
Premier Inn launched in Ireland in 2018. It currently has six hotels in Dublin and Cork. It is now seeking new openings in Dublin – at Heuston and Connolly railway stations, Dublin 2 and South Docklands; but also outside of Dublin in areas like Killarney, Kinsale, Kilkenny, Sligo, Westport, Tralee, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Wexford.
Speaking in June, Matt Gent, Development Manager for Whitbread in Ireland, said: “Our confidence for Premier Inn in Ireland is driven by the positive performance of our trading hotels in Dublin and Cork as well as our belief in the growing demand for high-quality budget hotel rooms in Ireland.
“We believe there are many further opportunities for Premier Inn in inner and outer Dublin and are confident the brand will perform well in towns and cities across Ireland with strong local business economies and drivers of year-round tourist demand. It continues to be an exciting time for us in the country.”
