New hotels serve up serious expansion of tourism in city

A view of the planned BAM Sullivan’s Quay hotel development. It has yet to progress beyond demolition of existing structures.

South Mall Hospitality Ltd, headed by directors Ray Byrne and Eoin Doyle, have applied for planning permission for a 58-bed hotel to be developed at the former National Irish Bank (NIB) branch. All going well as regards planning, the project has an estimated opening date of 2021.

In addition to its 163 bedrooms, the Maldron will have two restaurants, a bar, a cafe and six conference rooms of varying size when it is fully complete. While the hotel is welcoming guests, work continues on the planned Italian restaurant and the conference facilities, which will open in the coming months.

An Bord Pleanála gave the green light to plans for a 220-bed hotel on the site in June last year but it has yet to progress beyond demolition of the existing structures. Cork City Council is applying pressure on developers BAM to clear the mounds of rubble on the site, threatening to impose vacant sites levies if it is not progressed.

There are also plans to address the budget end of the tourism market, although these have run into problems with planning.

Development in the city is not limited to hotels with hundreds of rooms, there are also a number of smaller projects A 73-bed hotel on the corner of MacCurtain Street and York Street was approved last year and planning has been granted for a 29-bed hotel at the former Clancy’s Bar in the city centre.