New city centre hotel to 'enhance Cork's vibrant tourism scene'

Cork city centre is set for another new hotel after planners cleared the Starstone Property Group to build a €50m, 180-bedroom premises at the junction of Lower Oliver Plunkett St and Connell St, opposite the site once earmarked for the now-shelved Prism office block.

Construction work is due to begin in the third quarter of the year on the site to the rear of the former Eircom building, No 5 Lapps Quay.

The five- to 10-storey hotel will be run by the Ruby Hotel Group, a Munich-based hospitality company and hotel brand, acquired last year by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). 

Known for a modern, design-led approach to urban hotels, the brand’s philosophy is “lean luxury”, which Starstone said equates to “stylish, high-quality city centre hotels at affordable rates”.

Starstone group director Patrick McDermott, an accountant by profession, said the new hotel — which will include a fully equipped gym and contemporary dining space — “marks a significant investment in Cork’s hospitality sector”.

“We’re thrilled to bring this project to life and play a role in enhancing Cork’s vibrant tourism and business scene. We’ve agreed heads of terms with Ruby Hotel Group, who will lease the building upon completion.” 

Mr McDermott described Ruby Hotels as “a leading European brand known for its ‘lean luxury’ concept”, and added that “construction is scheduled to begin this summer”.

The group’s Cork project will involve the demolition of a vacant, two-storey commercial building, in an area described by planners as “underutilised”. The site adjoins seven-storey No 5 Lapps Quay, which is directly across the river from City Hall.

The proposed Starstone development comes on the back of significant momentum across the hotel sector in Cork City following a period of limited growth up to 2018. Since then, the provision of new visitor bed spaces has increased significantly, with the opening of the city’s first Premier Inn, a €30m development at Morrison’s Quay in January 2024, followed by another first for the city, a Marriott-brand hotel, the 148-bed Moxy Hotel and Residence Inn on Camden Quay.