Five-storey extension plan for Cork city quayside hotel

A hotel on Anderson’s Quay in Cork city could be significantly extended into a five-storey structure under plans lodged with City Hall.

Pandox Group Designated Activity Company is seeking planning permission to construct a five-storey extension of the Leonardo Hotel – formerly Jury's Inn.

The extension would be on the western elevation of the hotel and would provide a staff canteen, a switch room, and an external service yard at ground-floor level.

The extension would also provide 20 additional hotel rooms across levels one to four, bringing the total number of bedrooms to 153.

The plans also include a rooftop plant area, internally illuminated signage, and all associated site-development and drainage works.

Jurys Inn had operated in Cork since 1994, before its takeover by the Fattal Hotel Group, which owns the Leonardo brand, in 2022.

Across Britain and Ireland, the group operates 60 hotels, including Leonardo Royal, Leonardo Limited Edition, and NYX hotels, as well as Leonardo.

The Fattal Hotel Group describes itself as Israel’s largest hospitality organisation and was one of the fastest-growing hotel groups across Britain and Europe.

Operating in 22 countries, the group has 318 hotels.

It employs around 17,000 people.

The company was founded in 1999 by billionaire David Fattal, who opened several hotels in Israel before expanding into Europe in 2006.

In 2022, all 35 Jurys Inn hotels across Ireland and Britain became Leonardo Hotels, with the Fattal Hotel Group, along with Pandox, acquiring the hotel chain for around £800m (€925m).

Earlier this year, the Leonardo Hotel on Dublin’s Panell St completed a €6.4m refurbishment of its 250 rooms.

Cork City Council is due to decide on the Leonardo Hotel’s Anderson Quay expansion by August 4, 2026.