Whitbread PLC, owner of Premier Inn, is strengthening its development team in Ireland with the appointment of Emma O’Shiel as Project and Programme Manager. The appointment is part of Whitbread’s ambitious growth strategy, which aims to achieve a target of 5,000 Premier Inn rooms across the country.
With over 15 years’ experience managing construction projects for the Isle of Man government and private clients, Emma O’Shiel brings valuable expertise to Whitbread. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the construction of the company’s secure development sites in Ireland and will work under the direction of Matt Gent, Head of Development for Ireland.
Whitbread currently operates six Premier Inn hotels in Dublin and Cork, totalling over 1,000 rooms. With a further 1,000 rooms under development, the company is well on the way to its medium-term target of 5,000 rooms in the country.
“Emma comes with the experience we need take our expansion to the next level in Ireland. She will hit the ground running delivering our secured pipeline of locations and help me and our wider team appraise development opportunities for Premier Inn across Ireland. I’m looking forward to working closely with her as we work to achieve our goal of establishing a network of Premier Inn’s in Ireland that matches the quality and depth of our estate in the UK.” – Matt Gent, Development Manager for Ireland
Emma O’Shiel will initially focus on the management of three major development sites in Dublin, as well as a second Premier Inn location in Cork. This will allow Matt Gent to focus on acquiring new strategic sites across the country.
In May 2024, Whitbread unveiled a revised strategy for its network in Ireland, identifying new targets for Premier Inn in Dublin city centre as well as four outlying areas. Outside the capital, the company is targeting a further eleven key locations, including popular tourist destinations such as Killarney, Kilkenny, and Sligo, as well as major cities such as Cork, Galway, and Limerick.
“Whitbread’s flexibility as a development partner stood out when applying for the position. The business has a long track record of delivering its hotels itself or in partnership with private and public sector developers, and I’m excited by the opportunity to put my experience working for both types of organisations into practice in Ireland. Whitbread’s ambitions are set high in Ireland, and I can’t wait play a part in supporting the business to achieve its goals.” – Emma O’Shiel, Project and Programme Manager
Whitbread’s confidence in the Irish market is reinforced by the positive performance of its existing hotels and a forecast of strong future demand. The company estimates that demand for hotel accommodation in Ireland could exceed 20 million nights by the end of the decade, driven by a strong economy, low unemployment and an expected increase in international visitors.
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