A NEW PREMIER Inn hotel is to be built in Dublin’s Liberties after it was announced that hospitality firm Whitbread secured the site.

The 151-bed complex will be built in the Newmarket Square area of the Liberties in what is becoming known as the ‘Distillery Quarter’ due to the growing number of whiskey distilleries operating nearby.

The acquisition means that Premier Inn’s parent company Whitbread will operate over 1,000 rooms in Ireland once the development is completed.

Head of Acquisitions for Premier Inn in Ireland, Kevin Murray said: “Securing the Newmarket site and reaching over 1,000 bedrooms in the pipeline is a significant landmark for us as we aim to be the number one budget hotel chain in Ireland.

“The site is within an exciting regeneration area and we’re confident it will trade strongly, being right across the street from the Teeling Whiskey Distillery and within walking distance of the Guinness Storehouse, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch.”

The rapid increase in the number of hotels across the city has become a target for criticism as Dublin’s housing stock remains low and the homelessness crisis continues.

However, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, Paul Kelly, said late last year that Dublin “desperately needs” more hotels.

He said in November last year: “When we project that over the next three to four years, we believe we’re still going to be about a thousand rooms short of what’s required. There is no shortage of space for development in Dublin.”