Planners give go ahead for €6m expansion of Cork's Vienna Woods hotel

Hotelier Michael Magner says it's a "vote of confidence" in the hospitality industry after a tough 15 months of pandemic 

Cork hotelier Michael Magner is hoping to start a €6m expansion of Vienna Woods before year end.

PLANNERS have given the go-ahead for the €6m expansion of the Vienna Woods Country House Hotel, which will almost double its bedroom capacity.

The decision by Cork City Council to green-light the ambitious project has been welcomed by hotel co-owner Michael Magner, who described it as a vote of confidence.

“It sends a clear signal that the local authority wants to support family businesses, as well as the hospitality industry. It’s great news for us, for local employment, for the local economy, " he said. 

“Moreover, it will create badly-needed jobs in a sector that has been absolutely ravaged by the pandemic."

The next step would be to “take stock of the post-pandemic environment” and to make sure the funds are there to cover the costs.

“All going well, we would hope to start work in the fourth quarter of this year,” Mr Magner said.

The expansion, which will add 42 bedrooms to the existing 45, will be the second major investment in the hotel, which has already undergone a €5m upgrade since 2006.

Mr Magner, who owns the hotel with his father-in-law Brian Scully, is also planning to add a spa, as well as a 25-seat cinema, a virtual golf facility,  and a cardio workout/gym area.

Two single-storey extensions will be added to the sides of the hotel to create a new lobby and a new pre-reception space, as well as an extension to the dining room.

A three-storey extension is planned over the ground-floor ballroom to accommodate the extra bedrooms as well as the spa, with a terrace at third-floor level.

The grant of planning permission comes with 23 conditions “none of which are onerous”, Mr Magner said.

Once the project is up and running, it’s expected to create 50 new jobs and add €1.8m to the local economy in wages and salaries.

Mr Magner said Vienna Woods was in “a very comfortable position” as regards expansion, as they would be “plugging into an existing facility” rather than building from scratch. “So getting to turnkey on this will be considerably less than if it was a greenfield site.” 

The extension will not interfere with the original house, a listed building dating back to 1756. 

Vienna Woods Country House Hotel, on 22 acres of woodland in Glanmire, is a 15-minute drive from Cork City centre.