IBIS, the budget hotel group, has entered the Irish market with the acquisition of three hotels in Dublin, Galway and Cork.

The three hotels represent the first move in a major expansion into the Irish hotel sector according to the company, which is part of the world's largest hotel and catering company, Accor Group.

Ibis now has a total of 12 hotels in Britain and Ireland and plans to purchase 10 more soon.

Mr Joseph Grimaldi, operations director of Ibis UK and Ireland said: "We have found in Ireland a young, skilled and well-educated workforce with extremely competitive technical and business skills, the lowest corporate tax rate in Europe and a low inflation economy.

The Dublin hotel is at Monastery Road, Clondalkin; the Cork hotel is at the Lee Tunnel Roundabout, Dunkettle; and the hotel in Galway is situated on the Headford Road.