Hotel & Catering Review - January 2016

JANUARY 2016

BIG REVEAL SHELBOURNE’S THE

RESTORED FACADE

BUSINESS MATTERS CAN YOU

CATER FOR MILLENNIALS IN 2016?

A brand new

DAWN DAWN MEATS LAUNCH THEIR NATIONAL FOODSERVICE BRAND

#TRENDING TRENDING

FUTURE SKILLS | STYLE | HOSPITALITY EXPO OFC_H&C_Jan 2016_Cover.indd 1

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DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER Required for Slieve Russell Hotel, Golf & Country Club

Due to recent increased levels of business within one of Ireland’s leading 4* hotels, located on a stunning 300 acre estate, the Slieve Russell Hotel now invites applicants for this rewarding position; Working closely with the General Manager, the successful candidate will be responsible for the day-to-day management of operations in this very busy, provincial hotel which is also a very popular hotel wedding venue that includes ■ 3 Restaurants ■ A highly acclaimed 18 hole Championship Golf Course set on 50 acres of lakes ■ Leisure Centre ■ Ciuin Spa ■ 222 bedrooms

The ideal candidate will have proven ■ Excellent Communication, Leadership, People and Organisations Skills ■ Financial Management Skills ■ Determination to excel in a progressive environment ■ Strongly committed to maintain and manage the existing high standards of excellent service across the hotel ■ Capable of working on their own initiative ■ Strongly motivated with ability to make effective decisions

This is a demanding role so at least 3 years management experience in a senior position with extensive knowledge in all areas of hotel operations is required.

The Ideal candidate will have previous experience as a Deputy Manager or General Manager in either a 4* or 5* hotel.

If you meet the above criteria and are ready to embark on an exciting career, please submit your C.V. to the Human Resources Department; EMAIL: hr@slieverussell.ie or TELEPHONE 049 952 5131 / 049 952 5130

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Go to issuu.com/ ashvillemedia for the online edition

JANUARY 2016

Cover image courtesy Dawn Meats

CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE

07 Exhibition Preview This year’s Hospitality Expo has something for everyone.

18

Business Matters

2016 Brings New Marketing Challenges for Hoteliers.

20 Future Skills

Hospitality industry’s poor image does not reflect career opportunities.

COVER STORY

24 Restoration Period

Stephen Hanley on the new and renewed Shelbourne Hotel.

27 FOOD SERVICE BUSINESS MARKS DAWN OF A NEW ERA

We have built up close relationships with all of our retail, foodservice and manufacturing customers and we continually strive to serve their requirements as efficiently as possible...”

Neil Lanigan, Commercial Manager, Dawn Meats

REGULARS

03

NEWS

08

ON THE

MOVE

14

28

37

KEY TO SUPPLY THE DOOR

LINE

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Design Redefines Airport Acommodation Concept

Food Heroes Sodexo’s Executive Craft Chef talks about her culinary plans for 2016.

32 34

#InteriorTrends

#Ingredient: Are you getting your oats?

An ancient staple re-emerges.

Outlook 2016 Find out what 2016 has in store for Irish tourism.

40

A Quick Chat With

Ryan Bell

Head Chef at Angelina’s on the banks of the Grand Canal CATERING REVIEW

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Editorial & Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Art Director: Alan McArthur Layout: Antoinette Sinclair Stock Photography: Thinkstock.com Infographics: www.flaticon.com Production: Nicole Ennis Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Published by:

Ashville Media, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7.

Tel: (01) 432 2200 ISSN: 0332-4400

All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2015. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Hotel & Catering Review.

The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize.

Editor’s

VIEW I

rish tourism is now well placed to deliver significant employment and foreign earnings growth to 2020 and beyond, provided we maintain competitiveness and sustain investment in the tourism brands that are coming to the market. This was the key message delivered by Fáilte Ireland’s Annual Tourism Industry Review which was launched on January 11th. It is the second part of that message that was, perhaps, the most important. The organisation’s chairman Michael Cawley identified value for money and regionality as emerging issues that could prevent the industry from realising its growth potential. “There are markets that still regard our tourism product as providing good value for money – namely the UK and the US – and this can be attributed to the current favourable exchange rate,” he said. “But our underlying cost creep rate is at an unacceptable level. Customers perceive us as uncompetitive where they are spending the same currency as us so, when/if currencies re-align, we could be in trouble.” Fáilte Ireland currently estimates the additional bedroom stock required in Dublin to be in the region of 5,000 units and it will be 18 months to two years before any new capacity comes on stream. “One way of addressing this, which would also benefit tourism in the regions, is to encourage overseas tour operators to put itineraries together that include regions not usually covered on the typical tourist trail,” he said. “There is no reason why visitors who fly into Dublin can’t stay in other parts of the country rather than spending all of their bednights in the capital.”

Another focus for Fáilte Ireland is the development of its own brand propositions – The Wild Atlantic Way, Dublin - a Breath of Fresh Air, and Ireland’s Ancient East. “Take the Wild Atlantic Way, for example, it is cited as one of the top three factors contributing to growth by hoteliers on the west coast,” he said. “However, the brand recogition abroad isn’t where we want it to be so we need to communicate these brands on the global market.

We will invest 60m this year but we see their development as a 20-year project, one that represents massive growth potential for Irish tourism.”

@HC_Review

HOTEL

Email: maev.martin@ ashvillemediagroup.com Telephone: 01 432 2271

Maev Martin www.hotelandcateringreview.ie

2

Editor: Maev Martin

@

info@hotelandcateringreview.ie

www.facebook.com/hotelandcateringreview

To sign up to our online newsletter please go to www.hotelandcateringreview.ie

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NEW BUSINESSES IN

BLUE BOOK 2016

NEWS

Brown’s Restaurant in Derry, Killarney Royal in Kerry, No 1 Pery Square in Limerick, Viewmount House in Longford, and some private rentals, have joined Ireland’s Blue Book collection for 2016. The 2016 edition was launched on November 25th in The Merrion Hotel where guests included Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons, Francis Brennan, Kevin and Catherine Dundon, Kevin and Muriel Thornton, Derry Clarke and Sallyanne Clarke, the new President of Ireland’s Blue Book.

CALORIE INFORMATION FROM TREASURY WINE ESTATES In a voluntary move that is a first for the global wine industry, Treasury Wine Estates has committed to providing calorie information across its entire portfolio of bottled wine, including the Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Beringer and Matua brands in Ireland.

The company will initially provide calorie information on its wines sold in Europe following the vintage 2016 labelling process.

Other regions, including the Americas, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, will follow.

Calorie information will be provided online, with a dedicated web address printed on the company’s wine brand labels to help direct consumers to this information.

WESTBURY GM IS

HOSPITALITY MANAGER OF THE YEAR One of the most prestigious honours in the hospitality industry was presented on November 26th to Vincent O’Gorman, General Manager of The Westbury Hotel, when he was awarded ‘Hospitality Manager of the Year 2015 – Hotel’. Vincent received the award at the Irish Hospitality Institute (IHI) Founders’ Banquet and Hospitality Management Awards 2015, hosted by IHI President Martin Mangan, at The DoubleTree

by Hilton, with Maurice Bergin FIHI as Master of Ceremonies.The seven other main awards were presented to Sean Reid of The Croke Park Hotel (Young Hospitality Manager of the Year), Ciara Jacob of The Gibson Hotel (Hospitality Manager of the Year – Human Resources), Niall Hooper, Aramark at Allianz Insurance (Hospitality Manager of the Year – Catering), Veronica Byrne of Corofin, Co Clare (Hospitality Graduate of the Year), Raquel Noboa of Hotel Doolin (Hospitality Manager of the Year – Environmental), Valerie Steinbeck, Gleneagle Group (Hospitality Manager of the Year – Revenue) and Karen Healy, Hilton Hotels Ireland (Hospitality Manager of the Year – Continuous Professional Development). Three industry practitioners were enrolled into the Irish Hospitality Institute’s College of Fellows - Ciaran Murtagh, Deputy General Manager of the Slieve Donard Resort Hotel & Spa, Sean O’Driscoll, General Manager of the Muckross Park Hotel, and Restaurants Associations of Ireland CEO Adrian Cummins.

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GMIT STUDENTS LAUNCH ECO INITIATIVE Students of the Bachelor of Business in Hotel & Catering Management have set up 18 bird feeder locations on the grounds of the GMIT Galway campus from proceeds of a fundraiser they hosted recently as part of their degree studies. The students used the profits from their ‘Rocky Horror meets Halloween’ fundraiser, to invest in 18 bird feeders, 40 kilos of bird nuts and seeds and a number of bird boxes for the well-being of the areas natural bird population. “The students are required as part of their final year Conference & Banqueting Module to create, theme, market and execute a themed event of their choice," says lecturer George Finnegan. "When all costs are taken into account and repaid, students distribute the remaining proceeds from ticket sales to a cause of their choosing.”

Cllr. Michael Hegarty, Deputy Mayor of the County of Cork, Miriam Kennedy, Head of Business Tourism, Ignacio Peregrina the Jameson Experience, Seamus Heaney, Chairman CCB

MCENIFF MARKS 50TH BIRTHDAY WITH

€1M INVESTMENT The Dublin Skylon Hotel has announced details of a major refurbishment in 2016. The announcement was made at a conference and corporate showcase event for hotelier Brian McEniff, Chairman of the McEniff Hotel Group, who celebrated 50 years in Irish hospitality in November. The family-owned and operated McEniff Hotel Group's first hotel, the Holyrood Hotel in Bundoran, was bought by Brian’s father in 1951 and now employs over 600 people.

The group comprises five hotels on the Wild Atlantic Way – the Great Northern Hotel, Holyrood Hotel, Great Southern Hotel Sligo, Yeats Country Hotel Sligo and the Best Western Westport Woods Hotel – and the Best Western Dublin Skylon Hotel in Drumcondra. Built in 1969

by PV Doyle and acquired by the McEniff family in 2002, the Dublin Skylon Hotel was extensively refurbished in 2013 and will see further development in 2016 with a 1m investment by the group in a new bar, grill, frontage, executive bedrooms and junior suites. This will enable the Dublin Skylon to become a four star hotel for the first time. The hotel received the 2015 Tripadvisor Excellence Award and the 2015 European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) Award.

RUTH LAPPIN IS YOUNG CHEF OF THE YEAR

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Ruth Lappin, Chef de Partie at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, was named the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year by special guest judge, three-time Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth, on November 29th. Ruth was mentored throughout the competition by her Head Chef Kieran Glennon. She will now embark on an all-expenses paid stage at Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in London. The judging panel also included Mark Moriarty, San Pellegrino World Young Chef 2015, Graham Neville, Restaurant Forty One at Residence, Wade Murphy, Commissioner General of Euro-Toques Ireland and Chef/Proprietor 1826 Adare, and Paul Kelly, Executive Pastry Chef at Merrion Hotel. The chairing judge was Lorcan Cribbin, a former Commissioner General of Euro-Toques Ireland. The five finalists put their culinary skills to the test one last time at the gala banquet final event in The Shelbourne Hotel. They were assisted on the night

by Declan Maxwell of Luna, acting as front of house, and special guest MCs for the evening Marie Flynn and Domini Kemp.

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TOURISM IRELAND LAUNCHES

2016 CAMPAIGNS

Tourism Ireland kicked off its promotional drive for 2016 in the American market at Christmas with a major week-long TV campaign which was seen by tens of millions of potential holidaymakers across the US. Tourism Ireland's ads aired on TV from December 26th until New Year's Eve on NBC, CBS and ABC in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Meanwhile, a new ad campaign for Ireland's Ancient East will launch this month in the 23 markets in which Tourism Ireland has a presence.

Filming for the ad took place last year at Castletown House, Glendalough, Newgrange,Waterford city, the Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny Castle. In fact, an article highlighting Kilkenny appeared in a recent edition of Traveller in Australia, profiling the city to more than two million readers.

JAMESON REWARDED FOR

CONTRIBUTION TO CORK TOURISM The Jameson Experience Midleton (JEM) won the ‘Ultimate Ambassador Award’ at the second annual #CorkNeedsYou Cork Conference Ambassadors Awards, organised by the Cork Convention Bureau last month. The award recognised the economic and tourism benefits that the JEM team delivered to Cork over the past 12 months. Last year, it welcomed 125,000 visitors from around the world, with the top five nationalities being the US, France, Germany, Britain and domestic visitors from Ireland. This shows a five per cent increase in figures from 2014. The distillery tour and whiskey tasting experience are key features of the Jameson Experience, which also includes a live whiskey maturation warehouse incorporating a cooperage display and the new 'Behind The Scenes Tour'. A new micro-distillery, launched in August 2015 on the grounds of the Jameson Experience, will produce small batch whiskeys using recipes and techniques dating back to the time of John Jameson. From January 2016, visitors to Midleton will have the opportunity to visit the micro distillery to appreciate the sights and aromas of live copper pot stills in action.

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IFEX 2016 UNDERWAY AFTER

‘FRESH’ INVESTMENT

Northern Ireland's IFEX exhibition for the food, hospitality and retail sectors has a new home for 2016. IFEX owners Fresh Montgomery played an integral role in working with the NIEO (Northern Ireland Event Organisers) and Titanic Quarter Ltd. to bring the new Titanic Exhibition Centre to fruition and from March 8th to 10th 2016, the 5,000 square metre Titanic Exhibition Centre will be home to IFEX 2016. As one of Northern Ireland's longest running trade exhibitions, IFEX attracts approximately 5,000 visitors from the food, retail and hospitality sectors over three days.

It is the event where many of Northern Ireland’s most notable chefs, including Michael Deane, Chris Bell and Roisin Gavin, were first recognised and ‘ChefSkills’, which hosts approximately 250 industry and student chefs, remains the heart of the show. According to IFEX Event Manager Caroline McCusker, almost 80% of available floor space is now secured and they are working with the Guild of Fine Food to introduce the first Great Taste Market to IFEX, which will feature around 20 ‘great taste’ winning producers from Northern Ireland.

Confirmed exhibitors include show stalwarts Stephen’s Catering, Henderson Foodservice, Masseys for Catering Equipment, Lynas Foodservice, Matthew Algie, Golden Glen Catering, BD Foods, Nestlé Ireland, Suki Tea and Frylite.

DESIGNER AFTERNOON TEA AT THE G

Find out more at www.IFEXexhibition.co.uk

Sean Owens, Salon Culinaire Director, IFEX, Caroline McCusker, IFEX Event Manager, Fresh Montgomery, and Kimberly Anderson, Culinary Student at Belfast Metropolitan College.

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Galway’s g Hotel & Spa introduced a limited edition Designer Afternoon Tea with an array of savoury bites and sweet treats as part of its 10th birthday celebrations in November. The creations, by Head Pastry Chef Martina Crotty, each featured a fashionable twist inspired by master milliner and design director of the g Philip Treacy. A 10-course tasting menu on November 27th was another highlight of the birthday month. The hotel’s chefs Cedric Bottarlini, Pete Durkin and their culinary team prepared a celebratory ten course dinner representing the 10 years of the g from 2005 to 2015. The five star AA award-winning g hotel, under the direction of General Manager Triona Gannon, expanded its operation in March 2013 with the opening of a new function room, the g suite, to cope with the increase in demand for larger scale events and meetings. The hotel now employs over 160 staff.

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW

#Hospitality Expo 2016 Register to attend at hospitalityexpo.ie

INVESTMENT RETURNS TO

IRISH HOSPITALITY AT RDS EXPO Strong visitor numbers are expected for this year's Hospitality Expo.

When over 200 exhibitors commit to participation in a major national trade show (Hospitality Expo – February 3rd and 4th) at the RDS you know that the hospitality sector is in rude good health. Hospitality Expo (formally Vintra) has been bringing the industry together every second year for over 30 years so that proprietors and managers, from the largest multi-property chains to the smallest B&B or fast food operators, can find the ideas, products, technology and business advice they need to grow their business. Sean Lemass, Managing Director of the event organisers SDL Exhibitions Ltd, is expecting over 3,000 trade visitors to the Expo, which is open on Wednesday, February 3rd, from 10.00am to 6.00pm and on Thursday, February 4th from 10.00am to 5.00pm.

An extensive Food & Wine Pavilion in RDS Hall 3 is heavily subscribed and will include a Pro Chefs Live Stage where leading members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland will demonstrate dishes that sell and produce margins. Speakers at the two-day Hospitality Summit include Dermot Crowley of Dalata Hotel Group, Grant Thornton and Crowe Horwath, who will talk about business growth, capital values and finance, while Ciara Lyons from the world’s top review website TripAdvisor will join forces with Yelp to discuss online marketing. Pat O’Leary will advise on outdoor catering, while Ciara Crossan of Wedding Dates will explain

how to increase your share of the expanding wedding market.

A 600 square foot honeymoon concept suite by Conbu Design will provide hoteliers with the latest ideas and inspiration for upgrading any guest room, but will be particularly useful for those seeking to capture a bigger share of the wedding market, given the increased volumes expected from overseas same sex weddings. The Business Advice Centre, provided

by DIT College of Catering, offers one-to-one mentoring and business advice on a range of topics. It also includes a series of free admission seminars on everything from finance tools and kitchen management to fraud and conflict resolution. The Tech Village is designed to help hoteliers and caterers make the most of the many advances in technology which are now essential to catering for an increasingly ‘online’ consumer. And don’t forget to check out the Tech Theatre – see details online.

Brew Expo will feature a selection of Irish craft brewers and distillers, as well as beer master classes from Dean McGuinness of Premier International. The Bartenders Association of Ireland Cocktail Competition will take place on the opening day of Hospitality Expo – February 3rd – and is once again sponsored by Edward Dillon. And the Stonehouse Trade Show will be held in the RDS Hall 2 on February 3rd with over 40 leading brands represented. Separate registration is required via Stonehouse.

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CATERING REVIEW

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ON THE MOVE

Move

On the

KIERAN CALLINAN

NEIL LANIGAN

LUCIUS FARRELL

NEW POSITION MANAGING DIRECTOR

NEW POSITION COMMERCIAL MANAGER FOR FOOD SERVICE IN IRELAND

NEW POSITION DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER

EMPLOYER DAWN MEATS

EMPLOYER CARTON HOUSE

Dawn Meats recently announced that Neil Lanigan is to be their Commercial Manager for Food Service in Ireland.

The Food Service division operates a nationwide, next day delivery service out of three strategically located hubs in Dublin, Waterford and Mayo.

Neil Lanigan has worked in a variety of food service roles over the past 15 years for both BWG Foodservice and Masterfoods. For the last five years Neil was the National Sales Manager for BWG Foodservice where he managed some of the higher profile accounts, as well as a team of 10 key account managers and sales developers. Dawn Meats offers a wide range of fresh, frozen and cooked meats to the Irish food service sector.

Lucius Farrell has been appointed Deputy General Manager at Carton House resort in Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Lucius joins Carton House from the Four Seasons Hotel Dublin (newly Intercontinental Hotels) where he spent 14 years in various roles, from Director of Catering and Conference Services to Director of Rooms, including a secondment period in the Four Seasons Hotel San Diego as Assistant Resort Manager. A graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management, Lucius was part of the opening team at the Clarence Hotel and spent a short stint at the Fitzwilliam Hotel as opening Assistant Manager.

EMPLOYER BROOK FOOD SERVICES

The board of directors of Brook Food Services has appointed Kieran Callinan as Managing Director, effective since January 1st. Kieran has extensive experience in operational management and commercial development.

Throughout his 25-year tenure in the catering and hospitality industry he served in many leadership roles within the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group and the Lyne Hotel Group before founding Brook Food Services with Liam Murphy, Sharon O’Donoghue and Tim McCarthy in 2007. “As a board we have a clear vision for the future of Brook Food Services,” says Kieran. “I am confident that, with the company’s focus on high standards, excellent staff and partners, we can strengthen and develop our current client base while driving growth.”

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New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment

HOTEL

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COVER STORY

FOOD SERVICE BUSINESS MARKS

DAWN OF NEW ERA

January 1st saw the launch and rollout of Dawn Meats as a nationwide foodservice end-user brand. Maev Martin talks to Commercial Manager Neil Lanigan about the Irish-owned multinational food company’s farm to fork ethos and how this new operation will develop its already strong relationship with the Irish foodservice sector.

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COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

F

oodservice isn’t altogether new for Dawn Meats.

In fact, they have been servicing regional foodservice endusers with beef and lamb for a number of years. During this time, the company has built up a high profile customer base in certain parts of the country.

“Effectively, we built up a foodservice customer base in the immediate vicinity of our meat processing facilities in Carroll’s Cross in Waterford, Charleville in Cork and Ballyhaunis in Mayo,” says Neil.

“Customers include Faithlegg House, Langtons and the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny, as well as Sheen Falls and The Park Hotel in Kenmare, and the Castlecourt Hotel in Mayo. Foodservice is a growing industry and our acquisition of well known and respected catering butcher Hicks Foods in Dublin was the catalyst for our decision to get the message out to Irish hotel, restaurant and catering businesses that we are so much more than just a meat processor.” Dawn Meats now have three foodservice delivery depots in Dublin, Waterford and Mayo providing next day delivery to all corners of Ireland.

“Not only do we sell beef and lamb from our own factories but we now also sell other meat proteins, from game and poultry to pork and bacon,” he says.

Following their acquisition of Hicks Foods in October 2014, Dawn Meats set about building a platform to grow its foodservice business into a nationwide operation. “We have put significant investment into our Carroll’s Cross facility, grown our range, doubled our sales force, and put a new national distribution solution in place,” says Neil. “Hicks Foods has a very impressive, long established, and high profile customer base in Dublin and the greater Leinster area that includes the Shelbourne Hotel,

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Shanahans on the Green, the K Club and Powerscourt Hotel, to name but a few. When we combine our long-standing track record of excellence in meat processing with Hicks’ extensive knowledge of butchery, it amounts to an extremely strong and unique food service offering for the Irish hotel and catering industry. We are the only one of the three biggest meat processors in Ireland to serve the food service industry end-users with fresh meat directly. This ties in with a key part of our overall business ethos, which is to shorten the supply chain between the farmer and the end user, which truly is from farm to fork. My appointment as Commercial Manager for Food Service in Ireland is a further indication of how serious Dawn Meats is about building its foodservice operation in the years to come.”

THE CHEF’S CHOICE Hicks Foods has been providing chefs in some of Dublin’s most

#Meet the Team NEIL LANIGAN COMMERCIAL MANAGER DEREK BRANNIGAN NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER PAT POWER SALES DEVELOPER SOUTH/SOUTH EAST MICHAEL RYAN SALES DEVELOPER MID-WEST JOHN NOONE SALES DEVELOPER WEST/NORTH WEST MICHAEL RUSSELL SALES DEVELOPER EAST ERIC MOONEY CHEF/RESTAURANT/ GASTRO PUB SALES DEVELOPER, DUBLIN CITY

prestigious restaurants with all their meat requirements for three decades and John Dunne, Head of Butchery at Hicks, is a well known figure in culinary circles in the capital. “He is always available to give foodservice advice and tips to executive chefs throughout Dublin regarding different cuts of meat,” says Neil. “Chefs often call him if they have a specific requirement. He will advise them on the various types of meat available and what cut would be most suitable for their needs. Dawn Meats is delighted that we are now in a position to bring that range of products, as well as this level of expertise, to our foodservice clients on a nationwide basis.

This allows us to match our offering with the customers’ bespoke requirements.”

FARM TO FORK When it comes to beef, which

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COVER STORY

Dawn Meats was established in Co Waterford in 1980.

“For over 35 years our continuous focus on quality and customer service, as well as the fact that we are still a family owned and managed business remaining true to our farming heritage, has catapulted the company to a position where it is now the meat supplier of choice for customers of Irish meat,” says Neil.

“With a product portfolio ranging from bone-in and boneless meat to frozen burger patties and ready to heat meal solutions, why not join the ranks of our discerning foodservice customers in Ireland — and in over 40 countries worldwide? To contact us, please email foodservicesales@dawnmeats. com or call 051-295295. We will be attending the Irish Hotels Federation conference at the end of February so why not pop over and say hello!

THROUGH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN OUR PROCESS, WE STRIVE TO ACHIEVE A HIGH STANDARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE ACROSS ALL AREAS OF OUR BUSINESS.... maximise their tenderness. Our matured beef is then butchered by our vastly experienced team of butchers. In recent times, there has been a move towards dry aged product which Dawn Meats is now proud to offer.” is Dawn Meats biggest seller and what they are famous for, it all begins with their relationship on the ground with local farms and their produce. “This allows us to handpick the best cattle regionally, including specific breeds, such as Angus and Hereford,” says Neil.

“The fact that we operate regionally and have partnerships with these Bord Bia approved local farms means that not only can we offer meat with local provenance, we can do it on a national basis. Once we have hand selected the best carcasses based on their marbling, we take great care to ensure that we are maturing them in the best way to

A COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY Dawn Meats is committed to conducting its activities with due care and regard for the environment. “Through continuous improvement in our process, we strive to achieve a high standard of environmental performance across all areas of our business,” says Neil. “We are proactive in reducing our emissions and minimising our carbon footprint. Dawn Meats is leading the way in the red meat industry with first-to-market initiatives, which ensure that we are the most energy efficient operation in the marketplace today.

“As a founding member of Origin Green we take our commitments very seriously, including managing and reducing

our water consumption throughout our manufacturing operations and ensuring that all our wastewater is treated to the highest environmental standards.

We are also committed to reducing the quantities of waste that we produce and we are proactively seeking innovative ways of recycling our waste that have an environmental benefit. We employ reusable packaging in conjunction with our customers and suppliers, and we are continually researching methods to further reduce the environmental impact of our packaging.”

AWARDS Dawn Meats’ projects have been recognised with awards from their customers and, on a national and international level, through the Bord Bia Sustainability Awards, Green Awards, the SEAI Awards, and the European Business Awards. In 2015, Dawn Meats won a total of 10 stars, including a 3 Gold Star at the Great Taste Awards for their Tomahawk steak.

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DOOR

KEY TO THE DOOR

KEY TO THE

Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions

DUNBRODY HOUSE SOLD FOR €2.1M Kevin Dundon and his wife Catherine have sold their Dunbrody Country House and restaurant for 2.1m, according to the Irish Examiner. The house and restaurant have been sold to the firm that operates the hotel, Marriott Park Ltd. The sale has been made partly in cash and partly in the form of a mortgage taken out by Marriott Park, which now owes the Dundons 1.2m as a result. The sale was revealed in recently filed accounts by the Dundons' Dunbrody House Hotel firm.

The accounts show that the previous year has been financially positive for the company, with profits increasing from 27,331 to 160,660.

Revenue also increased substantially, up to 959,075 from 831,313 last year. In addition, Mr Dundon is owned 599,886 – the result of a loan given to the company last year.

JURYS TO RE-BRAND HOTEL AS HILTON The Jurys Inn hotel on Custom House Quay in Dublin is to be re-branded as a Hilton Garden Inn in a move that will cost about 5.5m. It is the first use of the mid-market Hilton brand in Ireland. Amaris Hospitality, the Lone Star hotel company run from Dublin that owns Jurys Inn, will spend the cash on an upgrade of the hotel's rooms and public areas to meet standards set by Hilton before the brand changes in May next year.

It is unlikely that the remaining Jurys Inns in Ireland will be converted to Hiltons. However, Amaris remains on the lookout for new hotel properties in Ireland which could be rebranded as Jurys Inn. It is also looking to further extend the brand in the UK.

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Andrew Rudd from Medley

CHEF SECURES FUNDING VIA CROWD LENDING Jurys Inn Hotel Group is to add eight new hotels to its offering, bringing its total number of hotels across Ireland, the UK and the Czech Republic to 36. The new hotels will be located in Cardiff, Cheltenham, Scottish cities Inverness and Aberdeen, Middlesbrough, Oxford, and Hinckley, and there will be an airport hotel at East Midlands. The eight hotels previously formed part of leading UK brand, The Hotel Collection, and were rebranded to Jurys Inn by the end of November. The eight new hotels will undergo extensive refurbishment over the coming months to include a complete redesign of all bedrooms, lobby, bar and restaurant areas. Hotels will be revamped to include all day Costa Coffee bars and upgraded meeting room facilities, and all bedrooms will be fitted with the new Jurys Inn custom-designed ‘Dream’ bed. Jurys Inn is a member of Amaris Hospitality, which comprises 89 hotel properties from four portfolios trading under leading brands, including Jurys Inn, DoubleTree

by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Mercure and MGallery.

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KEY TO THE DOOR

CITYWEST GM TO HEAD TETRARCH HOSPITALITY Property investment fund Tetrarch Capital is setting up a separate team to manage and operate its hotel business., which controls the likes of Mount Juliet and the Citywest Hotel.

Tetrarch Hospitality will be headed by Damien Gaffney, the current Chief Investment Officer of Tetrarch Capital.

Glenn Valentine, who is General Manager at the Citywest Hotel, will take the position of Director of Operations at Tetrarch Hospitality.

The company will invest about 100m in its hospitality business over the next two to three years. Those funds will be used for a mix of asset purchases and upgrades of existing hotels and apartments.

DALATA ACQUIRES TARA TOWERS Dalata Hotel Group has entered into an agreement to acquire the Tara Towers Hotel in Dublin 4 for 13.155m. Completion of the acquisition is scheduled for this month. The consideration is payable in cash.The three star Tara Towers Hotel Dublin includes 111 ensuite bedrooms, a bar, restaurant, car park and meeting/event facilities. The total size of the site is 1.46 acres. The company plans to invest up to 4.5m on an extensive refurbishment programme to convert the property into a modern four star hotel and will rebrand the property as a Maldron Hotel.

Profits attributable to the hotel are expected to be 475,000 in 2015.

€5.5M DEVELOPMENT

PLANNED FOR CASTLEKNOCK

FBD Property and Leisure Limited (FBDPLL) has applied for planning permission for a 5.5m development of Castleknock Hotel and Country Club. The planned 21,280 square foot expansion will create an additional 46 rooms at the hotel, bringing the total number of bedrooms to 190. A further 20 new positions will be created at the hotel on completion. This will bring the total number of full-time and seasonal employees to 220. FBDPLL own and manage three hotels in Ireland, including Castleknock Hotel and Country Club, Faithlegg House Hotel, and the Tower Hotel, as well as two resorts in southern Spain. FBDPLL is solely owned by Farmer Business Developments plc, following the acquisition of FBD Holdings plc’s 50% share in October.

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Commercial

PROFILE

FUNDING AND TRAINING

BOOST FOR TOURISM AS MORE FUNDING IS MADE AVAILABLE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS IN ‘IRELAND’S ANCIENT EAST’ AND TRALEE AND LISMORE ARE NAMED AS IRELAND’S TOP TOURISM TOWNS, FÁILTE IRELAND INTRODUCES A MUCH NEEDED CULINARY TRAINING INITIATIVE FOR COMMIS CHEFS.

KERRY AND WATERFORD HAVE

TOP TOURISM TOWNS

T

ralee, Co Kerry and Lismore, Co Waterford were recently crowned winners at the fourth annual Tourism Towns Awards which took place in The Morrison Hotel in Dublin.

Tralee picked up the top prize as Ireland’s best National Large Tourism Town, while Lismore came out on top

in the National Small Tourism Town category.

Tralee and Lismore were chosen from a shortlist of 10 top tourism towns, with the remaining towns all receiving certificates of merit to acknowledge their own impressive performances in reaching out to visitors and creating the best possible tourism

experiences. The Tourism Towns Award was designed

by Fáilte Ireland to promote those Irish towns and villages which are working hardest to enhance their appeal to tourists visiting their local area. As the overall winners, Tralee and Lismore received their winning certificates along with a 5,000 grant each towards further developing their towns as tourism destinations.

Aside from the two top winners, eight other high performing towns were commended for their work: Best Large Towns – Highly Commended - Cobh, Co Cork, Killarney, Co Kerry and Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny; Best Small Town – Highly Commended – Ardmore, Co Waterford, Adare, Co Limerick, Clonakilty, Co Cork, and Kenmare and Sneem in Co Kerry.

“This awards scheme, now in its fourth year, is not all about recognising those towns that do the best from tourism but rather those that do their best for tourism,” says Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Strategic Development, Orla Carroll. “We celebrate Irish towns and villages that have really embraced tourism and where all sectors, not just the local tourism interests, have supported the strengthening of their local welcome. All the towns involved in this year’s competition have demonstrated what you can achieve when you demonstrate ‘pride of place’.

Their commitment to their local area not only contributes to the sustained growth of Irish tourism, it is also a central part in the ‘tourism towns’ spirit which ultimately turns a good holiday into an unforgettable experience.”

In association with

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Commercial

PROFILE

CULINARY PROGRAMME FOR

COMMIS CHEFS

F €1M FOR ‘IRELAND’S ANCIENT EAST’

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he Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, along with Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, recently announced over 1m in a further phase of funding for capital projects in Ireland’s Ancient East. The funding is being made available through Fáilte Ireland’s ‘New Ideas in Ancient Spaces’ Capital Grants Scheme and is for a further 13 projects within the Ireland’s Ancient East initiative. This second phase of investment brings the total funding under the ‘New Ideas in Ancient Spaces’ initiative to 2.26m and comes ahead of a new signage scheme to brand the region which is due to be rolled out in 2016.

This funding, under the ‘New Ideas in Ancient Spaces’ Capital Grants Scheme, follows a Fáilte Ireland call for applications from interested parties across the region.

A further phase of funding in capital supports for the initiative is expected in 2016.

Launched last April, Ireland’s Ancient East is Fáilte Ireland’s latest tourism initiative and seeks to build on the wealth of historical and cultural assets in the east and south of Ireland. The new initiative seeks to give visitors a personal experience of 5,000 years of Irish history through a journey of discovery in a lush green landscape with stories told by the best storytellers in the world. Ireland’s Ancient East stretches from Carlingford to Cork and is intended to match and complement the Wild Atlantic Way in terms of scale and ambition.

The capital funding announced is being awarded to: Laois Heritage Trails, Co Laois; Ros Tapestry, New Ross, Co Wexford; Cobh Heritage Centre, Co Cork; The Clockgate Tower Youghal, Co Cork; The Norman Way, Co Wexford; The Butler Trail, Co Tipperary; The Lifetime Lab (Steam Centre Visitor Experience), Cork city; Celtic Tree Experience, Blackstairs Eco Trails, Co Carlow; Castle Saunderson, Co

Cavan; Louth Adventures, Co Louth; Ireland’s Ancient Eats, Co Meath; Glaslough Heritage Trail, Co Monaghan; 3D Viking Experience, Waterford City.

“Fáilte Ireland are working directly with businesses and communities on the ground to turn the promise of the ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ brand into a reality,” says Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland Director of Business Development.

“By the end of the year, we will have helped to jumpstart or augment projects within Ireland’s Ancient East and we will have readied the region to deliver first class experiences to visitors during summer 2016.”

This funding comes as Fáilte Ireland prepares to install approximately 100 Ireland’s Ancient East orientation signs and 300 county boundary signs across the region in 2016. This new signage scheme will encourage visitors to explore Ireland’s Ancient East by making them aware of the wide range of things to see and do across the area.

áilte Ireland has launched a pilot culinary programme for up to 200 participants to allow them to successfully enter the tourism industry with the prospect of a culinary career. The successful participants will have the option at a later stage to progress on to a newly-developed ‘Chef’s Apprenticeship Programme’ and it is expected that the content of the programme would be equivalent to a Level 4 competency-based programme.“Currently businesses are experiencing a shortage of chefs within the tourism industry to meet their business needs,” says John Mulcahy, Head of Hospitality at Fáilte Ireland. “In direct response to this, Fáilte Ireland have developed and funded this new culinary programme initiative to support the hospitality industry.”

Successful providers will deliver a full-time programme on-site that is practically-based with an element of supporting theory over an eight to 10week period. Programme commencement was at the end of November 2015 with completion by the middle of March 2016.

In association with

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BUSINESS MATTERS

MILLENIALS RULE IN 2016 If 2015 was a watershed year for Irish tourism, 2016 will bring a whole new set of marketing challenges.

David Collins, Marketing Director, Great National Hotels, highlights trends that will continue to impact on how hoteliers market hotels during 2016.

MERGING DISTRIBUTION The ongoing battle between direct and indirect distribution has been debated widely. On the one hand the direct channel (your own website), is often the cheapest when compared to third party channels (online travel agents). However, these same travel agent sites do enable significant market reach for independent hotels and, in fact, generate direct traffic for hotels’ own sites. What is increasingly the case now is that the two channels are in fact not separate but intimately connected and that those hotels which are embracing this are seeing improved market traction.

A key driver in this is the recent ruling against Booking.com in respect of price parity: no longer are hotels obliged to offer the same rates on their own site and Priceline’s. In addition, hotels are standing down a booking fee on their own websites, bringing them more into line again with the likes of Booking. com and, more importantly, making booking direct more attractive to guests.

However, it is not just about price parity and booking fee: savvy hotels have taken a leaf out of the OTA book and are also providing a rich, dynamic, and intuitive user experience. Everything from the

Catering for the Millenials Galway’s Nox Hotel, which opened in June, is the perfect hipster haunt, with its trendy and eclectic interiors, free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout, and in-room data ports.

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BUSINESS MATTERS optimisation of photography for mobile to creating urgency to purchase by showing competing ‘consumers’ and reinforcing choice to overcome post-purchase dissonance. The next challenge is how to stop OTAs bidding against own-brand PPC. PERSONALISING THE HOTEL EXPERIENCE The secret to success in the digi-social era is to understand that consumers see themselves as increasingly integral to the overall brand experience. This is what is termed personalisation and it is challenging marketers to come up with strategies that set their brands apart from others for all the right reasons. What is noticeable is that there are so few brands that have actually managed to make a success of truly personalising their customer engagement, which is probably why they have managed in turn to deliver exponential levels of growth, market penetration and brand loyalty, for eg, Uber. Personalising the guest experience is nothing new in principle but it tends to be ham-fisted, clumsy and inconsistent at best. That is, of course, until now. With recent advances in technology, it is finally possible to bring real scale to making a brand experience less generic and more personal. This is largely to do with staying relevant in the minds of your customers. If you’re not talking the same language, the relationship will break down. And therein lies a marketing challenge for hotels: as consumers see their experiences with other sectors and brands become more and more personalised, hotels need to pay attention to an increasingly discerning and easily distracted guest.

THE RISE OF THE MILLENNIAL One such guest type are Millennials. These are the apparent successors to Generation X and are otherwise referred to as Generation Y. These are people born between 1977 and 2000 and there are more than 80 million of them with a combined purchasing power in excess of $170bn, making their generation larger than Baby Boomers and 20% bigger than Generation X. They are also currently the fastest growing guest segment within the hospitality industry.

Aside from being tech savvy, they see themselves as entrepreneurial, educated, philantrophic and independently-minded, driven to bring about change for the good of others.Those brands that have been successful in engaging Millennials have changed their view of consumers from being an audience to embracing

BRANDS ARE LIVING AND DYING BECAUSE THEY’RE EITHER REFUSING TO ADAPT OR ARE SIMPLY UNABLE TO, DUE TO COST AND A LACK OF FORESIGHT, AND THE REALITY IS THAT HOTELS WILL SUFFER A SIMILAR FATE UNLESS A DIFFERENT APPROACH – AND BY EXTENSION A NEW MODEL FOR HOSPITALITY MARKETING – IS ADOPTED.

them as ‘partners’. This comes from the recognition that Millennials are a lot more brand savvy than their elders and have a deeper understanding of marketing.

Embrace this and you’ll have a friend for life, an advocate and an ambassador.

Don’t and this will become the rock your marketing will perish on, as not only will Millennials flee from your brand but they’ll influence others to do likewise.

DIGITAL CONSUMERISM Following the rise in mobility and the pervasive nature of social media, ‘Digital Consumerism’ is re-defining how consumers interact with business.

Hotels included. Our response as an industry has been to react to these innovations on a case by case basis, largely as this landscape is still evolving and who knows where we may end up.

The problem, however, is that consumers do not differentiate between one trend or another. Your average consumer is soaking up these digital advances all at once as they develop an insatiable appetite for more and more technology, becoming impatient when

a product or service provider is unable to provide a seamless, intuitive user experience.

Brands are living and dying because they’re either refusing to adapt or are simply unable to, due to cost and a lack of foresight, and the reality is that hotels will suffer a similar fate unless a different approach – and by extension a new model for hospitality marketing – is adopted. Think about it for a second. Mobility, secure online payment, loyalty rewards, etc are all now standard features when booking a hotel room but they will shortly become minimum standards.

Just to broaden the point to provide some wider context for this. 90% of today’s data has been created in the last two years. And, although all this data is largely unstructured – eg emails, photos, music downloads, social media posts, etc. – the reality is that all this data will shortly be connected by what’s being termed the ‘Internet of Things’. It is predicted to be nothing short of the Industrial Revolution for our time, where everything everywhere is seamlessly connected. And that includes how we as hoteliers connect with our guests. Or rather, how consumers choose to connect to us.

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FUTURE SKILLS

POOR IMAGE HAMPERS

RECRUITMENT DRIVES The hospitality industry has a poor image that does not reflect the diversity of opportunities for career development that it provides. This was one of the key findings of recent research by The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs.

T

he research sought to assess the skills needs in the hotels, restaurants, bars and the corporate catering sector over the period to 2020. The aim is to ensure that the industry has the right supply of skills to help drive domestic hospitality sector business and employment growth. The study assesses skills demand at all NFQ levels, with a particular focus on career progression opportunities for those at lower skilled levels to help fill anticipated job openings.

“A recovery in the sector is leading to increased demand for employees of varying skill levels,” says Una Halligan, Chairperson of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN). “A main challenge for the industry is to provide appropriate upskilling and reskilling for employees and clear career progression pathways for those that wish to make hospitality their career.

Hospitality businesses should actively promote the career opportunities available at

(l-r): Nicole Mitchell, BA in Hospitality Management DIT, Nicola Moore, BSc International Hospitality Management DIT, Michael Ring, Minister of State Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, and Damien English, Minister of State for Skills, Research and Innovation, Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation at the launch of the report.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW APPRENTICESHIP MODEL BY SOLAS...WHICH WILL ADD SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TRAINING PLACES. 20

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FUTURE SKILLS

NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO RECRUIT SKILLED STAFF, WE ALSO NEED TO RETAIN THEM IF WE ARE TO FUNDAMENTALLY ADDRESS THE SKILLS SHORTAGE IN THE INDUSTRY.

different levels to students, parents and jobseekers. There is also a need within businesses for improved hospitality talent attraction and retention practices.

The sector offers attractive business opportunities to entrepreneurs.”

Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Hospitality John Mulcahy says that the report underscores the need for more skilled staff in tourism as the industry expands.

“In particular, we look forward to the introduction of a new apprenticeship model by Solas, in partnership with the industry, which will add significantly more training places to the 1,500 a year currently funded by Fáilte Ireland and should effectively address this issue.

The research also indicates that staff exiting some sectors of the industry is a contributory factor in the skills shortfall. It is therefore important that the hospitality sector also implements measures to improve staff retention levels, particularly given the level of State investment in training. Not only do we need to recruit skilled staff, we also need to retain them if we are to fundamentally address the skills shortage in the industry.”

Ahead of the introduction of the new Apprenticeship Scheme early this year, Fáilte Ireland has been providing funding for an interim initiative to train up to 150 commis chefs.

While the hospitality sector has potential for future growth, skill demand shortfalls are likely to continue to emerge in key occupations if action is not taken in the short to medium term.

The level of success ultimately achieved in addressing skills requirements will be dependent on industry, education/

training and other stakeholders working together on a collaborative basis. The recommendations made in the report are designed to support the professionalisation of the sector and to contribute toward achieving national employment creation targets under the Government’s ‘Action Plan for Jobs’.

The hospitality sector is one of the most important services sectors in the Irish economy. It directly employs 158,000 persons within 16,000 enterprises. This represents eight per cent of current economywide employment. The sector contributes 3bn gross value added to the economy. The definition of hospitality employment used in the study takes into account employment in the accommodation and food services sector and also employment in related sectors for key hospitality-related occupations.

The largest concentrations of employment are among waiters/ waitresses (27,509 or 17.4% of the total); chefs (23,948 or 15.2%); kitchen/catering assistants (23,255 persons or 14.7%); bar staff (18,719 or 11.8%); and hotel/accommodation managers and proprietors (8,242 or 5.2% of employment). These specific occupations together represent almost two-thirds of hospitality-related employment.

The full report, Assessment of Future Skills Requirements in the Hospitality Sector in Ireland 2015-2020, and its recommendations are available on the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs website www.skillsireland.ie

THE REPORT’S RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE: increasing NFQ level 4/5 provision for kitchen/catering, bar and waiting staff and enhancing progression pathways between NFQ Levels 4 and 5 to Level 6+; further professionalising the industry through the introduction of national occupational standards; increasing investment in management and staff training, appraisal and career progression by hospitality businesses; promoting hospitality as a professional long-term career choice to school leavers, students and parents; assisting unemployed former hospitality sector workers to return to employment in the sector; enhancing measures for the attraction of qualified chefs from the EU-EEA area while implementing actions to increase domestic supply.

The report also states that, where skills demand shortfalls persist, the industry should make a submission that changes be considered to the existing employment permit criteria for chefs within the new six-monthly review process.

ABOUT THE EXPERT GROUP The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) advises the Irish Government on the current and future skills needs of the economy and on other labour market issues that impact on Ireland’s enterprise and employment growth. Established in 1997, the EGFSN reports jointly to the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, in conjunction with the Skill and Labour Market Research Unit in Solas, provides the EGFSN with research and analysis support.

Steering Group for the Study: Frank Mulvihill, Chairperson, Stephen McNally and Tim Fenn, Irish Hotels Federation, Natasha Kinsella, Irish Hospitality Institute, Adrian Cummins, Restaurants Association of Ireland, Anne Trebett, The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Breda Miley, Noel Recruitment, John Mulcahy, Fáilte Ireland, Alan Nuzum, Skillnets, Bryan Fields and John McGrath, Solas, John Kearney, Cavan/Monaghan ETB, Alan McGrath, Higher Education Authority, Ralf Burbach, Dublin Institute of Technology, Mary-Rose Stafford, Irish Academy of Hospitality & Tourism; John Kelly, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Gerard Walker and Marie Bourke, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

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Commercial

PROFILE

Delight Your Customers with

A Cup of Indulgence

AS THE NATION’S LEADING COFFEE BRAND, BEWLEY’S ARE CONTINUING TO INVEST IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS HAVE THE BEST QUALITY PRODUCTS TO PERSISTENTLY DELIGHT CONSUMERS.

A

lthough we are all hoping for a few more sunny days this summer, Bewley’s are already preparing for the autumn and winter months and know what hot beverage products will entice customers through your door. Hot chocolate has always been an indulgent treat for consumers.

However, more recently, it has become increasingly prominent and prevalent on menus in high street cafés. The growing popularity of hot chocolate can, perhaps, be attributed to the way hot chocolate makes us feel. Research has shown that endorphins are released when hot chocolate is consumed, creating a feeling of calm and happiness.

With consumers becoming more discerning about the quality of food and beverages, Bewley’s have announced that they plan to reformulate their hot chocolate powder in the coming months. Speaking about the reasons for doing this, Maria Cassidy, Bewley’s Standards and Quality Manager, commented “quality has always been at the heart of Bewley’s product

development. From our coffee beans to our tea, right through to our ancillary products, we only want consumers to experience the best of what we have to offer. In the case of our foodservice solutions, we have to be mindful of the need to deliver cost effective, easy to prepare product formats for operators. It is mainly for these reasons that we have decided to reformulate our proprietary hot chocolate powder – Chocolait – which we plan to make available to the trade at the later end of this year.”

Hot chocolate is now being used to tap into the sweet and savoury trend, and for consumers who can’t really choose between sweet and salty, more products are appearing in the marketplace that can satisfy both moods. “For example, we have all seen how salted caramel and chocolate hit the headlines this year as chefs across the world raved about the deliciousness of the unusual combination,” says Maria. “Research also reveals that consumers are looking for

unique and memorable taste experiences when it comes to food and beverage purchases.”

Bewley’s have everything you need to promote delicious recipes like this throughout the year and can also provide dedicated training programmes to give your staff the added confidence in promoting your chosen beverages.

Contact Bewley’s today on 1850 248 484 to get your menu on trend.

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Bringing the perfect balance of

Bewley’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Below Bewley’s share their recipe for their own salted caramel hot chocolate. Try serving it in your operation today and capitalise on the trend.

REQUIRED: • Bewley’s Chocolate powder • Salted Caramel Syrup • Milk METHOD: 1. Pre-heat the glass with boiling water 2. Add 1 pump of Monin Salted Caramel Syrup to the glass 3. Add 1 scoop of Bewley’s Chocolait powder to the glass 4. Steam the milk to a silky consistency 5. High pour the milk into the glass until it reaches two thirds of the glass 6. Mix well to ensure all the chocolate is blended 7. Continue to fill the glass and then finish by low pouring

passion & experience to your business

With over 175 years experience in the tea and coffee industry, Bewley’s continue to lead the way in delivering the complete hot beverage solution to foodservice operators throughout Ireland.

At the heart of our success is our unwavering commitment to quality, our people and our passionate approach to meeting the needs of our customers.

To find out more about how your business can profit from working in partnership with Ireland’s leading hot beverage solutions provider contact us on 1850 248 484.

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REFURBISHMENT

Major Makeover for Dublin’s

DUBLIN’S

GRAND DAME

The photographic screen that overlaid the six-storey scaffolding at The Shelbourne Hotel was finally removed on December 18th to reveal the restored facade. Maev Martin talks to General Manager Stephen Hanley about maintaining standards and service during a challenging restoration period.

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he restoration work, carried out by conservation company Acol Ltd, ranged from removing decades of old paint from the hotel’s stucco work and replacing damaged or brittle moulding, to restoring keystones, corbels, windows and chimneys, cleaning and repointing almost 100,000 bricks, and mending roofing and flashing, all over the course of a very busy eight months. “At no stage during the external restoration works did the hotel go below 90% occupancy, but we had to recruit extra staff to work at the front door and inside in the lobby area whose main task was to apologise to guests in advance for the construction work that was taking place,” he says. “We decided to put more staff in situ to manage guests’ expectations in order to avoid disappointment. Another challenging

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REFURBISHMENT

The Lord Mayor’s Lounge

THE RITZ AND THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V IN PARIS CATER FOR LESS THAN US, DELIBERATELY, TO ENSURE THAT IT DOESN’T LOOK TOO BUSY BECAUSE BUSY AND LUXURY DON’T GO HAND IN HAND...WE HAVE HAD TO BE VERY CREATIVE TO MAKE BUSY AND LUXURY WORK WELL.

The Saddle Room

aspect of the restoration period was the fact that we extended our spa operation, installing extra treatment rooms, and we opened our hair and beauty treatment facility, The Salon at The Shelbourne. There is no where else like it that is offering this type of service in the St Stephen’s Green area. We built The Salon within the spa and next to our health club so we are now offering guests a onestop health and beauty shop. The Salon has been a fantastic addition to the property.”

The refurbishment of 220 of the hotel’s bedrooms, which began two years ago, was also ongoing during part of the restoration period. “We have completely refurbished 220 bedrooms this year and this month we started the next phase of the bedroom refurbishment programme,” says Stephen.

“The first prototype room was completed before Christmas and we just need to make a few tweaks to the design. We hope to have

this second phase of bedroom refurbishment completed by Easter.” Will the new look bedrooms be thoroughly modern or will they still reflect the design of the grand 1842 Victorian building in which they reside?

“The Shelbourne Hotel aspires to having the fastest broadband, the best digital TV, and the most comfortable beds in the country,” he says. “Those are the core requirements and our new rooms will deliver on this.

However, the design has to be classical, given that this is a listed building and a 200-year old hotel that is renowned worldwide.”

NOT YOUR TYPICAL LUXURY HOTEL Stephen points out that the Shelbourne Hotel caters for significantly larger numbers of guests than other luxury hotels. “For example, The Ritz and the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris cater for less than us, deliberately, to ensure that it doesn’t look too busy because busy and luxury don’t go hand in hand,” he says. “We have had to be very creative to make busy and luxury work well. We could be a quiet hotel and have two afternoon tea sittings every day instead of four and reduce the capacity in our bar but we choose not to do that because we are a very social business. The hotel’s greatest

skill is its ability to cater for all comers every day of the week – we aren’t a quiet hotel nor are we a wrecking shop – we have the perfect balance and I think that came across very strongly in RTE’s fly on the wall documentary. There might have been a perception that you needed to be in a certain set to visit The Shelbourne so the TV show has been a great exposé for us in that regard.

We were approached by a number of production companies who wanted to make The Shelbourne the subject of a documentary and we ended up with Waddell Media who

General Manager Stephen Hanley outside the hotel’s restored facade.

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REFURBISHMENT were great to work with. We didn’t plan to do a second series but RTE wanted to go again as the ratings were very high and after two approaches by Waddell Media we eventually said yes. We had the new owners and the restoration work was underway so it made for an interesting documentary but that is it now. However, it has been a great experience. In some parts of the hotel business has trebled over the past two years as a result of the exposure that we got from our participation in the TV series. For example, with our Afternoon Tea experience we had to increase our sittings from two to four a day to cope with the demand.”

DUBLIN IS COMPETITIVE ON PRICING Many commentators on the industry have expressed their concerns that Irish hotels are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market but Stephen disagrees. “Ireland has a lot to offer – an Irish four star hotel

#Afternoon Tea Desserts With our Afternoon Tea experience, we had to increase our sittings from two to four a day to cope with the demand.

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HOTEL

Heritage Bedroom Suite

would leave a French four star hotel for dead and a five-star hotel would leave any five star hotel in the shade,” he says.

“Ireland is one of the top tiny percentage of destinations in the world that has everything, except the weather, and people don’t come here for that. Compared to the other major capital cities in Europe we are not uncompetitive on pricing. In fact, we are very inexpensive. Dublin is a serious destination with good access, plenty to see, a wonderful selection of culinary experiences, and unrivalled hospitality.

That’s not to say that everything is perfect - litter is still a big issue and there are deficits in terms of signage and bins.” He also bemoans the lack of a garda presence on the streets. “These are the only drawbacks that I see in Ireland from a tourist perspective,” he says.

Is he concerned about the impact that the shortage of hotel rooms in Dublin will have on the industry in 2016 and beyond? “In one sense we will get more of a share but in the longer term Dublin will get a reputation for not being able to host events or being able to cater for a certain capacity and that would be disastrous,” he says. “There have been so few hotels built and developed in Dublin over the past seven years that there is now a major supply issue. Las Vegas welcomes 47 million tourists every year and Ireland takes in eight million. The hotel bedroom capacity in Las Vegas isn’t full all the time but it never says no to business. In Ireland we just about have enough to get by but we are not equipped to cater for the exceptionally busy times. During the summer the city could accommodate another 2,000 to 3,000 people at peak season and this year, with the events to commemorate the 1916 Rising and the American football, that is likely to be the approximate shortfall. As everyone in our industry is aware, there is a shortfall of rooms in Dublin city centre. We also need another convention venue. We can’t

accommodate a convention for 10,000 or 15,000 people so maybe now developers need to adopt a built it and they will come attitude. T2 at Dublin Airport is an excellent example of this. So many people were critical of the build and said that it would never justify its existence in terms of the numbers going through it yet it has been a great success.”

UNIQUE SELLING POINTS The Shelbourne has been quite a trailblazer when it comes to introducing new services that aren’t typical of what is on offer in Irish hotels. “We are the only hotel in Ireland with a Style Butler, Marietta Dolan, and we are the only hotel in the world with a Genealogy Butler, Helen Kelly. In fact we have trademarked the title ‘Genealogy Butler’.

We are also the first hotel in Ireland to run its own Oyster Festival. The first one took place in September and we will do it again this year. We will continue to grow the beauty and spa operation, as it is doing well, and we will be upping the ante in terms of our fine dining offering in the Saddle Room. Suffice it to say that a lot of hard work will go into achieving something big in the restaurant this year.

More people come to the hotel to dine than we have residents, which is unusual in a hotel. We have introduced a Sunday brunch offering with a jazz band and we have a crooner singing every night to serenade guests. We don’t sell ourselves as a meetings or business hotel but we do have a significant corporate business so we are becoming a multi-faceted destination. But we can’t be complacent, despite the record visitor numbers. You have to know the market you are after but be flexible enough to alter and target a different profile of customer that may be emerging. For the Shelbourne, it used to be the blue hair and a poodle brigade but now many of our wealthy guests are likely to arrive in jeans and a t-shirt.”

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INTERIOR TRENDS

Interior DESIRE

Constantina Tsoutsikou, Lead Designer for the Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Airport hotel, talks about creating a design that would redefine the concept of airport accommodation in The Netherlands and across the world.

Style Tip

Create a ‘home away from home’ ambience by selecting furniture, lighting and floor coverings. This allows the design to achieve human scale within the architectural form of the building.

Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Airport hotel

Constantina Tsoutsikou

OSLO RIBBED PEACH GLASS PENDANT LIGHT

28 x 28 x 36cm www.artisanti.com

BARMER KOMMODE R941

www.guru-shop.de

CREMA PINTA POLISHED TILE

alhambrahome. co.uk

CUSTOM TRIFORM RUG

www.rugcouture.com

Hilton Hotels & Resorts opened the new Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on December 17th. The 433-room hotel, created by Dutch architects Mecanoo, alongside British interior design company The Gallery HBA, has a distinct cubic design that features a 42-metre high glazed roof. “The overarching brief for the project was to create a hotel that would be a destination in its own right for local as well as international travellers,” says Constantina Tsoutsikou, Associate, The Gallery HBA. “Our brief for the interiors was to provide a ‘Dutch touch’, taking recognisable Dutch design icons, as well as the characteristics of the land and its people, and translating these into a contemporary world-class hotel. In this way, we gave the property a unique personality, from banquette backs fashioned like speculaas cookies in the restaurant to the lace embroidery and crochet motifs that thread through the design. One of the key public area features is a steel wall which flows through the ground floor. Its shape is inspired by the maps that trace the shipping routes of early Dutch traders. ”

EERO SAARINEN EGG CHAIR

maria-alquilar.com LA CAFETIÈRE THERMIQUE CAFETIÈRE

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ROUND BLACK COFFEE TABLE

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CATERING REVIEW

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FOOD HEROES

FORRESTAL

FORAGES AHEAD Julianne Forrestal is one of only two women to have reached the highest position possible for a chef in the corporate catering sector in Ireland. Responsible for 500 chefs on the island, she talks to Maev Martin about her first year as Sodexo Ireland’s Executive Craft Chef.

A

part from Audrey Crone, Executive Development Chef at Baxter Storey, Julianne is the only female Executive Craft Chef in a contract catering company in Ireland. “When I started in college there were more males at college entry point,” she says.

“Also, people change career paths and when they have family commitments they often fall out of the culinary world and the long hours that go with it. But the landscape is changing – there are a lot more females coming through in the next generation. This is reflected in the media with the recent Masterchef winner, and in operations such as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay where his support team is run by Clare Smyth.”

Julianne regards the Sodexo/Ballymaloe masterclass in October and the Catex Contract Caterers Challenge in February as a couple of the highlights from the first year in her new role. “Darina Allen’s cookery programme on RTE 1 inspired me to become a chef so to be hosting a Sodexo masterclass at Ballymaloe was terrific,” she says. The masterclass,

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FOOD HEROES

(l-r): Rory O’Connell, Stephanie Roche, Sodexo’s Health and Wellbeing Ambassador, Julianne Forrestal and Derry Clarke.

Rory O’Connell with the Sodexo chef team.

#Julianne Forrestal Before joining Sodexo 10 years ago, Julianne began her career as a pastry chef at Shanahan’s on the Green and moved from there to Thornton’s and on to Chapter One restaurant. Following a year’s experience as Head Pastry Chef at a top French restaurant in Montreal, she returned to Ireland in 2006 to join Sodexo as Chef Manager at An Bord Bia in Dublin. Julianne holds a professional chef qualification from the Institute of Technology in Tallaght and a BSc (Hons) in Education and Training from Dublin City University.

She is currently undertaking a Masters in Environmental Health and Safety at DIT Cathal Brugha Street.

Fine dining in an agricultural setting at Ballymaloe.

organised and co-ordinated by Julianne, was led by chef Rory O’Connell, cofounder of Ballymaloe Cookery School and annual Litfest and Good Food Ireland’s Ambassador for Irish Food. 15 Sodexo chefs were involved in the event on October 30th and Rory and his team of four chefs delivered masterclasses on bread, patés, terrines, and dips, as well as smoking classes on pollock, haddock and salmon. The day before, Rory and Julianne took the chefs foraging in the grounds of Ballymaloe to pick up some homegrown ingredients for the menus at the drinks reception and main event.

For the reception there was a bread and butter table, a smoked and cured fish table, a shellfish table, and a wild foraging table - a wooden display with fresh herbs and edible flowers. This was followed by a dinner of spiced pumpkin soup, slow roast shoulder of lamb and garden autumn greens, with a selection of dessert options and cheeses. “Mixologists from Raise the Bar produced cocktails in The Grainstore at Ballymaloe where we worked to capture the ambience of the Litfest by bringing the fine dining experience into an agricultural setting,” says Julianne.

“The ethos at Ballymaloe is locally sourced and simple food so the master class was a great learning experience for our craft team as they were working

alongside one of the leading voices in Irish food in a setting that nurtures creativity and is sensitive to local provenance.”

Sodexo’s team of chefs also won the Contract Caterers Challenge at Catex in its inaugural year, one of Julianne’s first achievements in the new role, and this year she will be sending chef David Fountain to Hotelympia in March. “In addition, Sodexo have appointed another Craft Development Chef in Munster, Glen Mullen, so that shows the growth that we are experiencing in our business and that we expect to continue experiencing in 2016 and beyond,” she says.

CATERING FOR COMPETITION Sodexo has experienced strong growth and success in the last financial year, including the mobilisation of all Diageo sites in Ireland and the UK. “We’ve also greatly expanded the number of services that we now manage on client sites, in line with Sodexo’s strategy to deliver a comprehensive range of quality of life services to our clients,” says Julianne. “And we have scored in the private schools sector with the winning of the contract for Cistercian College in Roscrea.”

The contract catering sector has become extremely competitive in Ireland in recent years with the entry of new

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FOOD HEROES

players, such as Gather and Gather, to the market. “Our quality of life ethos – nurturing talent and training people to advance in their careers and offer customers a quality service – distinguishes us from the crowd,” says Julianne. “I’m constantly impressed by the care that managers at our different sites put into their staff development. We also have close relationships with Derry Clarke, who has worked with Sodexo for seven years, as well as with Bord Bia and Ballymaloe.

Derry works with me to develop the hospitality menus at our sites, we offer his signature dishes in the restaurant, and our staff train in his restaurant. His expertise is extremely helpful to our business.”

Another initiative that should help give Sodexo the competitive edge is its involvement in Origin Green.

The company invested 21m in the procurement of Irish food in 2015 and 24% of that spend is with verified Bord Bia Origin Green suppliers. A further 10% is with suppliers who are in the process of becoming verified members.

“Sodexo were early adopters of Origin Green,” says Julianne. “The Origin Green charter is well established in the food and drink supply sector but they are only establishing it now for the food service sector. Sodexo are carrying out pilot studies around nutrition, our supply chain, and corporate social responsibility, at all of our sites as part of our involvement in Origin Green.”

HEALTH & WELLNESS FOR 2016 Julianne has a number of new initiatives planned for 2016, most of which centre around further developing the health and wellness aspect of Sodexo’s food offering. “January is a key rejuvenation time so we will work with our nutritional adviser Dorcas Barry and our ambassador Stephanie Roche to devise a new superfood product range incorporating detox properties,” she says. “Also in January we will examine the health and wellness food offerings on the high street and see what elements we can incorporate into our business. We are working with Bord Bia to see which outlets we will look at.” What is her opinion of the government’s plan to introduce mandatory calorie counts on menus? “It is more challenging to introduce this in restaurants and hotels where dishes

30

HOTEL

(l-r): Julianne and Rory with Margot Slattery, Country President of Sodexo Ireland and Northern Ireland.

change more often than they do in the contract catering sector,” she says. “It isn’t a major challenge for Sodexo as we have a food management system in place already.

Also, we have more resources in this area than the average hotel or restaurant, with our full-time dietician and a menu management tool with allergen and calorie calculating properties built into it.”

RETAINING CHEFS The recruitment and retention of chefs is much easier in the contract catering sector than it is in restaurants and hotels.

“Ambitious people will move from hotel to hotel and from restaurant to restaurant,” says Julianne. “For example, I went to work at Sheen Falls hotel because I wanted to work with a specific pastry chef. While the corporate catering sector does offer a seven day 365 days a year service to some clients, it does tend to be a nine to five, Monday to Friday role so people get more of a work life balance.

But what is similar in both sectors is the importance of building the right team and rewarding them to ensure that they stay.”

In addition, the type of training that chefs are receiving is, ironically, impacting on the supply of available skills. “The training at college level is encouraging chefs to be

more entrepreneurial,.” says Julianne. “For example, Dublin Pop Up company is an operation run by Harry Colley and Cuin Greene, both of whom went straight from college to operating a unique business.

However, this is a positive development and one that the industry has to encourage and find a way around when it comes to addressing the shortages that exist.”

Julianne is concerned that the training available to chefs post secondary school has created a skills gap that needs to be addressed. “When I started training to be a chef there was no degree available like there is now so my qualification was NTCB 1 and 2 or Fetac level 6,” she says. “Now it has moved to focusing on degree level qualifications and we are missing a training level for the commis chef. Traditionally there was always a day release programme run by Fáilte Ireland/CERT in the colleges but its availability has been reduced significantly.

This has a direct impact on people working in our industry who have no qualification but can’t afford to go back to college full time because of personal commitments. Also, there are no night time courses anymore so these factors are ensuring continued shortages of chefs at a specific level in the industry.”

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Organics…

Naturally Good For Business

GLENISK LTD

Martina O’Reilly or Jaimie Ronan Tel: 01-4977524 Trade enquiries: jaimie@glenisk.com www.glenisk.com

THE CONFIT COMPANY

Tel: 052 7445500 Trade enquires: goodherdsmen@eircom.net www.goodherdsmen.com

FLAHAVAN AND SONS LTD Margie Walsh Tel: 051-294107

Trade enquiries: mwalsh@flahavans.com www.flahavans.com

COOKERY SCHOOL FOR RENT The cookery school within the sylvan setting of the Village at Lyons, near Celbridge, Co Kildare, is available for rent.

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14/01/2016 12:00

O Thing #INGREDIENT

WILD

An ancient staple in Ireland, oats have re-emerged as the hot and healthy ingredient of the moment. Are you getting your oats?

ats were central to the Irish table for more than 5,000 years before the potato arrived from the Americas and turned our heads in the 1600s. Now oats are firmly back on the menu in 2016, ticking all of the boxes for the health conscious and environmentally aware diner.

The Flahavan family remain foremost in the Irish mind with the nostalgic association of warming bowls of porridge in winter. In fact the family have been milling oats in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford for over 200 years and the family run business is now in its 6th generation. Their organic range, which includes standard wholegrain porridge oats and the chunkier jumbo oats, is produced using gentle, traditional milling processes without the use of additives, preservatives or processing aids and is the top selling brand of organic oats in Ireland and the UK. Today the culinary uses of oats are many and varied and oats are recognised as a super-food for their slow release of energy and high fibre content, something that our ancestors surely benefited from and which certainly makes them a great breakfast food. But the beauty of organic oats is that they work in a huge variety of formats, take to both sweet and savoury pairings, and provide a range of textures and flavours depending on how they are used – making them an essential staple for the contemporary Irish kitchen too.

Here are some suggestions on new ways to incorporate Flahavans wholegrain organic oats into your menu: BREAKFAST BOOSTERS Porridge has made a serious comeback in recent year and Irish oat porridge features on the best breakfast menus now, but oats are also the base for muesli and granola – and it’s an absolute cinch to make your own. Its super economical and you can create your own house speciality.

CRUNCH & CRUMBLE Sweet or savoury, oats add texture and crunch to dessert crumble, savoury toppings for pies and bakes, pastries or crumb coatings for fish or chicken fillets, fish cakes or deep fried cheese. Try toasted oats as a garnish for vegetables or as a salad topping.

SOUPS AND STEWS Like barley, oats can be used to thicken and add texture to soups and stews.

For further information, contact Margie Walsh Tel: 051 294107 Email: mwalsh@flahavans.com www.flahavans.ie

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COOKIES AND CRACKERS From savoury crackers or oatcakes to serve with cheese, to oat cookies, flapjacks and cereal bars, oats make the most delicious, healthy and satisfying snacks.

REIMAGINING RISOTTO Oats can be cooked gradually in stock in a similar way to a risotto or polenta dish, adding a variety of flavours to produce a wholesome savoury accompaniment to meat or vegetable dishes. This is similar to the way our ancestors consumed oats.

14/01/2016 11:53

Partners in Food

PROFILE

COME INTO THE

Gourmet Food Parlour WHEN A UNIT BECAME AVAILABLE IN DUN LAOGHAIRE IN EARLY 2006, LORRAINE HESKIN AND HER FRIEND AND BUSINESS PARTNER LORRAINE BYRNE DECIDED TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAM AND OPENED GOURMET FOOD PARLOUR. LORRAINE HESKIN TALKS ABOUT THEIR FOCUS ON FRESHLY PREPARED ARTISAN FOOD. Q: What did you believe you were bringing to the food scene in Dublin?

A: We wanted to open a wine bar and café style restaurant serving artisan and gourmet food such as salads, sandwiches, hot dishes and homemade desserts.

The gourmet trend had yet to develop in Dublin and we believed that, with our unique ingredient combination, we would be providing something different. We also wanted to create a welcoming restaurant that would become a cornerstone of each community that we opened in. Hand picked wines were top of the priority list too, ensuring that customers could enioy a glass or take a bottle home with them.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for the business?

A: My time working in New York was very inspirational.

I was captivated by the restaurant and speciality food business so I took lots of ideas from there, as well as their amazing customer service ethic which always stood out to me.

Q: Can you describe how the business evolved from a day time café to a night time restaurant business?

A: When the recession hit we quickly had to think of ways to create more business.

Tapas was such a great choice for us as it was suited to our business model and it was an affordable offering for our customers. We started

Keelings Farm Fresh Managing Director Colm Bury with Gourmet Food Parlour Managing Director Lorraine Heskin.

235106_CP_KEELINGS_ALS_H&C.indd 33

off opening once a month but we saw a demand for this style of eating and it quickly grew from there to three nights per week and now seven nights a week in some of our restaurants Q: You opened a restaurant in House on Leeson Street in 2013 and another restaurant in 37 Dawson Street in 2014.

How did that come about?

A: Alan Clancy was a regular customer in our first café – we always kept in touch to discuss our business and from this we got the opportunity to run the restaurant in House, followed by 37 Dawson Street.

Q: What are your ambitions for the business in 2016?

A: Our ambition is to build and develop our existing business, particularly our catering department, to continue to work on our internal food development, and to continue creating our own food trends within the GFP model. And, you never know, there may be some new openings too. Watch this space!

Dublin: +353 (0)1 895 5301

Wexford: +353 (0)53 9147447

Email: farmfresh@keelings.com

Cork: + 353 (0)21 4968088

Belfast: +44 2890324236

Web: www.keelings.com

14/01/2016 12:17

OUTLOOK 2016

NEARLY

7,000 NEW JOBS PREDICTED AS CAPACITY PRESSURE BUILDS IN DUBLIN

Hotel & Catering Review reports on what some of the key representative organisations in our industry believe 2016 has in store for Irish tourism.

I

rish tourism businesses are positive about 2016 and are investing heavily in marketing, as well as focusing on the need to continue delivering good value for money. That was one of the main findings of ITIC’s Review of 2015 : Outlook 2016 report which was published on December 30th. ITIC believes that the national target of five

Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe.

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per cent growth in overseas visitor revenue in 2016 is achievable, given the healthy state of key source market economies and the strength of the pound and sterling, as well as the US dollar. “However, growth is not guaranteed and there is much work to be done to underpin and sustain progress to date,” says ITIC Chairman Paul Gallagher. “Tourism has

much more potential for Ireland but only if the right strategies and investment policies are pursued. ITIC believes that, based on projected tourism revenue growth of five per cent, at least a further 6,800 jobs can be created in the tourism industry in 2016, one of the few industries that delivers jobs in all parts of the country.”

COSTS THREATEN COMPETITIVENESS ITIC Chief Executive Eoghan O’Mara Walsh says that a loss of competitiveness represents the single largest threat to the sector. “Ireland remains a high cost location and addressing our competitiveness must remain a key priority for Government and the tourism industry,” he said. Capacity issues also represent a potential serious constraint to continued growth.

This is particularly evident in terms of a shortage of hotel capacity in Dublin and other urban centres which may limit the ability of Ireland to attract increasing volumes of visitors.

“Dublin has significant capacity constraints and visitor number targets will not be met unless the deficit in hotel bedroom development is addressed with some urgency,” says Paul

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OUTLOOK 2016 Skellig Michael, Co Kerry was featured in the Star Wars The Force Awakens film.

Which

VISITORS

generated the additional 60m in 2015 Holidays

€510

million+ BUSINESS

€60

million+ OTHER

€30

million+ #Tourism:

The Numbers Total annual earnings of the Irish tourism industry exceeded

€7bn

Gallagher. “ITIC is of the view that approximately 5,000 bedrooms are needed by 2020 and we await Fáilte Ireland’s report on this area which we understand is due for imminent publication. A successful Dublin is vital for tourism to prosper throughout Ireland.”

in 2015.

Overseas tourists spent just over

€4.1bn

while in Ireland in 2015. Domestic tourists spent €1.6bn, with a further €300m earned from visitors from Northern Ireland.

The number of overseas visitors grew by

14%

to top eight million – the highest number on record.

OCCUPANCY & OVERHANGING DEBT Following a year of strong tourism growth, the vast majority of Irish hotels and guesthouses are upbeat going into 2016 with 92% saying they have a positive outlook for the next 12 months, according to the latest Hotel Barometer from the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) which was launched on December 22nd. A similar number (90%) report an upturn in business levels this year following a 13% increase in overseas visitors. However, despite the upturn in tourism, IHF President Stephen McNally notes that the benefits of the recovery are not being felt to the same extent throughout the

country. “Growth in occupancy levels continues to lag in areas outside the traditional tourism hotspots due to an over-reliance on the domestic market, which accounts for over 80% of revenues for many hotels and guesthouses outside the larger urban areas,” he says.”Many premises are operating from a low revenue base following the downturn which means that the high cost of servicing overhanging debt is a serious challenge.

This still weighs heavily on many hotels with 34% saying they remain concerned about the viability of their business.”

Other challenges highlighted include the high cost of doing business in Ireland, which is stifling competitiveness, with hoteliers facing excessive local authority rates, increasing labour costs and high utility costs.

STAFFING INCREASES & CAPITAL INVESTMENTS The hotels sector is benefiting from increased tourism from all key markets including

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Which

MARKETS generated the additional 60m in 2015 RoW

€30

million+ GREAT BRITAIN

€85

million+ N. AMERICA

€245

million+ C. EUROPE

€230

million+

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OUTLOOK 2016

#Tourism Survey FURTHER GROWTH IN 2016

Fáilte Ireland CEO Shaun Quinn (left) with Chairman Michael Cawley at the January 11th press briefing.

North America (visitors up 13%), Britain (up 11%) and the rest of Europe (up 14%).

Domestic tourism and hospitality business is also performing well following years of subdued consumer confidence. 85% of hoteliers report increased levels of business this year from the home market, with people taking more trips at home and spending more money in the local economy. This is important for the sector, given that demand from the island of Ireland accounts for the majority of all hotel bednights (69%).

The upturn is contributing to significant jobs growth, with 64% of hotels and guesthouses having increased staffing levels this year and 57% planning to take on further staff over the next 12 months.

Based on projected rates of growth in overseas visitors, the IHF forecasts that Irish tourism as a whole is now on track to create a further 40,000 jobs by the end of the decade. The improved outlook for the tourism and hospitality sector also means that hotel and guesthouse owners are now in a stronger position to invest in their business, with results showing that 92% of hoteliers are planning to invest in refurbishment and product development over the next 12 months, while 62% are planning to increase their investment in marketing. Business tourism is another area of continued growth. Of those hotels catering for corporate meetings and business events, 71% are seeing an increase in this area of their business compared with last year.

ARE YOU READY TO FEEL THE FORCE? On November 30th Tourism Ireland launched details of its marketing plans to promote Ireland overseas in 2016 and beyond. The organisation aims to surpass this year’s record performance in overseas tourism and to welcome 8.2 million visitors to Ireland in 2016. This figure will represent growth of +4% over 2015 and deliver 4.4bn

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to the Irish economy (almost +5%) next year.

“Following a successful 2015, ambitious targets have been set again for 2016 and beyond,” says Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons. “We will unveil Ireland’s Ancient East around the world, while continuing to place a major focus on the Wild Atlantic Way. We will also highlight Dublin, in particular capitalising on the recent inclusion of Dublin at number three in the world in the prestigious ‘Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2016’. The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens – which features Skellig Michael – presents Tourism Ireland with a unique opportunity to highlight the south west and Ireland in 2016. Tourism Ireland plans to take every opportunity to maximise the Star Wars connection with Ireland over the coming weeks and months. Our campaign will be rolled out in 14 different markets – including Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic region, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the GCC. Tourism Ireland will also work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to highlight Ireland 2016 to people everywhere – showcasing major new attractions and the year’s signature events.”

Access developments for 2015 include three new Aer Lingus transatlantic flights to Dublin from Los Angeles, Hartford (Connecticut) and Newark (New Jersey).

Aer Lingus will also launch services from Pisa and Montpelier to Dublin and from Düsseldorf to Cork. Other new routes in the pipeline include Flybe flights from Edinburgh and Birmingham to Ireland West Airport Knock; CityJet’s flights from Nantes and La Rochelle to Cork; an Iberia Express flight between Madrid and Cork; Air Canada rouge from Vancouver to Dublin; as well as a recently launched Ryanair flight from Amsterdam to Dublin.

According to Fáilte Ireland’s latest Tourism Barometer Survey, business sentiment across the tourism sector is now at levels not seen since the Celtic Tiger and expectations for the 2016 season are very upbeat, with strong growth projected across all parts of the industry. Almost 70% of tourism businesses saw profitability improve in 2015.

The organisation's September barometer indicates that a similar proportion (69%) anticipate turnover and profitability growth over the next few years.The survey also indicates that 65% of accommodation providers expect their business to further increase in 2016. One in five businesses spontaneously mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way as a positive boost to their future growth.

Hotels in particular are optimistic, with 85% anticipating continued improvement into 2016. Critically, with respect to jobs, two in five (41%) respondents plan to increase the number of people they employ in the next two to three years - including four in five (79%) hotels. About half of the tourism businesses surveyed (48%) expect to employ up to five additional people, 17% will take on five to 10 people and 14% of responding hotels will be looking to take on at least ten more members of staff. “Assuming no major external shocks, I believe Irish tourism is well placed to grow again in 2016, possibly by as much as six per cent," said Fáilte Ireland Chairman Michael Cawley at a media briefing to launch the organisation's Annual Tourism Industry Review on January 11th. "The access capacity to the country is set to increase again this season, economic conditions in key source markets are generally positive, and our brand offering is compelling and improving. Continuing favourable exchange rates are also helpful.

This all augers well for the wider economy, with total tourism revenues likely to hit 8bn this year with obvious consequences for further job creation.”

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LINE ESSENTIAL PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

ZOMATO

ZOMATO BOOK Digital firm Zomato Ireland recently launched Zomato Book, a cloud-based one-stop solution that allows restaurants to manage their bookings, tables, staff and customer database more efficiently.

Dublin-based Seapoint, Farmer Browns and Stanleys are just some of the restaurants that have recently turned on Zomato Book. With Book, Zomato has developed a technology that lets restaurateurs update their data in real time from smartphones and tablets. Book software syncs with any online reservations made (through the restaurant’s website or though the Zomato website) as well as integrating with bookings taken over the phone.

Further information is available at www.zomato.com

HOSHIZAKI

HYDROCARBON ICE MAKERS Hoshizaki’s new Emerald Class range of hydrocarbon ice makers includes cube, flake and nugget machines with capacities ranging from 22kgs to 340kgs per day.

It is the result of many years of research and development. It uses only naturally occurring hydrocarbon (R290) refrigerant which, with a GWP value less than 5, uses significantly less energy. For example, in optimum conditions, the smallest machine, the under-counter IM21CNE-HC can save 16%, the larger IM-100NE-HC can save over 30% while the IM-240ANE-HC can save more than 40%.

Emerald Class ranges from small under counter machines to large capacity standalone units. A two year, fully comprehensive warranty supports the machines.

QUADRIGA

TUI SMARTBAND Quadriga, an international provider of Internet and entertainment managed services for the hospitality industry, has been working alongside multinational tourism company, the TUI Group, to create the world’s first wearable technology dedicated to creating a seamless holiday experience.

Dubbed the TUI Smartband, this new wearable wristband can be used to enter your hotel room, to charge purchases around the hotel, track the entire family’s holiday spending, and control air conditioning and energy consumption in each room.

Currently being tested in Blue Village Family Life, Turkey, the wristband developed by Quadriga has been awarded second place in Management Today’s Wearables at Work competition, beating the likes of Tesco and Barclays.

Visit www.hoshizakieurope.com for more information.

Find out more at www.quadriga.com

JANUARY 2016 | HOTEL

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CATERING REVIEW

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14/01/2016 11:56

SUPPLY LINE STOLI

PREMIUM VODKA For the first time since the brand’s inception in 1938, Stolichnaya premium vodka has revealed a new label and bottle redesign that is hitting the Irish trade this month. The new bottle shape improves both pouring and control for bartenders, with the use of anti-slip embossing on the neck, while a revised front and back label highlights Stolichnaya’s use of Certified Alpha Grade spirit - the highest quality level a spirit can reach. An innovative anticounterfeit capsule, a new textured label, and a beautiful, bold upgrade of the main Stolichnaya logo finish off the upgrade.

For more details, visit www.findlaterws.ie

CUMULUS

GLASS STEAM ROOMS AT MONART A new hi-tech steam room has been unveiled at Monart Destination Spa. The custom designed and custom built steam room is one of the world’s first all glass designs and it is now available to guests at the spa’s extensive thermal suite. The Monart Cumulus Steam Room has been designed by Michael and Liam Anthony Griffin with technology from a leading German manufacturer. The exceptional benefits from the all glass design ensure greater thermal control as the properties of glass provide a great conduction of heat and insulation. The Cumulus Steam Room also incorporates leading technology, with bespoke eucalyptus infusion through the use of extra fine mist valves in order to enhance the ‘expectorant effect’.

For further information, visit www.monart.ie

NELSON

ADVANTAGE GLASSWASHERS & DISHWASHERS Nelson will be unveiling a new range of dishwashers and glasswashers at Hotelympia (February 29th to March 3rd, ExCel London). The new range will have a very low carbon footprint and will offer sophisticated energy and water saving features. Nelson will also show its Advantage glasswashers and dishwashers.

The Advantage range’s multi-level filter ensures that debris and the dirtiest, coolest water are readily expelled after each wash cycle, thus always maximising the usefulness of the remaining water.

Nelson has been at the forefront of glasswashing and dishwashing technology for over 35 years.

Visit www.nelsonwash.co.uk for more details.

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CATERING REVIEW | JANUARY 2016

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14/01/2016 11:56

Commercial

PROFILE

Break Out the Bubbly

WITH BOIZEL

WHILE IT WILL NEVER REACH THE HIGH OF THE BOOM TIMES, CHAMPAGNE IS STILL AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE PREMIUM WINE MARKET AND THIS SECTOR HAS RECENTLY BEEN EXPERIENCING A STEADY INCREASE IN CONSUMPTION IN IRELAND.

C

hampagne Boizel is one of the oldest and most traditional champagne houses in France. Steeped in history, it stretches back five generations to bring decadent, classic Champagnes to the Irish market through its long-standing and exclusive agency with J&C Kenny.

Each cuvée made by Boizel expresses a remarkable finesse and delicacy and a full,smooth structure. The non-vintage champagnes are blended with 20% to 35% reserve wines, which is the essential component in the search for the subtle, consistent taste.

The high quality standards that guide all choices, from the vine to the glass, gives the wines a delightful crispness and purity.

Their vintage Champagnes are the expression of exceptional years and their tone varies by harvest. The intense, complex aromas are released over the long maturation period that also enables them to develop the warm vinosity sought by connoisseurs.

The best ambassador for the Boizel House is Brut Réserve.

It is a true expression of the saviour-faire and skill of the house, receiving 90 points from Wine Spectator and a Gold Medal from Mundus Vini. This cuvée is obtained by a precise blend of the three Champagne

grape varieties: Chardonnay, for its floral bouquet and pure elegance, Pinot Noir which brings finesse and structure, and Pinot Meunier, giving fine fruitiness and softness.

It is a crisp, expressive, and generous Champagne with elegant aromas of brioche. It is round in the mouth and wellbalanced, with elegant length.

Boizel Brut Rosé is a subtle, delicate cuvée, dominated by Pinots Noirs, selected for their finesse and their personality, linked to Chardonnay’s refined elegance, and topped by Pinot Meunier’s splendid fruitiness.

At the blending, the addition of a small proportion of Pinot Noir from Champagne’s best terroirs for red wines – Cumières and Les Riceys – gives the Rosé Brut its beautiful colour and subtle aromas of red fruits.

Boizel Joyau de France 1996 was selected in the Top 10 prestigious Champagnes and is the jewel in the crown of the Boizel House. Made from a blend of 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir, it offers a rich and pure bouquet full of apricot and freshly baked biscuits with light notes of nuts and spice.

On the tongue, the Champagne shows depth and richness with flavours of almonds and citrus fruits, leading to a creamy finish with a touch of hazelnut. It is truly a gem and a classic example of vintage Champagne at its finest.

THE HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS THAT GUIDE ALL CHOICES, FROM THE VINE TO THE GLASS, GIVES THE WINES A DELIGHTFUL CRISPNESS AND PURITY.

For further information, please contact aoife@jckenny.ie, or: J&C Kenny, Unit 9, Oranmore Business Park, Oranmore, Co Galway Tel: 091 794308 • Fax: 091 794737 • Website: www.jckenny.ie

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14/01/2016 12:10

A QUICK CHAT

For me, keeping my team happy and interested while they are at work is the most important aspect of running a kitchen.

INGREDIENT: LOBSTER

This changes regularly and I go through phases every year but if I had to pick one it would be a lobster - they have always amazed me.

RYAN BELL

Through the menu, I’m hoping to make Angelina’s a great neighbourhood restaurant where guests can order from a variety of dishes.

MEAL: INDIAN COOKED BY MY WIFE

All of the dishes are awesome but I especially love her Goan Fish Curry.

We’ve installed a unique Robata charcoal grill.

We are offering simple fresh fish and meats as a grill section on the menu complete with our homemade ribs.

WISH LIST: A GRILL

I’d better say the grill!

I’ve been cooking in kitchens for 25 years that’s the equivalent of 70 years’ experience in a nine to five job (not scientifically proven but that’s what I reckon!).

This means I can draw on old school experience as well as modern techniques to hopefully create a dining experience that people will enjoy and want to come back to.

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HOTEL

Ryan Bell, Head Chef at bold new Italian restaurant Angelina’s on the banks of the Grand Canal, talks to Hotel & Catering Review’s Jane Quinn about his culinary plans for the restaurant.

CHEF: MARCUS WAREING

I used to watch him cook in London when I was a commis. He is a great talent (and a better cook than Gordon!).

CATERING REVIEW | JANUARY 2016

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14/01/2016 13:10

ONE COOKING TIP WORTH SHARING, SWITCH TO CALOR TODAY. It takes care, attention, skill and the right ingredients to create something truly special.

That’s why we at Calor offer unrivalled customer service and expertise, coupled with tailored energy solutions bespoke to your business. Not only is Calor gas instant and highly controllable - ideal for cooking, it’s also a cost effective and efficient addition to any catering business.

Like all successful working partnerships, it takes the right energy.

TO FIND OUT WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS Call 1850 812 450 or visit www.calorgas.ie

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13/01/2016 24/09/2015 16:50 09:50

A CHOICE OF LPG OR NATURAL GAS AND THAT’S JUST FOR STARTERS Now, thanks to Flogas, Ireland’s only supplier of both LPG and Natural Gas, you can enjoy the benefits of cooking with gas wherever you work. Gas is clean, easy-to-control, instant and versatile. Add in our expert technical advice, dedicated after-sales service and all Ireland distribution network, and you’ll see that Flogas has all the right ingredients.

So it’s no wonder that Flogas is the choice of so many chefs, including Neven Maguire of MacNean House & Restaurant in Blacklion, Co. Cavan.

Remember, there’s much more to Flogas than cooking. It can also provide you with instant, economical central heating, hot water, gas fires, and even gas tumble driers... wherever you are.

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05/06/2015 09:56 13/01/2016 31/08/2015 16:51 09:04