Hotel & Catering - March 2014

HOTEL

& CATERING

REVIEW

News HEATHROW SLOTS MUST BE SECURED Brand Extensions HILTON EYES UP IRISH GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES Digital Marketing GETTING REAL: THE ADVICE HOTELIERS NEED TO HEAR Profile TOM SHANAHAN ON DROMOLAND’S GASTRO PUB EXPERIENCE

MARCH 2015

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M S I R

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I R E L A N D ’ S P R E M I E R M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E H O S P I TA L I T Y & C AT E R I N G I N D US T RY

The global leader in hospitality consulting Our dedicated Hotel, Tourism and Leisure team provides innovative restructuring solutions to all sizes of hospitality businesses. We act for owners, purchasers and lenders in the following areas: 

Debt Renegotiation

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Finance Raising

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Acquisition Due Diligence

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Aiden Murphy

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www.crowehorwath.ie

03/03/2015 15:30

CONTENTS

18

COVER STORY HOTELS CHIEF CALLS FOR MORE AMBITIOUS TOURISM GROWTH TARGETS IHF President Stephen McNally says that the long-term sustainable growth of Irish tourism is being put at risk by a lack of adequate funding for tourism marketing and development.

2

EDITOR’S VIEW

3

NEWS & VIEWS

13

KEY TO THE DOOR Openings, Closures, Refurbishments & Acquisitions.

16

ON THE MOVE New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment.

25 FOOD TOURISM

The West awakes this Easter with the aroma of good food and the chatter of a growing authentic food and beverage industry. Now in its fourth year, the Galway Food Festival (April 2nd to 6th) is set to celebrate all things foodie in the city and county.

30 INTERVIEW

Dublin’s oldest family-run hotel, The Sandymount Hotel, is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary this year. Maev Martin talks to owner John Loughran about competing with global brands and keeping it in the family.

22

BRAND EXTENSIONS

INJECTING NEW LIFE INTO LOCAL PROPERTIES

Steve Cassidy, Area Vice President at Hilton Worldwide, talks to Maev Martin about how the Hilton brands have settled into the Irish market and where he sees opportunities for future growth.

28

DIGITAL MARKETING

GETTING REAL: THE ADVICE HOTELIERS NEED TO HEAR Jenny Taaffe, CEO of iZest Marketing Group, looks at how the industry is faring in this completely online world.

32 PROFILE

Tom Shanahan, the recently-appointed Sales Manager at The Inn at Dromoland, talks to Maev Martin about The Inn’s refurbishment plans and developing a unique gastro pub experience 34 FIVE MINUTES WITH

David O’Donnell, Executive Chef at The Ardilaun Hotel.

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EDITOR’S VIEW

A Editor Maev Martin Email: maeve.martin@ ashvillemediagroup.com Telephone: 01 432 2271

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survey of owners and general managers of hotels and guesthouse businesses across the country, conducted during February of this year, revealed that many hoteliers are being levied local authority rates of up to €3,000 per bedroom.

The average local authority rates equate to €1,500 per bedroom, regardless of occupancy rates. The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) maintains that this is effectively a stealth tax on tourism that equates to approximately seven per cent per room per night before all other costs and taxes are taken into account.

And two out of every three hotels are still waiting to have their rates reviewed by the Commissioner of Valuation, despite the 2001 Valuation Act having come into force over a decade ago.

Speaking at the IHF’s annual conference in Cavan last month, IHF President Stephen McNally said that those premises that have had their rates reviewed saw reductions of over 30%. “In light of this, we are calling on the Government to instruct the remaining local authorities to introduce the same reduction as an interim measure, pending the completion of revised valuations across the rest of the country, “ he said. “The hotels sector continues to bear the brunt of a badly-designed system for funding local government that sees hotels and guesthouses make a disproportionate contribution through local authority rates. Some of the worst cases of inequitable rates exist in rural areas that are only beginning to recover, which is extremely disappointing given the vital economic and social role hotels play in rural Ireland. Waiting is no longer tenable.”

In Ireland, the Valuation Office operating under the Valuation Act 2001 assesses the level of rates that local authorities can charge businesses. Prior to the enactment of the Act, businesses could seek a revision of their rateable valuations on a number of grounds, including deterioration in the profitability of the business. The 2001 Act removed this method of seeking relief on the basis that the legisation envisaged that every rateable property in the country would have its valuation revised every five to 10 years. To date, only a third of properties have had revisions carried out by the office of the Commissioner of Valuation. The revisions that have been completed have resulted in the local authority rates liability of hotels being reduced by an average of more than 30%. Based on this experience, it is reasonable to suggest that similar results would be achieved if revisions were completed in the remainder of the country.

Excessive local authority rates remain one of the most pressing issues facing hoteliers. The Government must tackle head on the increasing cost of doing business in Ireland and commit to a national competitiveness strategy to rein in all Governmentcontrolled costs such as local authority rates, water charges and energy-related levies. Hotels and guesthouses have become much leaner since the downturn by restructuring their business models and reducing operating costs by 24% on average since 2008. During the same period, Government-determined costs have remained largely unchanged, with local authorities failing to address wasteful spending practices and deliver on promised savings and cost-efficiencies. Local authorities must act now and introduce the cost efficiencies that will allow them to reduce their rates and charges. Otherwise, the Irish tourism and hospitality industry’s newly-emerging boom could turn to bust if hotels and guesthouses continue to be crippled by excessive costs that are outside their control.

“ THE HOTELS SECTOR CONTINUES TO BEAR THE BRUNT OF A BADLYDESIGNED SYSTEM FOR FUNDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT SEES HOTELS AND GUESTHOUSES MAKE A DISPROPORTIONATE CONTRIBUTION THROUGH LOCAL AUTHORITY RATES.” VISIT US ONLINE

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www.facebook.com /hotelandcateringreview EDITOR: Maev Martin EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Mary Connaughton DESIGN: Alan McArthur LAYOUT: Alan McArthur COVER IMAGE: Thinkstock.com STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY: Thinkstock.com INFOGRAPHICS: www.flaticon.com PRODUCTION: Nicole Ennis SALES DIRECTOR: Paul Clemenson MANAGING DIRECTOR: Diarmaid Lennon 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.

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NEWS & VIEWS

NEWS & VIEWS

CALORIE LABELLING

‘INAPPROPRIATE’

FOR HOTELS

HEATHROW SLOTS MUST BE SECURED, say Hoteliers THE IRISH HOTELS FEDERATION (IHF) HAS WARNED OF THE SERIOUS consequences facing Irish tourism if the Government fails to secure contractual rights to determine the use of Aer Lingus’ Heathrow slots as part of any potential sale of the State’s interest in the airline.

Appearing before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications on February 3rd, the IHF outlined its concerns about the sale of Aer Lingus and the prospect of its Heathrow slots being re-allocated to other routes down the line. Rejecting the temporary, five-year arrangement proposed by International Airlines Group (IAG) as entirely unacceptable, IHF President Stephen McNally voiced his support for the Government’s recent commitment to seeking a ‘permanent and cast-iron

guarantee’ in respect of connectivity for Shannon, Cork and Dublin airports.

“We believe the potential sale of Aer Lingus would have enormous implications for the tourism industry and indeed the wider economy given the unique challenges Ireland faces as a small island on the edge of the Atlantic with no passing footfall,” he said. “...the IHF has serious concerns about the sale of Aer Lingus and the prospect of its Heathrow slots being re-allocated to other routes down the line...Any agreement that fails to safeguard these slots for Irish routes would have serious consequences for the longterm prospects of our national tourism product.

The future loss of these slots is a very real risk for Ireland given the constraints currently faced by Heathrow Airport, which is now at full capacity...

The temporary, five-year

arrangement proposed by IAG is entirely unacceptable and needs to be a permanent commitment if any sale is to be considered by the Government. From a regional perspective, the Shannon and Cork Heathrow slots are crucial in terms of providing tourism and business links directly into the South and West of Ireland...in 2014, passenger numbers between Shannon Airport and Heathrow stood at 233,000 while passengers between Cork and Heathrow stood at 400,000. The loss of the slots would be detrimental for national tourism, business employment and the ability of the West and South regions to attract multi-national investment and sustain economic growth. Given the stakes involved, it is imperative that the Government use its shareholding to protect these valuable slots in the national interest.”

The Irish Hotels Federation has warned against the introduction of mandatory labelling of calories on menus in hotels and guesthouses.

Commenting on the Government decision to implement a mandatory system for restaurants and other food outlets, IHF President Stephen McNally said that the scheme must remain voluntary for hotels and guesthouses. He expressed concerns about any adoption of an indiscriminate ‘one size fits all’ approach to mandatory calorie labelling which, he says, would be unworkable for hotels and guesthouses, many of whose menus change on a daily basis to reflect the use of locally-sourced produce and seasonally available ingredients.

“It would have the effect of stifling creativity in food businesses that are not part of the underlying health issue,” he said. “While such a scheme would be would be appropriate for certain food service establishments, it would be unworkable for many of our members.”

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NEWS & VIEWS

EXPERIENCE A FUTURISTIC FÁILTE AT ‘VISIT DUBLIN’ FÁILTE IRELAND OFFICIALLY OPENED a new Tourism Information Office on February 9th which will be the first port of call for visitors to Dublin.

The design of the new office, which is located at 25 Suffolk Street, and its employment of the latest technology, is geared to ensure that visitors get the most from their time in the city. Modern features include: The Inspiration Wall - a large-scale video wall presenting specially commissioned photographs from around Dublin; new intuitive interactive pods to help visitors access relevant information quickly, with a simplified map

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Fáilte Ireland are campaigning to promote Dublin and rally Dubliners to create and share their Dublin experiences using the

#Love Dublin HASHTAG

showing key locations and attractions throughout the city and county that lets visitors see where they are in relation to the Tourism Information Office; The Social Media Wall - another large digital display showing all the social media posts and tweets tagged with #lovedublin and filling the wall with the visitor’s own images and experiences of Dublin on an almost live basis; and The App Wall where key smartphone apps are promoted (with free Wifi provided in the Tourist Information Office) to allow visitors to download a range of new apps, including the Wild Atlantic Way app. The ‘What’s On’ Area is updated daily

and presents visitors with large screens showing events, concerts and special exhibitions that are on today and tomorrow, and visitors can also book some of the events immediately at the information desk.

The Ireland Area is where digital posters and another smaller video wall show images of stunning locations around Ireland, further inspiring visitors on longer stays to venture to other parts of the country.

Fáilte Ireland also announced that it had re-booted its dedicated website for tourism in Dublin, www.visitdublin. ie. The revamped site showcases Dublin through the use of

imagery, videos, and stories, giving consumers a taste of the hidden gems through content such as a ‘You might like’ feature. The new design for the site allows the user to plan their trip - a new map allows them to set their location and pin items they would like to do. The map shows the distance between their location and their pins.

They can also ‘share’ their map with their friends or save it to print later.

Orla Carroll, Fáilte Ireland ‘s Head of Dublin, says that the organisation will soon be launching a social media campaign centred on real Dublin experiences. “Through a new campaign to promote Dublin, we hope to rally Dubliners to create and share their Dublin experiences using the #LoveDublin tag,” she says. “Partnering with local broadcast media, Fáilte Ireland will be encouraging people to send in their content.

We will select the best experiences and reward the winners with an open top city tour of all the selected experiences. All the content gathered will feed into our promotion of Dublin – both online and here in this new office.”

The Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance has been established under Fáilte Ireland to develop a brand identity for the Dublin region. It follows the publication last year of the Destination Dublin strategy which found that the city is underperforming against its potential and has the capacity to attract even more tourists than is currently the case.

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NEWS & VIEWS

TOP IRISH VISITOR ATTRACTIONS

IS THE

MAGIC

Learn Lessons from York

NUMBER FOR

FÁILTE IRELAND

Fáilte Ireland recently won a hat-trick of awards for its online innovation at the annual Ireland e-Government Awards in Dublin Castle. The awards raise awareness and recognise the innovators, developers, forward thinkers and experts who are pioneering changes in how the public sector delivers services to its citizens. Fáilte Ireland was presented with The Marketing Ireland Award for the Visit Dublin website and its success in promoting the city as a destination, The Social Media Award for Fáilte Ireland’s Discover Ireland online campaign #thisisLIVING, and The Mobile Award for Fáilte Ireland’s Wild Atlantic way app. The Ireland e-Government Awards, which are jointly run by the Public Sector Times and digital marketing company Elucidate, are now in their 14th year and are the recognised benchmark for excellence in public sector online services and standards.

Receiving the Ireland e-Government Awards from An Taoiseach Enda Kenny are Caoimhe Ni Dhuibhinn, Kathrin Chambers and Laura Meehan, Fáilte Ireland.

Twenty-six managers of top visitor attractions from across the east and south regions returned from York in the UK at the end of January as part of Fáilte Ireland’s first ever Visitor Attraction - Management Development Programme.

The new programme was custom-designed to meet the rapidly changing expectations of our visitors and the desire to connect with a destination. Over the past six months, local managers and owners have been taking part in studies focusing on all areas of management, culminating in the research trip to York, which (with its medieval heritage) has many similarities with areas such as Kilkenny and Waterford. The group saw first-hand how visitor attractions there are helping to provide memorable experiences for visitors. York was selected as part of the programme because of its popularity as a Roman, Viking and Norman tourism heritage city in the UK, and its ability to provide practical insights for the 26 major Irish attractions participating in the Management Development Programme. The group spent time at a number of key attractions and received briefings from specialists on attraction interpretation, heritage event management, curation, volunteer management and innovation.

“Visitor attractions are central to delivering the memorable experiences that our visitors are looking for,” says Fáilte Ireland’s Colm Breheny. “They allow visitors to immerse themselves in the surroundings, interact with people, and hear the history and stories of the place. On completion of the management development programme, the participants graduated and received a Fáilte Ireland certificate on March 4th in Kilkenny Castle. More importantly, the great learnings from the visit, including visitor interpretation techniques and innovative ways of immersing people in their visitor attractions, can be applied to the way we do business here.”

Mark McGovern of Kilkenny’s Smithwicks Experience said that the visit to York showcased the potential to increase domestic visitor numbers to the south east of Ireland by engaging visitors of all ages in the local history and culture.

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NEWS & VIEWS

Riverside Bar Opens

AT RIVER LEE HOTEL The River Lee Hotel recently launched its riverside bar, ‘Terrace on the Weir’. The bar, which was completed in just two weeks, offers an intimate setting in which to relax and unwind. The terrace has already won a Cork Business Association Better Build Award 2014 for its enhancement of the riverside. “With a capacity of 50, ‘Terrace on the Weir’ was designed to allow year-round enjoyment of its water’s edge setting,” says Ruairi O’Connor, the hotel’s General Manager. “The indoor/outdoor space features a fully retractable roof and window system that can transform the terrace from an open pergola to a conservatory. The terrace’s Zen and garden-like atmosphere is reinforced by the use of large fern and olive trees, timber framed sofas and armchairs, with custom-made tables made from raw cedar wood.”

IN A ROW FOR HOTEL WESTPORT! The winning teams from Hotel Westport and Ashford Castle at the CIE Excellence Awards in Dublin Castle (l-r): TJ Mulcahy, Ashford Castle, Vivienne Jupp, Chairman, CIE International, Niall Rochford, Ashford Castle, Eithne Cosgrove and Declan Heneghan, Hotel Westport and Peter Malone, Board of Directors, CIE International.

Hotel Westport made it six in a row when they once again won an Award of Excellence at the 25th CIE Tours International Awards of Excellence, presented by Vivienne Jupp, Chairman, and Brian Stack, Managing Director, of CIE Tours International at a reception in Dublin Castle on January 27th. Thirteen overall category winners from around the country were chosen according to customer feedback. Winners ranged from the Best Five Star Hotel Award to Best Hotel Service Award.

In addition, a Hall of Fame Award was presented to Liam Murray, Blarney Co Cork, who has provided guiding services for CIE Tours for 15 years. The winners of the Awards of Excellence are chosen from an

independent valuation of feedback surveys completed by over 30,000 CIE Tours International customers. The list includes both category winners as well as those who have received a merit award, which is made to those who have achieved over 90% in customer feedback. Manor House Hotels scooped two of the top three accolades at the awards - Cabra Castle was named best four star hotel and Dingle Benners won the best three star hotel award. Two members of Manor House Hotels’ sister portfolio Irish Country Hotels also took home prizes, with the Mill Park Hotel in Donegal and the Clew Bay Hotel, Westport, each earning an Award of Excellence in recognition of achieving more than 90% customer satisfaction.

A2M REFURBISHMENT UNDERWAY

AT KILKENNY RIVER COURT HOTEL

FOUNDER REJOINS CITYJET AS CHAIRMAN

CityJet’s founder, Pat Byrne, has rejoined the Board as Chairman. Pat Byrne founded the airline in 1993 and was its Chief Executive for seven years until the carrier was sold to Air France.

He returns to the Board as Chairman to replace Peter Oncken. Peter will remain on the board. Jeremy Barnes, CEO of Falko, which recently completed a sales and leaseback arrangement with the airline for seven AVRO JR85 aircraft, has also been appointed to the Board.

6

THE KILKENNY RIVER COURT HOTEL is investing just under €2m in an extensive programme of refurbishment during 2015 and 2016.

‘Phase one of our renovations are already completed,” says General Manager Declan Moriarty. “We have extended and fully refurbished our ballroom which provides stunning views of Kilkenny Castle on the banks of the River Nore. Our Riverview bar and Riverside restaurant has been completely refurbished too and our bedroom renovations will commence shortly. It is a big project that has taken great planning with lots of valuable input from our team here at the hotel.” The hotel has been open since January 26th, following one week of renovations. The Kilkenny River Court Hotel celebrated 15 years in business in 2014. The Neville family purchased the Hotel in May 2014 and the hotel is now part of the Neville Hotel Group and a sister hotel to the four star Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.

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NEWS & VIEWS

THE SEARCH BEGINS FOR THE

WORLD’S BEST YOUNG CHEF

FOUR YOUNG CHEFS FROM IRELAND have made it to the semifinals of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition, a global search to find the world’s best young chef. Maria Elena Martinez Otero of the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin, Sarunas Godovan of Tankardstown House, Slane, Stephen Holland of the Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen, and Mark Moriarty of The Culinary Counter, Dublin were named as semi-finalists in the overall competition and finalists in the UKIreland regional heat.

Chefs Oliver Dunne, Clare Smyth MBE, Atul Kochhar and Daniel Doherty – who hold five Michelin stars between them – are joining forces with S.Pellegrino in the global talent search.

All 10 semi-finalists will have to prepare and cook their own signature dish for the jury in a cook-off event, which will then be critiqued across five areas, including ingredients, skill, genius, beauty and message. Chefs from 20 worldwide

00 60i0si,t0ors v r year pe

regions will compete before their local jury for the right to compete in the global final in Milan in June. The ten semifinalists from Ireland and the UK are: Maria Elena Martinez Otero - Chef de Partie, Restaurant ‘Four Seasons Hotel’ - Dublin (Ireland); Sarunas Godovan Chef, Restaurant ‘Tankardstown House’ - Slane (Ireland); Stephen Holland - Sous Chef, Restaurant - ‘Lough Erne Resort’ - Enniskillen (Ireland); Mark Moriarty - Sous Chef, Restaurant ‘The Culinary Counter’ - Dublin (Ireland); Alberto Fluttero - Chef de Partie, Restaurant ‘Le Gavroche’ London (UK); Antonio Sanzone - Chef, Restaurant ‘Caffé Caldesi’ - London (UK); Garrett Keown - Sous Chef, Restaurant ‘The Bell Inn’ Horndon On The Hill (UK); Gavin Kellet - Chef, Restaurant ‘The Manos House’ Godalming (UK); Jamie Coleman - Sous Chef, Restaurant ‘Saunton Sands Hotel’ - Braunton (UK); and Simone Cantafio - Chef, Restaurant ‘The Vineyard’ Newsbury (UK). Dublin-born chef Oliver

Dunne is the youngest chef in Ireland to be awarded a Michelin star, gaining the accolade just 13 months after opening his first restaurant, Bon Appetit, in 2013.

Since then he has opened his second restaurant, Cleaver East. Clare Smyth MBE is a Northern Irish chef and Chef Patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. She became the first and only female British chef to hold and retain three Michelin stars and is one of only six in the world to ever have accomplished this. She was recently awarded an MBE and scored a perfect 10/10 in the 2015 edition of the Good Food Guide as well as Chef of the Year in 2013. Atul Kochhar was the world’s first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star and was awarded the accolade during his time as Head Chef at Tamarind in 2001. He then went on to open his first solo venture, Benares Restaurant in London, where he was again awarded a Michelin star. Daniel Doherty holds the position of Executive Chef at the highly acclaimed fine-dining London establishment, Duck & Waffle.

One of

Dublin’s Top

Attractions

Maria’s dish is smoked orange, chocolate heart, green tea crumbs and ricotta

Sarunas’ dish is Turbot on the Bottom of the Sea.

Stephen’s dish is Glenarm Whiskey cured salmon, pickle vegetables and pistachio bites.

World famous...

CAFÉ/BAR FOOD SERVED ALL DAY RESTAURANT BEER GARDEN

The Church, Junction of Mary St. & Jervis St., Dublin 1, Ireland. t: 01 828 0102 e: reservations@thechurch.ie w: www.thechurch.ie

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03/03/2015 14:48

NEWS & VIEWS

SUGAR IN YOUR LATTE?

NO, I’LL HAVE

FREE WIFI The significant rise in the number of cafes, sandwich bars, coffee shops and delis may be a signal that the economy is recovering but if these businesses want to survive and thrive, there is a must have ingredient which they won’t find in their baristamade latte or pulled pork on rye sandwiches. That ingredient is free WiFi. According to a recent survey carried out for MyPlace Connect, if hospitality businesses want to attract customers, they have to offer them free WiFi. The survey reveals that 90% of customers expect free WiFi service in these businesses – and they will vote with their feet between those locations with free WiFi and those without, with 67% saying that they have chosen one of these destinations based on whether or not it offered a free WiFi service.

The survey, which was carried out in Dublin for free WiFi provider, MyPlace Connect, also revealed that the vast majority (70%+) rely on the free WiFi either often (28.73%) or very often (41.97%). Importantly, the findings by MyPlace Connect demonstrate the importance of free WiFi for tourists. 41% of the respondents were tourists in Ireland and they reported an almost universal expectation with regards to the availability of free WiFi.

90%

expect free WiFi service cafes, sandwich bars, coffee shops and delis

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The judges of MasterChef Italia (l-r): Bruno Barbieri, Carlo Cracco and Joe Bastianich, during filming at Kinsale Rugby club last July.

Irish Food Showcase at

MASTERCHEF ITALIA Images of Cork and Kinsale were beamed into the homes of more than 1.1 million Italians on January 29th when an episode of MasterChef Italia, filmed here last summer, aired on Italian TV channel, Sky Uno. In conjunction with Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland in Milan secured the famous culinary talent show for Ireland, supported by an itinerary designed by Fáilte Ireland.

Ireland was chosen for its exceptional, fresh produce, particularly our beef, as well as our spectacular scenery. Already, each episode of this series of MasterChef Italia has attracted an audience of

BALLYGARRY HOUSE HOTEL IN

TRIPADVISOR’S

TOP FIVE

more than 1.1 million viewers.

The show is also set to stimulate lots of online conversation about Ireland.

Tourism Ireland will maximise that online engagement with potential Italian holidaymakers on its website, Irlanda.com, and on social media, including Facebook (the organisation has more than 170,000 Facebook fans in Italy alone) and Twitter (more than 6,000 followers).

Filming MasterChef Italia’s Irish experience took place here last July.

2014 was a strong year for Irish tourism from Italy, with visitor numbers increasing by +10% over 2013.

Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa has achieved the number five listing on the best Irish hotels list in the Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Awards 2015. The award category was voted by guests who stayed in the hotel and who gave the luxury country house glowing reviews. This is the second year that Ballygarry House has been placed in the top ten, having come in seventh place last year. The hotel has also made the top 20 list for the ‘Best Service Category’ in Ireland. Only two Kerry hotels featured in the top five of the ‘Travellers Choice’ category, with Ballygarry being the only Tralee-based winner. It is also only one of two hotels located on the Wild Atlantic Way. The four star property is currently undergoing a €350,000 refurbishment.

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NEWS & VIEWS

HILTON PARIS OPERA OPENS

AFTER A44M RENOVATION THE HILTON PARIS OPERA OFFICIALLY OPENED ON JANUARY 21ST LAST FOLLOWING EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS. One of Paris’s most historic and glamorous grand hotels, the Hilton Paris Opera is located in the heart of the Right Bank’s Opera district, a short distance from the Champs-Elysée and French boutique shopping experiences at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps Haussmann. The hotel was originally the vision of architect Juste Lisch. Having first opened in 1889 to welcome visitors of the Exposition Universelle, the hotel has undergone a €44m refurbishment that returns it to its former glory in exquisite style. The historical centrepiece of the hotel is the majestic Le Grand Salon which, along with 268 guest rooms and suites, several bars and restaurants, plus meeting and event space, has all been transformed under the close supervision of design firm Richmond International.

Highlights of the property include the 900 squarefoot Maria Callas Suite, the hotel’s master suite.

Besides a spacious living room with the high ceilings typical of a Parisian Haussmann building, the suite features a master bedroom with one king bed and

a second bedroom with twin beds, both with private bathrooms designed with a large polished stone vanity and spacious walk-in shower. Hilton Paris Opera offers a selection of other suites, 29 in total, some with private French balconies. The Baccarat ballroom, featuring vintage chandeliers from the famous crystal maker, has been refurbished to its former splendour and is able to accommodate various events of up to 180 guests. Leading off the entrance lobby is Le Grand Salon. With soaring 46-foot high ceilings and hand-painted frescos, it provides a sophisticated place for guests to mingle, connect, and savour the beautiful Belle Epoque surroundings. Adjacent to the main hotel entrance is Le Petit Bar, offering a smaller, more intimate venue.

A4 Calmount Park, Calmount Road, Ballymount, Dublin 12 Tel: 460 0555 / 456 4492 Fax: 460 0666 Email: eamonn@abcservices.ie Web: www.abcservices.ie

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NEWS & VIEWS

NEW ADDITIONS TO

GLOBAL GREENING LINEUP

KERRY FEATURED ON National Geographic Traveler Cover

The cover of the latest edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

The February/March edition of National Geographic Traveler, one of the world’s most widelyread travel publications, with more than nine million readers, features a spectacular cover shot of Ross Castle in Killarney and the headline ‘Return to Ireland – A Journey Home’.

Inside the magazine, there are 11 pages dedicated to Kerry, with some stunning photographs and great suggestions for American travellers, encouraging them to discover the “lyrical hills of county Kerry”.

The author of the article is award-winning travel writer Andrew McCarthy who is also a Hollywood actor (he starred in Pretty in Pink and St Elmo’s Fire).

2014 was the best year ever for Irish tourism from the US, with visitor numbers increasing by +13% over 2013 - 134,000 additional American visitors during the year.

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THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre overlooking Paris and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville will go green for the first time for St Patrick’s Day this year, as part of Tourism Ireland’s sixth annual Global Greening initiative. The February 11th announcement of some of the world’s most famous attractions and sites going green to mark St Patrick’s Day kicks off Tourism Ireland’s major first half promotional drive to grow overseas tourism in 2015.

Other sites going green for the first time include the famous Porte de Bourgogne in Bordeaux, the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville, the Jumeirah Etihad Towers hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Town Halls of Munich and Bamberg, the National Sanctuary of Cristo Rei (Christ the King statue) in Lisbon, and the Fram polar exploration ship in Oslo, as well as City Hall in Tbilisi. The new sites will join some ‘old favourites’ which have gone green in previous

years, including Niagara Falls (on both the US and Canadian sides), the London Eye, the Allianz Arena in Munich, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, the Sky Tower in Auckland, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Cibeles Fountain and Palace in Madrid and one of last year’s newcomers, Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland in Paris.

Chicago will be ‘going all out’ to celebrate St Patrick and Ireland once again this year, with numerous buildings and sites across the city ‘seeing green’ including Navy Pier, the John Hancock Center, the United Center (home to the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls), the Wrigley Building,Trump International Hotel & Tower, Block Thirty Seven shopping mall, Old St Patrick’s Church and Macy’s department store. And special greening ‘selfie stations’ will be set up around the city in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day so that individual Chicagoans can join in the fun celebrations!

Visitor numbers increasing by

+13%

in 2014 with an additional

134,000

American visitors during the year.

(l-r): Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, and Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons.

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NEWS & VIEWS

GAME-BASED TRAINING APPROACH

PERSONALISED

AT PREM GROUP

CONCIERGE SERVICE CORK-BASED START-UP Smart Traveller has partnered with car hire company Hertz Ireland to offer free and personalised concierge services to half a million tourists to Ireland who use Hertz. The online platform www. hertzsmarttraveller.com offers round the clock concierge services such as personalised recommendations on restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. A range of languages are supported on the website and services are currently available in English, French and German. The Hertz Smart Traveller platform is a new service which is designed to give tourists the best possible advice on where to visit, eat, stay and shop. Once a tourist has booked their car hire with Hertz, they will have access to Hertz Smart Traveller, which will allow visitors to go to places they might not find listed in the established travel guides.

By presenting their Hertz Ireland Document, users will also be able to

avail of discounts and special offers from the businesses and attractions.

Hertz Smart Traveller gives tourists instant access to critical information like local weather, currency rates and where the nearest fuel station or pharmacy is located.

Users also benefit from access to a dedicated 24-hour telephone helpline support where they will be able to talk to one of the customer care team who can direct them to whatever amenity or service they require.

CEO and founder of the Hertz Smart Traveller website Jim McCoy says that Hertz Smart Traveller is designed to cater for the 500,000 plus mobile tourists that use Hertz Ireland each year. Hertz Smart Traveller already has over 1,000 businesses and locations signed up to the website.

Jim McCoy, CEO Hertz Smart Traveller.

Tech start-up, JamJou, recently launched Ireland’s first application that delivers training through gamebased real-life work scenarios. Prem Group is the first hospitality group to adopt this new technology, using JamJou for customer service, sales training and product knowledge.

Following a successful pilot with the new training tool earlier this year with reception staff across five properties, Prem Group is currently using JamJou in 13 properties in Ireland and plans to rollout to properties in the UK early this year.

A rollout of JamJou to the group’s properties across Europe is planned for later this year, including to all food and beverage departments.

The Group is also evaluating JamJou for potential rollout to its hotel management services group, Trinity Purchasing, which provides managed services to over 115 properties across Europe.

JamJou can be used on its own or to complement existing training programmes. A cloud-based system with no requirement for the installation of software, users log in through a PC, tablet or mobile and start training. It uses interactive gaming features such as animated characters, scenarios, points, badges and leaders boards to engage staff, which improves performance.

JamJou closely monitors and tweaks the application to maximise engagement and increase training retention. JamJou’s training levels can be completed in three to four minutes and users are retaking levels to improve scores, reinforcing training. Further training levels are released and content refreshed over time to continually drive behavioural change and update workforce knowledge.

Jo Brennan, Founder of JamJou, with Jim Murphy, CEO of Prem Group

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NEWS & VIEWS

THE DOYLE COLLECTION: Accommodation Partner for Irish Design 2015

NEW MENU AT ANIAR Jp McMahon and Ultan Cooke of Aniar Restaurant in Galway have launched a new menu which enables diners to avail of two, six, eight or 10 courses with or without wine pairings.

JP McManus says that the new format allows the guest to create their own unique dining experience and that an increasing number of international restaurants are adopting this type of model. Two courses are priced at €35 (€50 with wine pairings), four courses at €50 (with wine pairings €70), six courses at €70 (with wine pairing €100), eight courses at €85 (with wine pairing €125) and 10 courses at €100 (with wine pairing €150).

THE DOYLE COLLECTION IS the accommodation partner of the programme for Irish Design 2015 (ID2015), a governmentbacked initiative that celebrates Irish design throughout Ireland and internationally. The luxury hotel group will be supporting the ID2015 programme in their hotel locations in Ireland and abroad, as well as providing an exhibition venue and gallery space in Dublin for the year-long schedule of events. A new 60 square metre gallery space was recently opened to coincide with the ID2015 programme. The space will be run by Solomon Fine Art in conjunction with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI), Irish Design 2015 (ID2015), and The Doyle Collection. It is located

at the main entrance to The Westbury Hotel and Westbury Mall on Balfe Street, just a few steps from Solomon Fine Art’s existing gallery. A 12-month programme of exhibitions in the new Portfolio@ Solomongallery will showcase work from the Design & Craft Council of Ireland’s portfolio programme, providing visitors and collectors with the opportunity to acquire one-off or limited edition pieces from internationally collected and emerging practitioners.

The Fry-Day Times:

Tara Murphy, Gallery Director, Solomon Fine Art, Pat King, Chief Executive, The Doyle Collection, and Karen Hennessy, Chief Executive, Design & Crafts Council of Ireland at the launch of Portfolio@Solomon

Serving Up NI’s BEST BREAKFAST

Karen Levy, Marketing Executive, Breakfast Week, with James Bell, Head Chef of St George’s Market Bar and Grill, and Laura Stitt, Manager of St George’s Market Bar and Grill.

The Best of The Market Breakfast at St George’s Market Bar and Grill in Belfast has been announced as the Northern Ireland winner in the Shake-Up-Your-Wake-Up Breakfast Awards and overall runner up restaurant for the UK. The campaign is run by a division of the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, coffee shops and pubs entered the UK-wide awards and thousands of votes were cast online by regulars and the public. St George’s Market Bar & Grill, which is owned by The Mount Charles Group, cherry picks the ingredients for its breakfast from the artisan producers in the market itself. The traditional dry cured bacon, sausages and eggs are from local, free-range farm and St George’s stall holder Pheasants’ Hill Farm who use sustainable farming methods. The soda and potato bread is from Chrissie, a local baker and stallholder at St George’s Market, and the black and white puddings are courtesy of Clonakilty. The butter is hand-churned in Dromara by the Abernethy Butter Company.

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KEY TO THE DOOR

KEY TO THE

DOOR

Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions

TIME FOR TAKE OFF AT CORK AIRPORT HOTEL Under the same management as Cork International Hotel, The Park Inn by Radisson has been rebranded as Cork Airport Hotel.

The 80-bedroom hotel, located across from Cork Airport’s terminal, was recently purchased by the owners of the Cork International Hotel and will join the hotel group. “We are delighted that Cork Airport Hotel has now become part of our hotel group,” says Aaron Mansworth, General Manager of Cork Airport Hotel, as well as Cork International Hotel. “The hotel is situated in a fantastic location for business and leisure alike, and is only a short distance from both the city and the access route to West Cork. Our awardwinning hospitality at the Cork International Hotel will be carried through to the Cork Airport Hotel and we are looking forward to welcoming both regular and new guests to the hotel.”

Ben and Matthew Lynch with Kylie Basnett from Cork Airport Hotel

INUA BUYS MUCKROSS PARK iNua Hospitality completed the purchase of the five-star Muckross Park Hotel and Spa in Killarney on February 19th for in excess of a6m via selling agents DTZ Sherry FitzGerald. The purchase expands iNua Hospitality’s hotel asset portfolio after the company previously purchased the Radisson Blu hotels in Cork for a9m and Limerick for a3.5m in the last 18 months. iNua Hospitality has immediate plans to invest close to a250,000 in a refurbishment of the hotel’s 12 apartments, with further plans to build two additional suites in the luxury hotel. This latest acquisition is consistent with iNua Hospitality’s strategy of investing in well-located, four- and five-star profitable hotels. The Muckross Park Hotel is profitable. Revenues have more than doubled in three years, from the a2.6m recorded in 2011 to a5.3m in 2014. The 129-strong management team and staff at Muckross Park Hotel will remain uninterrupted by the deal.

BROWNS ACQUIRES DERRY COUNTRY HOUSE Derry-based Ardtara Country House has been acquired by the Browns Restaurant Group and one of Northern Ireland’s emerging chefs has been appointed by the new owners to head up the kitchens at the award-winning 19th century manor.

Eddie Attwell, 28, twice a Roux scholarship finalist who once worked in the kitchens at L’Enclume, a Michelin two-star restaurant in the English Lake District, was recruited by co-owner and Head Chef of The Browns Group, Ian Orr. Dan Cox, Executive Chef at Claridges in London, was one of his mentors. With eight acres of adjoining land, Ardtara’s chef wasted no time finding wild vegetables, including three types of mushrooms. And he has already come up with his first meat speciality - prime cuts of water buffalo from a herd reared on a farm two miles from Magherafelt. Milk from the animals will also be used to make butter and cheese. Eddie Attwell moved to his new job after a year at the Schoolhouse Restaurant, near Comber, Co Down. Ian Orr, who worked as a chef with the late Robbie Millar at Shanks near Bangor, and also at the River Café in London, launched his restaurant business six years ago with co-owner Marcus Roulston. There are two Browns restaurants in Derry and one in Letterkenny. Ardtara has been a member of Ireland’s Blue Book since 2004.

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COMMERCIAL PROFILE

FESTIVAL

FOCUS

INCREASED FUNDING FOR NATIONAL FESTIVALS, COUPLED WITH THE REVENUE BOOST THAT COMES WITH HOSTING MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EVENTS, IS PUSHING IRELAND UP THE GLOBAL RANKINGS AS A HIGH PROFILE TOURISM DESTINATION.

CASH BOOST FOR

MAJOR FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

F

unding of €320,000 has been approved

by Fáilte Ireland under its National Festivals and Events Programme for 11 key national festivals and events to take place later this year. This follows an announcement of almost €2m last November for larger events (such as the St Patrick’s Festival) and those festivals due to take part in the first six months of 2015. The approved festivals being funded by Fáilte Ireland under the second phase of its National Programme for Festivals and Events include:

• Dublin Theatre Festival • Laya City Spectacular • Dublin Fringe Festival • Waterford Spraoi • Guinness Cork Jazz Festival • Cork Film Festival • Earagail Arts Festival • Galway Film Fleadh • The Rose of Tralee • Galway Oyster Festival • Yeats 2015 International Festival As well as attracting visitors, festivals are important in terms of generating employment and community engagement. “Ultimately, Ireland succeeds as a tourism destination

due to the very positive experiences which visitors enjoy,” says Shaun Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland.

“Part of this is due to our own native friendliness and the beauty of our countryside but tourism performance is also dependent on the variety of things to see, do and embrace which every traveller looks for. For Ireland, festivals are an important part of the mix that makes us an enjoyable place to visit, and these events will enhance the tourism calendar and add to our attractiveness and our ability to grow overseas visitors and revenue.”

“ULTIMATELY, IRELAND SUCCEEDS AS A TOURISM DESTINATION DUE TO THE VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCES WHICH VISITORS ENJOY”

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IRELAND RECEIVES WELCOME LIFT FROM

COMMERCIAL PROFILE

INTERNATIONAL PRESS EVENT

I

reland’s profile as a destination is receiving a jump start as car manufacturer Opel hosts 550 international motoring media representatives for the launch of two new engines, the Mokka and Insignia. Fáilte Ireland estimates that the event will generate a €630,000 revenue boost and significant overseas media exposure for Ireland.

This meeting of global media in Ireland, the first international launch by any car manufacturer to take place in Ireland in over 15 years, was facilitated by Fáilte Ireland. The event will see the travelling media and staff tour the country over a two week period.

Ireland is going to prove to be the ultimate testing ground as a fleet of 40 new Opel cars will be put to the test across the scenic surroundings of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, including sites such as Palmerstown House and Druids Glen.

“We are delighted to be supporting Opel for this event which will not only provide a revenue boost for the country but the international media exposure that is available will provide us with a fantastic opportunity to showcase the fabulous scenery and hospitality of Ireland,” says Miriam Kennedy Head of Business Tourism with Fáilte Ireland. Through its Conference Ambassador Programme, Fáilte Ireland supported an advance site inspection to Ireland of key decision makers from Opel Germany to secure the event. In excess of 70% of all business events that come to Ireland come here with the help of an ambassador.

“Our conference ambassador programme is producing real results and Opel is a great example of this,” says Miriam Kennedy.

“We recently announced that four international conferences, totalling over 1,400 delegates and worth almost €2m to the Irish economy, have been won for Dublin through the Conference Ambassador Scheme, with many more in the pipeline.” The conference wins announced are: CERME (Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education) which will hold its tenth Congress of European Research in Mathematics Education (CERME 10) in Dublin in February 2017; International Equine Ophthalmology Consortium Symposium, which has been confirmed to meet at in Malahide in June, 2016; the IATA Aviation Security conference is now confirmed for October 2015, being held in The Convention Centre, Dublin; the General Meeting of the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) will take place in the Conrad Hotel in Dublin in June 2015.

All this positive news for the sector comes as Fáilte Ireland’s held its annual briefing for the industry announcing plans for the year ahead with a revenue target in 2015 of €61.5m (representing an eight per cent growth on last year). Over 250 members from across Ireland’s business tourism sector were in attendance, welcoming news that 218 conferences are currently being bid for at the moment, with a potential value of €302m if they are all secured.

Miriam Kennedy (right), Head of Business Tourism, Fáilte Ireland and Laura Condron, Conference Ambassador, Senior Brand and PR Manager Opel Ireland.

Pictured at the Business Tourism Industry Briefing, which was held in the InterContinental Hotel Dublin, are Nicola McGrane, Conference Partners, Miriam Kennedy, Head of Business Tourism, Fáilte Ireland, and Adrienne Clarke, The Convention Centre Dublin.

TOP EUROPEAN TOURISM RESEARCHERS

GATHER IN DUBLIN

S

ome of Europe’s top tourism research professionals gathered in Dublin recently for their Annual General Meeting, including representatives from 18 national tourism organisations, as well as partners from UNWTO, the OECD, European Commission, European Tourism Association (ETOA), European Cities Marketing, and the World Tourism and Travel Council. The ETC delegates are meeting in Ireland to develop their future research agenda to help European destinations increase their individual competitive advantages which underpin the position of Europe as the world’s most popular tourism destination.

“We are very pleased to welcome the ETC Market Intelligence Group back to Dublin for the first time in 25 years and we are looking forward to contributing to their deliberations and providing some insights from an Irish point of view,” says Caeman Wall, Head of Fáilte Ireland’s Research Division. “While

Ireland has its own unique tourism characteristics and dynamics, we also share many of the challenges and opportunities which our European peers are facing and we can certainly benefit from the shared learning available at an event like this.”

European tourism is estimated to have grown by four per cent in 2014 and is projected to continue this upward trend in 2015.

The four per cent growth in tourism in Europe in 2014 was generated by an additional 22 million visitors last year, bringing the number of visits to the continent to 588 million.

Ireland reflected this trend, with visitor numbers growing by almost nine per cent during the same period, while foreign earnings were up an estimated 13%, an increase of approximately €400m. The ETC attributes growth in travel to Europe to a recovery in major source markets, marketing efforts in promoting travel outside the peak season, and themed promotional activities.

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ON THE MOVE

QUADRIGA REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR UK AND IRELAND

JAMES CANNON

PREM GROUP ANNOUNCE SENIOR APPOINTMENTS

PAULINE RAY & RICHARD HOLDEN

Prem Group has made two senior appointments. Pauline Ray is Area Manager for Premier Apartments Sandyford, Premier Suites Leeson Street and Premier Suites Ballsbridge, the latest addition to Prem Group’s Irish portfolio. Richard Holden joins Prem Group as Group Financial Controller for Ireland. Pauline Ray joined Prem Group in 2006, working within group reservations before moving into operations with Prem Group’s own brand Premier Suites and Premier Apartments Dublin where she held various positions, including Operations and General Manager. A graduate of DIT with a Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management, Pauline previously worked with Flannery’s Hotel and the Ardilaun Hotel in Galway. Before joining the company, Richard Holden worked in group financial roles with the Carlton and Moyvalley hotel groups and was previously Chief Financial Officer with the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links. He has also held senior financial roles within the print and insurance industries.

ON THE

Quadriga Worldwide, a provider of guest technology managed services for the hospitality industry, recently announced that James Cannon, previously in the role of Sales Director for the UK and Ireland, had been promoted to Regional Director for the UK and Ireland. Over the last two years, James has assisted in pushing the growth of Quadriga in the UK, confirming deals with some of the leading brands in the hospitality industry such as Accor and Starwood and delivering successful sales strategies through the motivation and management of the national sales team. Prior to joining Quadriga, James had management roles with the likes of Micros Fidelio’s hotel division, where he exceeded performance against key indicators for this global PMS provider. Quadriga offers a single point of contact for a range of managed services covering networks, WiFi, hospitality TVs, interactive TV, mobile platforms and financial services.

MOVE New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment

16

SODEXO CHIEF IS HOSPITALITY TRUST PRESIDENT

MARGOT SLATTERY

Sodexo chief Margot Slattery is the new President of Appeals for the Hospitality Trust, the notfor-profit organisation established in 2000 to support those in the Irish hospitality industry who have fallen on hard times and require support and assistance.

The announcement was made at the Catex 2015 exhibition at the RDS on February 17th. As Managing Director of one of Ireland’s foremost foodservice operators, Margot brings with her a wealth of industry expertise that will add considerable value to the important work of the Trust.

The board of the Hospitality Trust has warmly welcomed Margot’s appointment. “As our members and volunteers work at the coalface, we genuinely appreciate the challenges that face the industry and are committed to providing an important resource to those that need it most,” says Joan O’Shaughnessy, Trust Chairperson and advisor for Aramark. “I am delighted to welcome Margot to our team. Her industry experience and insight will be invaluable as we move forward. While you can never be sure what tomorrow might bring, it is reassuring to know that if you are ever faced with unforeseen challenges, there is help available. But we must not forget that without the ongoing support of the Irish food service industry, it becomes harder and harder to maintain this level of service. We would ask the industry to remember that any donation, no matter how big or small, is vital to ensuring that the important work of the Hospitality Trust can continue.”

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ON THE MOVE

NEW EUROPEAN LEADER FOR PREFERRED HOTEL GROUP

PHILIPP WEGHMANN

Preferred Hotel Group announced on February 4th that it had appointed Philipp Weghmann to the position of Executive Vice President of Europe, with immediate effect. Philipp will drive the company’s efforts in the region, ensuring the retention of nearly 200 member properties, overseeing the strategic direction and evolution of the company in Europe, and managing a team of 35 associates based in offices across six cities. Prior to this promotion, Philipp held one of the company’s top ranking regional positions as Area Managing Director of Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Miami. Over a successful three-year period, he was responsible for spearheading the company’s representation of several internationally-acclaimed hotel companies such as Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts in Mexico and Las Americas Hotels in South America. Philipp joined Preferred Hotel Group in 2006 as Regional Director for the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean and, in less than five years in that position, he increased the region’s membership from seven to 57 members.

Previously, he spent two years with HOTUSA Hotels, where he managed the group’s international business development in North America, Europe, and North Africa. After graduating from Hotel Management School The Hague in the Netherlands, Philipp began his hospitality career in Cape Town, South Africa, where he spent four years working with The Table Bay Hotel, Horwath Tourism & Leisure Consulting, and Wine Concepts.

NEW ACCOUNT MANAGER AT NET AFFINITY

NEW GM AT THE PARK

Tristan Jacob has joined technology, design and marketing company Net Affinity as an Account Manager. Tristan previously held the position of Director of Sales & Marketing for Finnstown Castle Hotel and has a background in the hospitality sector dating back 13 years. A graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology with a BA in Hotel & Restaurant Management, Tristan brings his extensive experience in sales, marketing, revenue and yield management from large brand organisations, including Citywest Hotel, Conference & Event Centre, and Dalata Hotel Group.

Patrick Hanley is the new General Manager at The Park Hotel Kenmare. A native of Kenmare, Patrick has worked at the Park Hotel in the past so he is returning to familiar surroundings. “We are delighted to have Patrick return to this crucial position,” says Managing Director John Brennan. “Patrick has built up a fine reputation and we are sure his experience, combined with our renovation and development plans, will result in exciting times ahead for us all.”

Patrick’s career has taken him to the Four Season USA, Bellinter House, D4 Hotels, Amber Springs, B McNamara Hotels, Oyster Circle and, most recently, Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare.

TRISTAN JACOB

PATRICK HANLEY

NEW EVENTS MANAGER AT LYRATH ESTATE

SYLWIA STAUNTON

Sylwia Staunton has taken up the position of Events Manager at the five star Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny. Sylwia has over 10 years’ experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, working predominantly in four and five star properties in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio. She has held key positions, with responsibility in areas such as sales, revenue and event management. Sylwia’s most recent position was in sales and marketing at the Morrison Hotel in Dublin where she specialised in corporate and MICE business, as well as digital marketing. Sylwia is a graduate of DIT Cathal Brugha Street and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Tourism Management.

POWERSCOURT EXPANDS SPECIALIST TEAM

JOHN COSTELLO, ORLA BYRNE, EIMEAR YOUNG & JENNIFER MCCORMACK

Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa recently celebrated their first birthday under the new management team and announced the appointment of four new members of staff who are joining their growing team of specialists. John Costelloe joins the team as Senior Sales Manager. Mr Costelloe has previously spent three years working with one of Ireland’s leading DMC’s, Event Partners.

Having spent six years in the US, John has worked for Tourism Ireland in New York, as well as in Frankfurt, Germany. Orla Byrne started in the Ritz-Carlton as Sales Executive and has now joined the team in Powerscourt as Sales Manager. Orla previously spent five years on the Brook Lodge sales team. Eimear Young joins as Hotel Wedding Planner. She has over four years’ experience in the hospitality and event management industry, having previously worked for Carton House and Knightsbrook Hotel & Golf Resort.

Jennifer McCormack is now the UK & European Sales Manager in Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa. She has over seven years’ experience in the hospitality industry, having previously worked in the Vaults IFSC and in Carton House, where she was responsible for the UK, European and domestic market.

John Costello

Orla Byrne

Jennifer McCormack

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COVER STORY

HOTELS CHIEF CALLS

AMBITI US T URISM GR WTH TARGETS The long-term sustainable growth of Irish tourism is being put at risk by a lack of adequate funding for tourism marketing and development. That’s according to Stephen McNally, President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), who addressed over 300 delegates at the federation’s annual conference in the Slieve Russell Hotel last month. he funding allocation for the State’s tourism bodies has been cut back substantially since the downturn and the IHF believes that it now needs to be reinstated.

“With additional funding, the Government target of 10 million visitors generating an additional 50,000 new jobs could be achieved by 2020 as opposed to the current target of 2025,” he said.

Since 2012, annual Government funding for Fáilte

18

Ireland and Tourism Ireland has been cut by a25m to a119m (down 17%), resulting in significantly constrained budgets for tourism marketing and development. “This has come at a time when tourism has shown itself to be an excellent investment for the country, contributing over a6.45bn to the economy annually and employing 205,000 people,” he said. “Every euro spent on tourism marketing and development by the State

supports a54m in tourism revenues in the Irish economy, which is an excellent return on investment by any standard. It is now time to reverse the cuts to tourism funding which were made at a time of deep economic crisis. Current low levels of investment cannot be sustained without putting our tourism brand at risk and limiting Irish tourism’s capacity to continue to expand and grow market share.

While strong tourism growth has been achieved over the last two years, the industry is only at the beginning of a long journey.

A lot more needs to be done before tourism reaches its full potential as an engine of growth and job creation. Increased funding is now needed to enable us to deliver our tourism product messages more effectively into our target markets.”

Noting that the Government aims to grow overseas visitors to

10 million per annum by 2025, thereby creating an additional 50,000 jobs, Mr McNally said that these targets should be more ambitious, given the wider outlook for tourism in Europe.

“With additional resources, we believe Tourism Ireland could be well placed to meet these targets by 2020,” he said.

Another pressing challenge facing the industry is the need to attract more visitors to the regions. Recent growth in overseas visitors has not been spread evenly across the country and many rural tourism businesses continue to face tough trading conditions. “We need to create a more unified approach that gives tourism a stronger role in informing and influencing planning and development policy at national and local levels,” he said. “While we welcome the significant progress that is already being made in

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they remain concerned about the viability of their business.” Total hotel indebtedness is estimated at a5.3bn, with up to a1.4bn required in restructuring to bring hotel debt to a sustainable level.

The cost of servicing the interest alone means that many hotels will not break even in 2015. In addition, hoteliers continue to face significant skills shortages in the sector, with 83% of respondents citing difficulties hiring trained workers to fill craft and entry level positions within their businesses over the past 12 months. (l-r): Matthew Ryan, Grand Hotel, Malahide, Willie Loughnane, County Arms Hotel, Longford, and Martin Holohan, Mespil Hotel.

Left: (l-r): IHF President Stephen McNally and Chief Executive Tim Fenn pictured at the Slieve Russell Hotel in Cavan on the eve of the conference.

(l-r): Conor Kane, Maldron Hotels, Denise Campbell, Trinity Capital, and Martin Cassidy, Cassidy Hotels.

this area, more needs to be done to ensure greater collaboration between tourism industry partners, including businesses, local communities, state agencies and local authorities.”

HOTELIERS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OUTLOOK Irish hoteliers are more optimistic about the outlook for

the tourism industry, according to an industry survey (Hotel Sector Report ‘The Next Steps’ by economist Professor Alan Ahearne – June 2014) that was published in advance of the 77th annual conference. Overall confidence levels are up on last year, with 94% of respondents indicating a positive outlook for trading conditions for

their business over the next 12 months. As a result, seven out of every 10 hotels (70%) plan to take on additional staff over the next 12 months. Nationally, 84% of hoteliers are seeing an increase in business levels compared to this time last year, and advance bookings for the remainder of the year are also performing strongly, with 75% seeing an increase on 2014.

Of those premises catering for corporate meetings and events, 63% are seeing an increase in this area of their business.

However, for regions such as the North West, East and Midlands, occupancy levels continue to lag at only 54% compared to a national average of 64%. The survey also reveals that 89% of hoteliers are planning to invest in refurbishment and product development this year and 71% are planning to increase their investment in marketing.

THE COST OF BUSINESS Despite this, the IHF president pointed out that a significant number of hotels will not achieve profitability in 2015.

“Much of the sector continues to operate from a low revenue base following the recession, which means the high cost of servicing overhanging debt remains a serious challenge,” he said. “This is weighing heavily on many hotels, with 34% saying

BENEFITS OF 9% VAT EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS The positive impact of the 9% tourism VAT rate has exceeded expectations in terms of job retention and creation while the cost to the Exchequer has been markedly lower than initially expected. That’s according to a report by economist Professor Alan Ahearne that was published during the conference. Speaking at the event, Professor Ahearne said that the measure has proved to be a highly cost-effective way of boosting competitiveness and employment in the tourism and hospitality sector. With the benefit of three-and-a-half years of data since the introduction of the measure in 2011, Professor Ahearne says it is clear that the VAT reduction has been hugely successful. He notes that the tourism industry has added more than 30,000 jobs since the VAT rate was reduced to nine per cent – accounting for more than one of every three net new jobs created in Ireland over this period. “If the industry is to continue to grow and create new jobs, it will need to maintain and expand market share,” he said. “Price competitiveness is a key factor, given the highly competitive and price-sensitive nature of international tourism.

The stimulus from the reduced rate of VAT will therefore remain hugely important to the viability and prospects for growth for the industry.”

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GOLD!

Entry Open

11th March

Closing Date

1st April

2015 2015

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WHY YOU SHOULD ENTER

R ECOGNISE: let your sector know who’s top of their game. All finalists will have their profiles raised and will receive national coverage in Hotel & Catering Review magazine and the Irish Independent.

PROMOTE: grow your business exponentially by fully capitalising on every success. Win coveted recognition for your work and build on it with innovative marketing tools DIFFERENTIATE: your services from those of your competitors with a Gold Medal Award HIGHLIGHT: your expertise in hospitality EVALUATE: Have your service/premises evaluated and benchmarked by our professional judges and seen by our sponsors MOTIVATE: Gold Medal Awards recognise the hard work and achievements of your employees; winning one can help boost staff morale and improve motivation CELEBRATE: give your team a great night out NETWORK: make valuable contacts and network with the who’s who of the industry, plus colleagues new and old.

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Best Four Star Hotel

People Awards: Best Front of House Team/ Staff Member in a Hotel

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Service to the Industry

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Supreme Winner

Best Fine Dining Best Casual Dining Best Hotel Spa Best Wine Experience Best Hotel Breakfast (Public Vote)

Best Family Friendly Hotel

Chef of the Year Event Caterer of the Year Healthcare Caterer of the Year Education Caterer of the Year Site Contract Caterer of the Year

(Public Vote)

Catering Manager of the Year

Value for Money Hotel of the Year (Public Vote)

Trainee/Apprentice Caterer of the Year

City Hotel of the Year (Public Vote)

People Awards – Best Catering Team/Staff Member

Best Customer Experience

Innovative Supplier of the Year

Check out www.hotelandcateringreview.ie to see our exciting new entry process and judging format for 2015

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03/03/2015 15:03

BRAND EXTENSIONS

INJECTING NEW LIFE INTO

LOCAL PROPERTIES

Steve Cassidy, Area Vice President at Hilton Worldwide, talks to Maev Martin about how the Hilton brands have settled into the Irish market and where he sees opportunities for future growth.

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ilton hotels in Ireland include the Conrad Dublin, Hilton Dublin City, Hilton Dublin Airport, DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin, and both The Morrison and Hilton Kilmainham, which operate under franchise agreements. Steve Cassidy is Area Vice President for these hotels and for a further 50 across the UK. “Since the world financial crisis hit there have been difficult times for hotel organisations across the globe, especially in Dublin and in the UK,” he says. “However, through that challenging financial period we were able to establish properties and convert them in Ireland. We retained the local relevance and appeal of those properties but added in the global sales, marketing and branding engines that come with Hilton and the Doubletree brand. Hilton now has six properties in Ireland – one Conrad, three Hiltons and two Doubletrees – and we are particularly pleased with the success of the Doubletree brand in Ireland.”

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CANOPY BY HILTON – BIG OPPORTUNITIES IN DUBLIN Despite the economic difficulties of recent years, Steve says that the past decade has been exciting for the hotel industry in Ireland and he is confident that the next 10 years will bring more of the same. “We are looking forward to developing our presence in Ireland and in Dublin, in particular. We have 12 hotel brands and three of them are represented in Dublin. We have no plans to introduce new brands in 2015 but we are open to discussion with developers and owners in the Irish market. We recently lauched the Curio Collection and Canopy by Hilton, which is our entry into the lifestyle space, and I think there will be big opportunities in Dublin for the Canopy brand.”

Hilton Worldwide announced the launch of Canopy by Hilton on October 15th last year.

“Canopy is the energising new hotel in the neighbourhood offering simple, guest-directed service, thoughtful local choices,

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Steve Cassidy, Area Vice President at Hilton Worldwide; The Hilton Dublin Airport; The lounge in The DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin; The courtyard at Hilton Dublin City.

and comfortable spaces so guests simply feel better going forward,” says Steve. “Each property is designed as a natural extension of its neighbourhood, with local design, food and drink. Canopy by Hilton will deliver more choice and control for guests than ever before, from a mobile straight-to-room arrival to surprising extras throughout each stay. Canopy by Hilton will develop through new-build and conversion projects in key urban neighbourhoods and secondary markets around the world with properties expected to begin opening this year. We want to ensure that there is a local neightbourhood flavour to our offering in Ireland but, of course, there are great opportunities in the Irish market for all 12 of our brands.”

Curio is a global collection of distinctive four to five star hotels. “We take high end hotels with an established local reputation where owners want to buy into the strength and stature of a global brand and marketing venture,” says Steve.

“Just as the word ‘curio’ can refer to something of interest, unique or even rare, each Curio hotel is different from the next, with individuality being a common thread. Our customers and owners have

expressed strong interest in a brand from us that includes hotels that can retain their unique identity but also deliver the many benefits of our system, including our Hilton HHonors guest loyalty programme. We decided to introduce this brand because of the current size of the independent hotel market and the worldwide demand for differentiated hotel stays.”

REBRANDING THE BURLO So how has the rebranding of ‘legacy’ hotels such as the former Burlington affected business?

“I think the Burlington is a great example of an iconic destination property,” he says.

“It is well known in the city and most Dubliners have been there at some point in their lives.

There was probably a degree of nervousness about marrying it to a big global brand like Hilton.

However, with the Doubletree branding, the hotel has retained its identity and appeal but the performance of the business has been enhanced. The feedback we get from guests is that it has been well perceived. Dublin is an international destination so it deserves international brands but, of course, we have to retain the distinct local appeal and attributes. The benefits to the city and to the employees of

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attracting international visitors through the reach of a global brand are enormous. According to Tourism Ireland, there will be an extra 700 flights into Dublin per week next year, and an international brand plays an important role in getting the best out of those opportunities. Hilton has three diffferent brands across Dublin so we are well served in the Irish market. We are experiencing very strong growth in the Irish market and we hope 2015 continues in that vein.”

‘SERVICE ECONOMY’ POTENTIAL IN IRELAND How are the increasing number of hotel transactions, particularly in Dublin, impacting business at Hilton’s Irish hotels? “A lot of transactions are taking place in the Irish market at the moment and most of what we have been seeing is a change of brand or new ownership with little increase in supply,” says Steve.

“However, with the positive demand and increase in flights we will see more and more supply coming in. I don’t think the Irish market is over saturated with global hotel brands at the moment because with our brands, for example, they cater for different markets and customer profiles. It is important to blend the local relevance and flavour in the Irish market so that the global brand doesn’t

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TOP: The lounge at The Hilton Dublin Airport.; RIGHT: The Conrad Dublin.

dominate but enhances the local appeal of the property.”

Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of 12 global brands comprises more than 4,300 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 715,000 rooms in 94 countries and territories.

Hilton Worldwide has 86,600 bedrooms across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with 216 properties and 45,000 beds in the pipeline. “We don’t have anything in the pipeline for Ireland but we are seeking growth opportunities in Dublin and beyond,” says Steve. “We would like to introduce a fourth or fifth brand into Ireland in 2015 or 2016. We see potential for our focused service economy brands, Hampton by Hilton and the Hilton Garden Inn. We are seeing growth across the world in the hotel sector, but the fastest growth for Hilton worldwide is outside the US, and when you break that down you are looking at the emerging economies of the world. Most new hotels are opening in Eastern Europe, Middle East Africa, South Asia and, of course, China. I think hotels

can cater for both the business and the leisure traveller and we certainly do that at Hilton. Our customer base is split 50/50.

The Hilton HHonors loyalty programme is a huge attraction for our business customers, with millions of members worldwide.

Relevant services such as free WiFi, conferencing and meeting facilities, as well as leisure centres, are important features that we offer across our brands.

For our leisure customers, I would highlight bespoke and unique levels of service in our food and beverage offering in particular, and we focus on producing locally relevant food and beverage services.”

DIGITAL ROOM SELECTION AND CUSTOMISATION Hilton is the first hospitality company to enable room selection and customisation via mobile and web-based floor plans. Guests can check-in and choose their exact room from digital floor plans, as well as customise their stay by purchasing upgrades and making special requests for items to be delivered to their room, on their mobile devices, tablets and computers. By the

end of 2014, digital check-in and room selection was available at more than 4,000 Hilton Worldwide properties across 11 brands in 80-plus countries via members’ Hilton HHonors accounts. This year, Hilton will introduce technology that enables smartphones to be used as room keys, and all US hotels across four of its brands will have this capability by the end of the year.

By the end of 2016, the majority of its rooms system-wide will be equipped with this functionality.

“When you travel on an airline it is pretty standard to select your seat before you get to the airport and now with this App you can select the floor of the hotel you want to stay on and the specific room,” says Steve. “We have spent the past few years testing a number of different options to make this vision a reality, and we are developing proprietary technology that is safe and reliable for our guests to use, and cost effective for our hotels to install. This new service is available to Hilton HHonors members worldwide and is in place for Hilton HHonors members in our six properties in Dublin.”

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FOOD TOURISM

FESTIVAL PROMISES ALONG THE WILD ATLANTIC WAY The West awakes this Easter with the aroma of good food and the chatter of a growing authentic food and beverage industry.

Now in its fourth year, the Galway Food Festival (April 2nd to 6th) is set to celebrate all things foodie in the city and county.

JP Mc Mahon, Director, Galway Food Festival, Heather Flaherty, Chairperson, Galway Food Festival 2015, Donal Lyons, Galway City Mayor, and Martin O’Donnell, Head Chef at The Twelve Hotel in Barna.

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he festival aims to showcase Galway city, county, Connemara, and the Aran Island’s unique food produce, traditions and restaurants to local, national and international audiences.

It will feature artisan food producers, culinary experts and food retailers, and will include food talks, taster trails, food tours, live cooking demos, farmers’ markets, and foraging trips, as well as wine, whiskey and craft beer tasting.

Over 70,000 people attended last year’s Galway Food Festival with highlights such as the eclectic festival food village at the Spanish Arch, the Moycullen and Woodquay country markets, and workshops and live cooking demonstrations involving over 100 food outlets and producers from across the city and county. This year’s festival will feature lots of new activities, including Food Taster Trails along Galway city’s cobbled streets, taking in many unique locations, Aran Islands Food Tours to explore age old food harvesting traditions coupled with today’s techniques, live cooking demonstrations for kids and adults, coastal foraging trips on the Wild Atlantic Way, food tours

of Galway’s contrasting landscape of green fields and rugged Connemara, craft beer making tours, whiskey and wine tasting, cocktail classes, and a series of talks on a range of topical issues in the food and drinks industry. 2015 will see international as well as acclaimed homegrown chefs such as Derry Clarke visit Galway for the event and plans are also being made to host events at a number of surprise locations throughout Galway city and county.

The 2015 festival will also seek to build on Galway’s growing status as a food capital of the Wild Atlantic Way where Connemara Spring lamb, brown trout, wild salmon, seafood, organic fruit, vegetables and herbs can be found in abundance. Visitors will be able to meet food producers, suppliers, casual dining chefs, Michelin Star chefs, Fáilte Ireland Food Ambassadors of the Wild Atlantic Way, and the growers who supply outlets located along the western seaboard.

Some of the key restaurants involved include Galway institution, McCambridge’s, Loam, which was opened last autumn by chef Enda McEvoy, Cava, and The Twelve Pins Hotel in Barna.

“THE 2015 FESTIVAL WILL ALSO SEEK TO BUILD ON GALWAY’S GROWING STATUS AS A FOOD CAPITAL OF THE WILD ATLANTIC WAY WHERE CONNEMARA SPRING LAMB, BROWN TROUT, WILD SALMON, SEAFOOD, ORGANIC FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND HERBS CAN BE FOUND IN ABUNDANCE.”

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“2015 WILL SEE INTERNATIONAL AS WELL AS ACCLAIMED HOMEGROWN CHEFS SUCH AS DERRY CLARKE VISIT GALWAY FOR THE EVENT AND PLANS ARE ALSO BEING MADE TO HOST EVENTS AT A NUMBER OF SURPRISE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT GALWAY CITY AND COUNTY.”

FERGUS O’HALLORAN Managing Director of The Twelve Hotel in Barna Following a successful career at some of Canada’s top hotels and restaurants, Fergus O’Halloran moved back to Galway in 2004 when he became involved in all aspects of the design, planning and philosophy of luxury boutique hotel The Twelve in Barna. He has been General Manager since its opening in March 2007. Passionate about both food and wine, The Twelve’s General Manager Fergus O’Halloran graduated as Canada’s top sommelier in 1997 from the International Sommelier Guild of Canada, collecting seven Wine Spectator Awards while there, something he has continued in The Twelve with Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence for one of the most outstanding wine lists in the world every year since 2008. A board member of the Restaurant Association of Ireland since 2009, Fergus is also a member of the board of the Western Tourism Forum, the Irish Hotels Federation and Galway Tourism Committee.

He is also a Fáilte Ireland Food Champion. Originally from Galway, Fergus is a graduate of the University of Galway and Les Roches Hotel Management School in Switzerland.

MARTIN O’ DONNELL Head Chef at the Twelve Pins Hotel, Barna Martin trained and worked in many of Galway’s and Ireland’s finest restaurants before taking up the position of Head Chef for The Pins Gastrobar and Bakery, winner of ‘The Best Gastro-Pub in Ireland’ and numerous other accolades. In the summer of 2010, Martin developed Upstairs @ West Restaurant. Under his skilful execution, West has gone on to being a finalist in the ‘Best Hotel Restaurant in Ireland’ and has won the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Award for Best Wine Experience.

During this time West has also been awarded two culinary rosettes for creative excellence. Just this year, The Pins was acclaimed with its first culinary Star Rosette from The Automobile Association’s Food Academy, and it is the only restaurant in Ireland to win the Wine Spectator Award six years in a row.

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JP Mc Mahon, Director, Galway Food Festival, and Michelle Crehan Kavanagh, Head Chef at the Kitchen café and restaurant.

HEATHER FLAHERTY Galway Food Festival Chairperson 2015 Heather’s culinary journey started at a young age in Saskatoon, Canada, when she began cooking at home with her mum. She came to Ireland in 2004, making her way west where she worked at the Pier House Restaurant in Kilronan on the Aran island of Inishmore as a Commis Chef, preparing starters and desserts during the summer season. In 2005 Heather moved to Galway city and worked in various cafés before enrolling in the Bachelor of Business in Culinary Arts at GMIT in 2007 while working part-time as a pastry chef and chef de partie at the Connemara Coast Hotel. After finishing her degree in 2010 she was appointed Head Chef at the Gourmet Tart Company’s restaurant in Salthill. In 2012 she took up the position as Head Chef in the new restaurant upstairs at delicatessen and fine food grocer McCambridge’s in Galway city.

JP MCMAHON Founding Chair and Director of Galway Food Festival JP McMahon is Culinary Director of the EatGalway Restaurant Group, which comprises Aniar, Cava Bodega, and Eat Gastropub. He runs the Aniar Boutique Cookery School and is committed to buying and supporting the best of local and free-range produce, engaging directly with small farmers. JP is a network leader for the global Cook it Raw community project. He is also the ambassador for Spanish food in Ireland, in particular promoting the wines of Rías Baixas (Galicia) and Jerez.

JP is currently organising an international chef symposium entitled ‘Food on the Edge’. This event will take place in Galway in October 2015, 2016 and 2017, and will feature the best international chefs across the globe. He is the author of the cookbook ‘Cava Bodega Tapas: A Taste of Spain in Ireland’, which explores the relationship between Irish and Spanish cuisine, focusing on artisan producers and products.

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Could your Restaurant benefit from our work? ❊ Do you feel strongly on some legislative matter, and do you feel powerless to put your points over to the relevant authorities? ❊ Do your current Staff and Management need ongoing training? ❊ Could you benefit financially from all of the special packages arranged on behalf of the members with Utilities, Merchant Services, Insurance providers, reservation systems, HACCP training, and PPI? ❊ Would you benefit from networking with your colleagues at either a local or national level?

Join the Restaurants Association of Ireland today ❊ We are the professional body of the Irish Restaurant Industry with our primary function being to promote and defend the interests of our 1,400 members nationwide ❊ Avail of member only savings and discounted rates on Gas, electricity, telecoms, merchant services, insurance, PPI & much more ❊ Access to legislative updates on Allergens,VAT rates, JLC’s, Employment Law, Health & Safety, NERA Inspections, Revenue and more ❊ Access to employment advice and templates ❊ Access to training in Kitchen Management, Customer Service, Sommelier, Barista & more ❊ Hear from international and national speakers at our annual Restaurant Symposium on key restaurant trends ❊ Receive an outdoor membership plaque ❊ Post your recruitment needs on www.rai.ie ❊ The Association organise seminars and workshops, which address specific marketing issues ❊ The Association partakes in Catex, Hospitality Expo, and the Food and Hospitality Show with opportunities for members to run pop-up restaurants at these events.

If you would like to join the RAI, please contact Jacqui Simpson, membership@rai.ie or call 01-6779901 IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS 2015 are launching soon!

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03/03/2015 28/01/2015 15:29 10:36

DIGITAL MARKETING

GETTING REAL: THE ADVICE HOTELIERS NEED TO HEAR Jenny Taaffe, CEO of iZest Marketing Group, began working in the hotel industry in 1994. Since then she has witnessed a seachange in the marketing function, thanks to online developments.

Jenny looks at how the industry is faring in this completely online world.

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hen I started working in the hotel industry, around 1994, getting a customer to book and stay at your hotel was a relatively straightforward process. With a small sales and marketing team, and an even smaller budget, you could focus your business efforts on attracting the business and leisure traveller to your property.

The GDS, direct tour operator relationships, and the telephone were a sales manager’s best friend.

The only place a customer could discover information about a hotel was through a travel agent or hotel brochure. The hotelier had the control over their brand, their messaging and, most importantly, their pricing. Then everything changed.

In 1996, Booking.com arrived quietly on the scene, followed by Expedia Travel Services, a Microsoft invention, that same year. Two years later, in 1998, Google was launched, followed by TripAdvisor, and then, in 2000, Ryanair.com. It was about this time that the international hotel chains began to sit up and take notice of the web as a viable sales channel and once their websites began to appear, individual properties slowly followed suit.

By the mid-2000s the world was a very different place for your average hotelier. The seasoned hoteliers who knew everything about taking care of a guest were thrown into an emerging world of Google Analytics, SEO and PPC, and most were struggling to keep up. Just as the industry was starting to get to know this new online world, social media came out of left field, with Facebook launching in 2004, followed by Twitter in 2006.

Throughout this time I’ve worked directly and indirectly in the hotel industry, and I’ve seen at first hand how these changes have affected hotels’ rates, margins, profitability and sanity. Hotels who previously had the ‘best’ brand in a county, city or town, were now being listed alongside other property types with a perceived similar grading. Guests could now publicly tell the world about their wonderful or awful stay, either to the delight or disgust of the hotelier.

Small, previously unknown properties

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DIGITAL MARKETING

“IMAGINE THE IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESS IF YOUR MOBILE WEBSITE WAS UNABLE TO TAKE BOOKINGS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE YOU TO NOTICE? COULD THIS COST YOUR HOTEL HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS IN SALES?” became famous overnight due to the unyielding power of TripAdvisor.

So 15 years after the world changed, how is the industry fairing in this completely online world?

PhoCusWright, the travel research firm, say that online booking now accounts for 43% of total travel sales in America and 45% in Europe. These figures are higher for hotels, with a report published by TravelClick in 2014 stating that, collectively, online channels continued to lead in bookings, with Brand.com (27.9%), global distribution systems (19.2%) and OTAs (14.9%) generating 62% of all bookings. When it comes to online research for travel, that figure goes to over 95%, with the number of devices and touchpoints increasing by the day. Webtrends put that figure at an average of 6.5 per traveller in 2014. Where does this leave the hotel marketer? How do they capture and brand their property in an environment where the customer has most of the control?

Most importantly, how do they fight the OTAs and focus their efforts on driving direct sales?

CREATE YOUR ‘REAL’ BRAND Create your new brand based on what your customers are telling you directly and online. What do your guests love about your property? What do they rave about on TripAdvisor or Google reviews? How can you build on this story through all your online channels, such as your website,

email marketing and social media platforms? ‘Real’ marketing is a hot trend right now. Telling customers exactly what they are going to get, and not sugar coating it, is working extremely well for some hotels. The Hoxton Hotel Group are a great example of this. They operate a number of trendy hotels in London and beyond, and one of their room descriptions on their website explains that you “can’t swing a cat in here” and yet this plush hotel is regularly sold out. It amazes me that hotels are still afraid to tell it how it is and clearly explain their product offering in an open and honest way that guests will react to. I’ve yet to see a hotel in Ireland doing this effectively.

ANALYSING THE ANALYTICS Hotels don’t like to hear this but it is crucial to have an analytical person on your sales and marketing team.

You need to understand your direct website and OTA data in order to grow or reduce your bookings through these channels. I regularly speak to hoteliers and it is very rare that they know the conversion rate on their own website. Conversion is the key metric that every hotel needs to understand. Once you understand your website and booking engine conversion rates you can then start to test your online activity through A/B testing. I’ve seen small changes to advertising campaigns and website landing pages that have a fundamental impact on conversion.

It just takes a small increase in a conversion rate to have a multiple effect on sales. Unfortunately, hoteliers are being blinded by the top level science of online marketing and it usually puts them off delving deeper into the analytics and conversion rates for their most powerful selling tool – the brand website.

USERS USABILITY Usability testing is a fancy name for something very simple – checking if your site works! We’ve found hotels with their mobile booking module switched off so customers were unable to book through a mobile platform, but the hotel was completely unaware of this problem. We’ve also seen browser issues arise regularly, where a hotel website is inaccessible via certain versions of Safari, for example. Most importantly, few hoteliers sit down and look at their website on different devices. Mobile booking will likely make up 30% of all bookings by 2017 so this is a crucial business exercise. All of these tests and checks have to be done on a regular basis.

Imagine the impact on your business if your mobile website was unable to take bookings for a period of time. How long would it take you to notice? Could this cost your hotel hundreds or thousands in sales? Your website is your most powerful selling tool. How are you going to ensure that it thrives in 2015?

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INTERVIEW

TURNING

60 Dublin’s oldest family-run hotel, The Sandymount Hotel, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Maev Martin talks to owner John Loughran about competing with global brands and keeping it in the family.

Q:To what do you attribute your longevity, particularly in light of the number of hotels that have closed since the economic collapse in 2008?

A: We were lucky to survive the period 2008 to 2012 when many hotels went out of business. I feel there are three reasons why we have survived for 60 years – we continually adapt to meet changing circumstances, we have a genuine personal concern for guests who stay with us that they will not experience in a corporate-run hotel and we treat our staff with respect and involve them in key decisions.

Q: How many of your family members are working in the hotel and in what capacity?

A: My parents lived and worked in the hotel. I became sole owner in 1999 when I bought my brother’s share. Since then, I have been careful to separate my business and family life. My wife, Audrey, was working as a receptionist in the hotel and left when we married 35 years ago.

My four children have all worked in various capacities while growing up. Three of them are now pursuing their careers while my eldest son Gerard works alongside me and manages all aspects of the hotel’s operations.

Q: Do you think that the viability of familyowned hotels in Ireland is under threat or will there always be a space in the market?

A: In 60 years we have seen many global brands come and go. In recent months the Intercontinental brand has replaced Four Seasons but there will always be guests seeking a genuine Irish hotel experience.

Q: Are you currently recruiting for any positions at the hotel or do you envisage embarking on a major recruitment drive at any time this year?

A: We currently employ about 90 staff. We have one of the highest staff retention rates of any hotel in Dublin.

Our two longest serving staff members have over 60 years’ service. The majority

Gerard Loughran, Director, Sandymount Hotel, owner John Loughran and Oisin Loughran, who worked in the accounts department but now lives in Canada.

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INTERVIEW

of our housekeeping staff, which is traditionally a high turnover department, have been with us for many years.

Having said that, the hotel business is ever changing and there is always some level of recruitment.

Q: Did you work in the hotel when you were growing up?

A: When I was growing up I lived with my family in the hotel. My four siblings and I all slept in the sitting room at busy times, as our bedrooms were let out. We all worked where needed, making beds, serving tables, washing dishes, portering, and even cooking. Following school, I graduated from Trinity College with a degree in business. I then qualified as an accountant in Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

For a number of years I ran a small accountancy practice with two school friends, before returning to work in the hotel in 1990. In 2008, as senior staff left, we could not afford to replace them and I took direct responsibility for all hotel operations. Fortunately, I now have a very capable senior team reporting to me who are far better at their jobs than I am!

Q: Are there any plans to expand the facilities at the Sandymount Hotel this year?

A: In February we re-opened 60 bedrooms following a a1m refurbishment programme. They will be the nicest bedrooms in Dublin 4!

Later in the year we intend to upgrade our conference rooms and public areas.

Q: How important is social media and digital marketing generally to the success of the hotel?

A: Online marketing plays a pivotal role in our business. We launched a new website last summer and our marketing manager implemented a comprehensive digital strategy to increase brand awareness and bookings from our target locations.

This has really paid off and we’ll continue to drive our online and social strategy to increase direct traffic to our brand site.

Q: Is the Sandymount Hotel embarking on any special promotions during 2015 or introducing any new services for customers and potential customers?

A: Yes, we have a fantastic bedroom offer called Turning 60. This includes a bed and breakfast stay in one of our refurbished bedrooms with a bottle of Prosecco and chocolate covered strawberries on arrival. It also includes a two-course dinner and a

Q: Will you be running any special events, either for your staff or for customers, to celebrate your 60 years in business?

A: On May 2nd 1955, my parents, George and Rosaleen Loughran, opened a four-bedroom bed and breakfast at 7 Herbert Road. Now we have 168 bedrooms in a block of eight houses. On May 21st we will be joining with our staff and customers for a special evening to celebrate 60 years in business.

Q: What do you believe is the biggest obstacle to growth in the hospitality industry?

A: Our industry is currently facing a number of challenges. Despite recent increases, in the 2014 hotels.com survey of 115 major international cities, Dublin room rates remained in the bottom third. In addition, the hotel industry often struggles to have its voice heard and we need to make greater efforts to tell our story. Although there has

late checkout and it is from just a135 per room. This is fantastic value just minutes from Dublin city. All our offers include free WiFi and parking, which is a great benefit for our guests.

been an improvement following the recent sale of a number of hotels, bank/ management companyrun hotels are continuing to impact the room rate while not investing in capital infrastructure. The retention of the 9% VAT rate will be crucial for the survival of many hotels, and for the protection of jobs.

Notwithstanding these difficulties, there has been no time in the past 60 years when there hasn’t been challenges so we will deal with them.

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PROFILE

GOOD FOOD

AT THE

Tom Shanahan, the recently-appointed Sales Manager at The Inn at Dromoland,has a strong background in the contract catering and hotel sectors of the industry. He talks to Maev Martin about The Inn’s refurbishment plans and developing a unique gastro pub experience.

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om’s career in hospitality began as a trainee manager at Doyle’s Burlington Hotel in 1993. He worked between the management teams at the Burlington and The Montrose for six years. This was followed by a short spell in the recruitment industry before he returned to hotels as Sales Manager for Jurys Green Isle in 2001. After a year with Jurys he moved again – to Limerick – as Corporate Sales Manager for the Radisson Blu Hotel and within a couple of years he was promoted to the position of Director of Sales and Marketing, a position he held for eight years. Tom then made another move outside of the hotel industry, this time into the contract catering sector, working for Masterchefs, where he sold a number of their venues for private events and weddings before making the move back to the hotel business.

“I joined The Inn at Dromoland in January 2015 and I am very excited about the role,” he says. “The role involves selling and marketing the hotel to a wide range of potential customers and sectors, including corporates, conferencing, weddings and leisure breaks (family and golf ).”

Tom says that his approach to his new role is to “immerse myself in all things Clare. I’m a member of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and of Clare Tourism so I will be networking to ensure that

we are promoted as a destination.

Although my specific role is based at the Inn at Dromoland, I will also be promoting our magnificent five star sister hotel, Dromoland Castle. All in all, it really is a resort, offering both three and five star accommodation, a golf course, and an abundance of outdoor activities.”

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PROFILE

The Inn at Dromoland is a strong supporter of both Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland in their efforts to promote the region and the country to the domestic and overseas markets.

“We will continue to support them in the future, with sales missions and familiarisation trips,” says Tom. “Our focus for both hotels is to ensure that the guests receive a truly Irish experience with a service that is second to none.”

The Inn at Dromoland is currently engaged in a major programme of refurbishment and is aiming to complete the renovation of the remaining bedrooms before the summer. “This will mean that the hotel has received a full refurbishment within the last 18 months, including public areas, meeting facilities, and our wonderful new gastro pub, Shannigans,” says Tom. UNIQUE GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCE A gastro pub is not a product that most people would associate with a five star country castle such as the Dromoland estate but that is precisely what the owners decided to create a couple of years ago. “In early 2013 the owners of Dromoland Castle and the Inn at Dromoland discussed what could make The Inn stand out from the rest,” says Tom. “The conclusion that they came to was that this was best achieved by creating a gastro pub that would be unequalled in the county

“SHANNIGAN’S APPROACH TO SOURCING ITS INGREDIENTS IS TO WORK WITH IRISH FOOD PRODUCERS WHO OFFER ETHICALLY-PRODUCED, SUSTAINABLE IRISH PRODUCE. THIS ALSO EXTENDS TO ITS DRINK OFFERING - FROM CRAFT BEERS PRODUCED BY IRISH ARTISAN BREWERS, TO BLENDS OF SPIRITS THAT ARE CREATED IN EMERGING MICRO DISTILLERIES.” of Clare, if not Ireland. Mark Nolan, Managing Director with Dromoland, was tasked with getting the best design people to create this wonderful facility. The McNally Design team, in conjunction with his own hotel team, headed up by The Inn at Dromoland’s General Manager Nico Hernandez, Executive Chef David McCann, and Deputy General Manager Simon Hodgson, worked tirelessly to ensure that Shannigan’s Gastro Pub would live up to all expectations and, indeed, exceed them.”

SUSTAINABLE IRISH PRODUCE Shannigan’s Gastro Pub’s approach to sourcing its ingredients is to work with Irish food producers who offer ethically-produced, sustainable Irish produce. “All our menus reflect seasonality, with dishes cooked in a creative yet traditional style,” says Tom. “Shannigan’s commitment to supporting Irish producers also extends to its drink offering – from craft beers produced by Irish artisan brewers to blends of spirits that are created in emerging micro distilleries dotted around the country. All of this is complemented by wines and international brands that are carefully sourced to appeal to all tastes. Apart from our food offering, Shannigan’s has a stunning interior that mixes the best of rustic and contemporary design to give an overall atmosphere that is sophisticated yet warm. Individual design features abound such as a wine tunnel, traditional snug and a feature fireplace. Comfy seating areas, an eclectic mix of soft materials, and an interesting variety of finishes, creates a very warm and inviting ambience.”

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FIVE MINUTES WITH

DAVID

O’DONNELL The Ardilaun Hotel’s Blazer’s Bistro has undergone a complete makeover and was re-launched on January 30th as ‘The Ardilaun Bistro’.

Maev Martin talks to Executive Head Chef David O’Donnell about the west coast’s newest dining experience.

Q: WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO RE-LAUNCH BLAZER’S BISTRO AS THE ARDILAUN BISTRO? A: I saw that there was a gap in the market for a restaurant/ bistro within a hotel that featured local artisan food producers. I felt that rebranding our existing bistro would enable us to make the local market more aware of the bistro and that there would be more of a focus on the food and on the fact that we are using so many local artisan suppliers. They put great energy and passion into the making of some first class ingredients and they are behind much of what we use in our menus.

Q: WHO ARE THE LOCAL SUPPLIERS AND PRODUCERS THAT YOU WORK WITH? A: We use The Friendly Farmer in Athenry (pasture reared chicken), Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms in Cork, Mungo Murphy’s Seaweed in Connemara, Aran Goats Cheese in Inis Mór, Eamonn Giblin Game in Scariff, Achill Mountain Lamb in Mayo, Kelly’s Butchers in Newport, McGeoughs Fine Foods in Oughterard, Castlemine Farm in Roscommon, Achill Island Sea Salt in Keel Bay, Kelly’s Oysters in Kilcolgan, O’Malley Honey in Oranmore, Cuinneog Dairy in Castlebar, Corleggy Cheese Makers in Belturbet and Beechlawn Organic in Ballinasloe. We also source produce from a number of businesses in Galway including La Petit Delice Bakery, Burkes Fruit and Vegetables, Curley’s Fruit and Vegetables, Brian Gannon Forager, Carragh’s Microgreens, Heaney Meats, and Gannet and Four Leaf Clover Fishmongers.

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Q: DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY FOR THE EXECUTIVE HEAD CHEF AT THE ARDILAUN? A: A typical working day begins with checking on the most important component of any kitchen – the chefs! I have to ensure that they have all the ingredients that they need and are preparing the food correctly. I then look at the up-and-coming business for the day and I start making phone calls to suppliers to source the products that are needed. After that, it’s a flurry of menu consultations, meetings, food preparation and meal services. It is a schedule that rarely concludes before midnight. I am fortunate enough to have chefs who have worked with me for several years and we have become a great team.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FOOD PHILOSOPHY? A: My inspiration to be creative with food on a daily, weekly and monthly basis comes from growing up in Cobh in Cork and spending countless summer holidays in Tonragee in Mayo where you were taught to use what you could from the land, sea and air to produce a depth of flavour. I’ve also been inspired by some of the great mentors that I have worked with in the industry such as William O’Callaghan of Longueville House in Cork, Thierry Finet of Auberge Du Piet á Terre Restaurant in Châteaumeillant in France, Peter Brennan of Mount Juliet in Kilkenny, and Jonathan Cartwright of White Barn Inn in Maine in the US.

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PARTNERS IN FOOD

LOCALLY

Sourced, INTERNATIONAL

Standards Maev Martin talks to Kay’s Kitchen executive chef, Stephen Reilly, to get the inside track on the growth of the business and the role of trusted local suppliers in their ongoing success.

Colm Bury, Managing Director from Keeling’s speaks with Stephen Reilly, Executive Chef from Kays Kitchen

HOW DID THE BUSINESS COME ABOUT? The company was founded in 1979 by the Glover family and the first restaurant in Donaghmede was called Kay’s Kitchen. The opening of Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in 1996 was a landmark year for the company.

Over the next 18 years they went on to open restaurants in Clarehall Shopping Centre on the Malahide Road, a second restaurant in Blanchardstown shopping centre, and a restaurant in Java Republic in Ballycoolin Industrial Park.

The most recent addition to the restaurant chain was opened in October 2013 in the Jervis Street Shopping Centre in Dublin city centre.

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THE BUSINESS? I’ve been Executive Chef with Kay’s Kitchen since 2003. I previously worked for the Thomas Read group and with Kevin Dundon in the Shelbourne Hotel. When I joined the company my role was to oversee the food and start to develop it further. I manage a brigade of 20 chefs, from commis chefs to fully qualified chefs. We travel to trade shows in the US and Europe every year to look at food trends and innovations in food, as well as the latest cooking technology. On one of our trips we brought back the latest in induction cooking from Switzerland and vapour cooking from America.

Our central kitchen, which is run by experienced chefs and headed up by Paula Brennan, is located in Clarehall. Five of our chefs recently won medals in the Chef Ireland competitions at Catex 2015. Food

provenance is very important to us and our produce is locally sourced from trusted suppliers in Dublin and throughout Ireland, including Keelings, who have been our fruit and vegetable supplier for the last number of years.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BUSINESS? Kay’s Kitchen is a family business and I work alongside Ciara and Steven Glover. Ciara looks after operations and training and Steven oversees sales and marketing and HR in the company. When Steven Glover joined Kay’s his first task was to create a new brand for the company to ensure that it was strong and consistent.This was first rolled out in Jervis Street in October 2013 and that store won the Best Restaurant Design award from The Restaurant Association Of Ireland. The restaurant was built by Barry Glover of Glover Electrical & Shop Fitters, who renovated our Blanchardstown store in October 2014. His next project will be renovating our Donaghmede restaurant. We will open our seventh restaurant very soon and will continue to source potential new sites for Kays Kitchen WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR KAY’S KITCHEN? Bart and Bernie Glover’s vision has always been to upskill the work force by employing trained chefs and not cooks, and to produce the best quality foods with fresh local ingredients from trusted suppliers and we have continued to implement that vision. We plan to introduce calories on to our menus and to educate our customers on the nutritional values of foods. We will continue to invest in the business with new software and cooking technology, and our chefs and managers will continue to travel to trade shows this year in order to keep up with the latest trends.

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

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COMMERCIAL PROFILE

J&C KENNY’S WORLD

OF WINES & SPIRITS Nestled in the hills and valleys of the Saone River, Burgundy is world famous for producing premium quality wines. J&C Kenny recently added the Moillard range, one of the finest wines in the region, to its portfolio.

O

ften seen as the most terroir-conscious of all the French regions, Burgundy’s reputation for class precedes it. The Moillard family has been cultivating vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges since the French Revoultion. Today, Maison Moillard continues to surpass its prestigious reputation as one of the finest winemakers in Burgundy.

A few standout wines from this range include the classic Bourgogne Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Moillard Bourgogne Pinot Noir is grown in Côte de Beaune. Located in the heart of Burgundy, this limestone ridge with its chalky soil provides the ideal environment for Pinot Noir. This wine is part aged in oak barrels to ease the tannins and round the wine, resulting in supple freshness with distinct fruitiness

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and end notes of spice. A true Pinot Noir in the classic sense, this is a shining example of the very best Burgundy has to offer.

Not to be outdone by its red counterpart, the Moillard Bourgogne Chardonnay is a stunning example of what a white Burgundy should be.

Aged in a mixture of oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, the end result is a richly aromatic wine, with aromas of dried fruit and white flowers. The stainless steel tanks bring fruitiness and freshness, whereas the oak barrels bring structure and roundness.

The Moillard Côte de Beaune Villages is a spectacular wine made from grapes harvested from 14 prestigious vineyards in the area. Because it comes from several different villages, this wine has an unusually smooth style and lots of finesse. The

beauty of this wine is that it is excellent drunk young but also ages beautifully, with the ideal ageing period being between eight and 10 years.

Maison Moillard doesn’t just excel with the Côte de Beaune.

They are extremely adept at producing wines from all over Burgundy and this is clearly evident with the Moillard Macon Villages from Macconais.

Working with clay and limestone soil, the wine makers have created a shining example of a classic Burgundy white that is revered by many. Made in the traditional style, with vinification taking place in steel tanks, the result is a zesty, citrus wine on the nose, with a fresh and lively mouthfeel.

The belief of the Moillard winemakers that the authenticity of each terroir can only be expressed if one respects the

natural environment is evident in all the wines they produce.

Their vineyards are either fully organically certified or are in the process of achieving that certification. For each property, they cultivate only those grape varieties that are best suited to the nature of the terroir. They are inspired by local winemaking traditions to produce typical and authentic wines. Please visit our website for a full list of of the Moillard wines available.

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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CALLING ALL SPONSORS WHY YOU SHOULD SPONSOR THE HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2015:

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