Hotel & Catering October 2014

HOTEL

& CATERING

REVIEW

News TOURISM IRELAND LAUNCHES €11M AUTUMN CAMPAIGN Key to the Door DALATA BUYS DERRY HOTEL FOR €5.5M Business Matters TRANSFERRING HOTEL PROPERTIES TO OPERATING COMPANIES Conferencing GAVIN MCDONAGH OF BRIOCHE ON INSPIRING YOUNG CHEFS

OCTOBER 2014

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FOR DECADES

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

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The Europe Hotel & Resort is the perfect choice… whether for a day of pampering in the spa, a delicious meal in one of the restaurants or to enjoy the most breathtaking view in Ireland from your own private balcony.

Enjoy complimentary access to the Active Level of ESPA at The Europe which includes 20m lap pool, indoor and outdoor vitality pools, heat experiences, lifestyle showers, Technogym and relaxation areas.

Horse Riding and Indoor Tennis are also complimentary.

Visit www.theeurope.com and discover why The Europe Hotel & Resort has been awarded ‘Best Spa’ at the 2014 Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards.

The Europe Hotel & Resort, Killarney, Co. Kerry Web: www.theeurope.com 233583_1C_EuropeHotel_CMD_H&C.indd 1 Untitled-1 1

Tel: 064 66 71300

Email: reservations@theeurope.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEurope 7/10/14 11:35:02 08/10/2014 09:45

CONTENTS 2

EDITOR’S VIEW

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NEWS & VIEWS

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KEY TO THE DOOR Openings, Closures, Refurbishments & Acquisitions

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FIVE MINUTES WITH Richard Luckey, who joined O’Callaghan Hotel Group earlier this year as Executive Development Chef.

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WINE J&C Kenny’s World of Wine & Spirits Premium spirits are gaining in popularity and nothing signifies exceptional quality like the Mayfair spirit range, which is available in Ireland from J&C Kenny Ltd.

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DINE Hotel & Catering Review’s Dish of the Month comes from Natalie Collins, Head Chef at Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre’s The Silver Restaurant

COVER STORY

GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014

A Night to Remember - The Hotel & Catering Review 26th Annual Gold Medal Awards – we report on the nominees, category award winners, Supreme Winner and the recipient of this year’s Service to Industry accolade.

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BUSINESS MATTERS TRANSFERRING HOTEL PROPERTIES TO OPERATING COMPANIES

Grayson Buckley, Tax Director, Crowe Horwath, looks at the ownership options available for hotel properties.

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THE CHEF’S TABLE THE ‘NATURE TO PLATE’ EXPERIENCE

Gavin McDonagh of Brioche in Ranelagh talks to Hotel & Catering Review’s Valerie Jordan about modern dining concepts, the working holiday he took to Edinburgh’s best restaurant, and the importance of training and inspiring young chefs.

40 CONFERENCING How to Write a Winning Proposal - Ciara Feely of ConferenceConverter. com explains how a proposal must be created to suit each client’s communication style.

42 INTERVIEW Celebrating 50 Years of Catex - Sean Martin of Bunzl McLaughlin and Chairman of the Irish Food Service Association (IFSA) talks about the association’s recent successes and looks forward to the 50th Catex exhibition in 2015.

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EDITOR’S VIEW

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

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September and October have been good news months for the Irish tourism industry. Fáilte Ireland’s latest Tourism Barometer reveals that most tourism businesses enjoyed a busy and profitable summer season. Almost three quarters (74%) of tourism businesses are upbeat about their 2014 business performance and the survey of tourism businesses, carried out in August and September, records business sentiment at a level not seen since the Celtic Tiger years.

The recovery in tourism is now apparent across the country, with all regions reporting strong accommodation sector increases on last year. The South West, in particular, has enjoyed an exceptional performance so far this year, with 84% of respondents reporting an increase in business on 2013. Many respondents in that region cited the recent Fáilte Ireland initiative, The Wild Atlantic Way, as a positive factor this year. Dublin, which has been leading the recovery in tourism fortunes, continues to perform strongly and the Shannon region, where improvements at the local airport are mentioned as a positive factor, is also recording robust growth.

Commenting the research, Shaun Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, warned that the industry mustn’t allow complacency to creep back in. “To sustain this year’s growth, we need to remain competitive, build on our appeal, and continue to aggressively target those segments of our markets with the most potential.”

As in previous years, hotels remain the strongest sector, with 82% of respondents reporting an increase in visitors. However, 2014 has also proved to be a good year for guesthouses (69% report increased visitors) and B&Bs (60% are up). The overseas market has provided sharp increases for restaurants, with 72% of respondents reporting their overseas visitor volumes to be up on 2013. So far this year, Germany, North America, and to some extent Great Britain, are becoming stronger markets, and many also report greater volumes and spending within the domestic market. For those on the west coast, the Wild Atlantic Way continues to be a draw for visitors and is strongly appreciated by operators and industry leaders.

While the proportion is dropping, fuel and energy costs remain a concern for 58% of respondents. Low-priced competition and other operating costs also remain significant issues for some in the industry.

Following the positive results from the Tourism Barometer survey, Fáilte Ireland was welcoming a recovery in the domestic holiday market in early October as the latest CSO figures showed that domestic trips were up 5.2% in Q2 of 2014. The recently published CSO figures showed that Irish residents took almost 1.8 million domestic trips in Quarter 2 2014, an increase of 5.2% when compared to the same period twelve months earlier. Each trip had an average duration of 2.6 nights, resulting in 4.6 million bed nights. Almost half of all domestic trips (48.7%) were classified as holidays, while just under a third (32.0%) were to visit friends or relatives. Visitors who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for 733,000 domestic trips in Quarter 2 2014, while those staying with family and friends accounted for 587,000 trips. Total expenditure on domestic trips in Quarter 2 2014 amounted to €337m. Almost €194m of this was accounted for by those on holidays while those visiting friends or relatives spent over €67m in the second quarter of 2014.

“TO SUSTAIN THIS YEAR’S GROWTH, WE NEED TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE, BUILD ON OUR APPEAL, AND CONTINUE TO AGGRESSIVELY TARGET THOSE SEGMENTS OF OUR MARKETS WITH THE MOST POTENTIAL.”

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www.facebook.com /hotelandcateringreview EDITOR: Maev Martin EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Mary Connaughton ART DIRECTOR: Jane Matthews DESIGN: Alan McArthur LAYOUT: Antoinette Sinclair ADVERTISING DESIGN: Colm McDermott COVER IMAGE: Service to Industry Award Winner Francis Brennan of the Park Hotel STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY: Thinkstock.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 2014. 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.

HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

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NEWS & VIEWS

NEWS & VIEWS

TOURISM IRELAND LAUNCHES

Pictured at the launch are Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons and Tourism, Transport and Sport Minister Paschal Donohoe.

€11M AUTUMN CAMPAIGN TOURISM IRELAND AND THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe launched an €11m promotional campaign on September 10th to boost late-season travel to Ireland from around the world. The September to December period usually yields as much as 30% of Ireland’s annual overseas tourism business.

The campaign will highlight the many festivals and events taking place around the island this autumn, from the Dublin Festival Season (which includes the Dublin Theatre Festival, Open House Dublin and the Bram Stoker Festival), to Culture Night, the Belfast Festival at Queens, Wexford Festival Opera, Savour Kilkenny Food Festival, Cork Jazz Festival and the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival. Tourism Ireland will also continue to highlight Limerick City of Culture, including the many literary-themed events and activities taking place this autumn.

“Working to keep tourist numbers up, outside the traditional travel period of the summer months, is key to securing jobs in the industry all year round and

building on our successes to date,” says the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe. Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons says that Tourism Ireland will bring about 200 top overseas travel agents and tour operators to the island of Ireland this autumn to meet with hundreds of Irish tourism businesses and negotiate inclusion in their 2015 brochures and programmes.

The campaign, which is being rolled out in Great Britain, the US, Mainland Europe, Australia and emerging markets, will incorporate a major focus on city breaks as well as on attracting visitors to more rural areas over the coming months. Highlights of the activity include co-operative promotions with Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Stena Line, transatlantic and long-haul airlines like United Airlines, Air Canada Rouge and Emirates; TV, radio, print and online advertising; as well as extensive digital, PR and social media activity.

Other highlights from the campaign include On ‘Location’ with Phil Spencer.

Tourism Ireland in Britain has teamed up with Phil Spencer, co-presenter of

Channel 4’s TV series ‘Location Location Location’, to produce four online films which are set to reach about 6.5 million people across Britain. In the US Tourism Ireland sponsored the travel showcase at iFest, a new Irish festival and showcase of contemporary Irish culture, entertainment and innovation, which took place in Boston at the end of last month.Two major co-operative campaigns - with Aer Lingus and Ryanair - will run in our main markets across Europe, highlighting good value fares to Ireland for the autumn period and early 2015. An Australian TV production company filmed along the Wild Atlantic Way in September for two popular TV shows and several French TV crews will also film here this autumn, including the M6 Channel for a programme about ‘Game of Thrones’ and its connection with Northern Ireland. Tourism Ireland’s 2014 China sales mission saw the organisation and 18 Irish tourism enterprises blitz three major cities in China last month. The organisation will also travel with 12 Irish tourism partners for a 10-day sales mission to Australia and New Zealand in November.

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NEWS & VIEWS

SMITHWICK’S EXPERIENCE PROVES POPULAR Since opening its doors to the public on July 31st, Ireland’s newest visitor attraction - Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny - is proving particularly popular with visitors from France, Germany, the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. Thousands of Irish residents have also put the Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny on their holiday itinerary. Celebrating its official opening on August 29th, the venue took a step back in time to the year 1231 and paid tribute to the medieval origins of brewing on the site of the Abbey of St. Francis where three Franciscan monks (played by actors) brought to life the history of Smithwick’s in Kilkenny.

An imposing life-size holographic monk narrated this part of the Smithwick’s story before visitors were brought forward in time to the arrival of John Smithwick in the 1700’s and up to the present day.

DUBLIN WHISKEY COMPANY UNVEILS NEW DISTILLERY PLANS Master distiller Dr James Swan and Marie Byrne, Managing Director, Dublin Whiskey Company, at the announcement of its plans to build a new whiskey distillery and visitor centre in Dublin’s city centre.

DUBLIN WHISKEY COMPANY unveiled its plans for a new whiskey distillery and visitor centre in the capital on August 29th. The company will be investing over €10m in developing its 300 year old site in Mill Street, Dublin 8. Over 60 people will be employed during the construction phase, beginning in early 2015, with 30 permanent jobs coming on-stream upon completion at the latter end of the year. Prospective investors will also have the opportunity to become part of the revival of whiskey in Dublin as the company will also raise additional funds through the government’s EII Scheme (formerly the BES).

Dublin Whiskey Company will create a range of single malt and Irish pot still whiskeys with the capacity to produce up to two million bottles annually at its 25,000 square foot premises.

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Its output is for both the domestic and export market and the company expect to be in production in late 2015. Once completed, the working distillery and fully immersive visitor centre will be able to facilitate over 75,000 visitors a year. The development of the whiskey range will be overseen by the company’s master distiller and global whiskey consultant Dr Jim Swan. Pat Burke, industry veteran and Enterprise Ireland mentor, is also part of the management team in a consultancy capacity.

Marie Byrne, Edmond O’Flaherty and Pat O’Brien founded the Dublin Whiskey Company in 2012 and it was recently granted planning permission by Dublin City Council to establish its distillery and visitor centre just 300 metres away from St Patrick’s Cathedral.

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NEWS & VIEWS

€257K FUNDING FOR WILD ATLANTIC WAY SITES The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD, recently announced that funding of approximately €257,000 was now being made available to Mayo County Council for remedial works at all of the county’s Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Points - totalling 30 sites along the Co Mayo coast. The Minister explained that the funding was part of Fáilte Ireland’s ongoing investment in the new tourism initiative and was crucial to maximising the impact that the new tourism initiative can have on Mayo.

The Wild Atlantic Way features 159 ‘Discovery Points’ between Donegal and West Cork with significant investment taking place in these throughout 2014.

Along the route, these Discovery Points are distinct sites, large and small, each chosen for their potential to offer visitors an authentic and intimate experience of the natural and wild landscape and seascape. A Discovery Point is a viewing point at which the visitor can stop off along the route to learn more about that place by means of on-site information and interpretation. Ultimately, as the Wild Atlantic Way is developed, each point will have enhanced parking facilities, which will serve as the Arrival Points for each site, as well as information and interpretative signage and picnic facilities.

Mayo Discovery Points and Embarkation Points for investment under WAW Capital Programme are Ballina Quay, Killala Quay, Lackan Strand, Downpatrick Head, Céide, Barr Na Binne Buí, Ceann Lorrais, Dún na mBó, Ceann an Eanaigh, Trá Oiligh, An Fál Mór, Blacksod Harbour (Embarkation Point), Inis Ge Theas, Oileán Chloigeann, Ceann Ramhar, Doran’s Point (Embarkation Point), Inis Bigil, Claggan, Dumhach Bheag, Spanish Armada Viewpoint, Cloghmore Harbour (Embarkation Point), Cuan na hAisléime, Trá Dumha Ghoirt, Keel Beach, Keem Strand, Murrisk View, Old Head, Roonagh Quay (Embarkation Point), Clare Island, Inishturk, Carrownisky Strand, Silver Strand, and Doo Lough Famine Memorial.

MACROOM HOTEL SCOOPS

BEST CARVERY AWARD

CASTLE HOTEL IN MACROOM AND THE ELM TREE IN CORK have been crowned Ireland’s best hotel and pub carvery venues in the fifth annual Great Carvery of the Year competition. For the first time in the competition’s history, Castle Hotel in Macroom took home the prize of Great Carvery Hotel of the Year while, for the fourth year in a row, The Elm Tree in Cork was crowned Great Carvery Public House of the Year.

The winners were unveiled by rugby ace Tommy Bowe in front of a packed house at the Great Carvery of the Year Grand Final at the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin.

This year saw the addition of the One-Day-Only category - a venue that serves their carvery offering only one day a week. Open to pubs and hotels in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, all venues had to get through what was a difficult public vote, followed by a mystery shopping stage to get through to the final shortlist. The winner of the best One-Day-Only carvery was Harvey’s Point Hotel in Donegal.

(l-r): Jim Reeves, Customer Director, Unilever Food Solutions, Gerard Buckley, Castle Hotel, Macroom, Tommy Bowe, Margaret Buckley, Castle Hotel and Mark McCarthy, Business Development Chef, Unilever Food Solutions.

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NEWS & VIEWS (l-r): Food & Beverage Manager, Marco Marro, General Manager, Gavin Carroll, and head chef, Jonny Leake launch The Merchant Hotel’s exclusive Cristal dinner.

IS THE MERCHANT OFFERING BELFAST’S

MOST EXPENSIVE MENU?

THE MERCHANT HOTEL IN BELFAST served what was probably the city’s most expensive menu this month in its Great Room Restaurant. For Stg£195 per person, customers could avail of the ultimate fine dining experience with a sumptuous seven-course meal, alongside matching luxury wines and Louis Roederer Cristal champagne. The exclusive menu, which was offered for one night only on Thursday, October 9th, was created for Belfast Restaurant Week, which ran from October 4th to 11th.

The Merchant Hotel Cristal Dinner featured the following dishes and wines: Canapés with Louis Roederer Brut Premier; Pressed Guinea fowl and rabbit terrine, hazelnut, and vanilla pear with Brut Vintage 2007; Lobster Thermidor with Cristal 2006; Wild Turbot, salsify, and Caspian beluga caviar with Cristal 2000; Lough Erne best end of lamb, celeriac and artichoke with Reserve de la Comtesse De Lalande Pauillac 2009 and Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande Pauillac 2006; Brillat savarin, spiced black fig and candied pistachio with Louis Roederer Rose Vintage 2009; Valrhona Caraibe and Ivoire Torte and Dulcey crémeux with Ramos Pinto Tawny port; Tea & Coffee, Macarons.

For those who can’t afford to splash out on champagne and caviar, The Merchant had a range of menus and food events to suit all budgets during Belfast Restaurant Week. In The Great Room Restaurant, diners could avail of a pre and post theatre set menu offering two courses from £18.50 per person or three courses from £22.50 per person with live music, Monday 6th - Wednesday 8th October and Friday 10th October. In The Cloth Ear, diners could choose from a set menu focusing on the best of local produce, with two courses for £16.95 and three courses for £19.95; or on Tuesday, October 7th they could choose a special marathon menu, which was a seven-course menu made with produce sourced within 26 miles of The Cloth Ear, with a selection of samples of locally sourced drinks for £30 per person. Berts Jazz Bar offered a Bistronomy four-course menu with matched cocktails for £55 per person on Wednesday, October 8th.

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IRELAND’S TEN BEST TOURISM TOWNS ANNOUNCED Fáilte Ireland recently confirmed the shortlist of ten top tourism towns from across the country that have been selected for their 2014 Tourism Towns Award. The shortlist was announced at the National Tidy Towns Awards in The Helix, Dublin. Two overall winners will ultimately share the accolade of Ireland’s top tourism town – for the best large town and the best small town – when the winners are unveiled in November by Fáilte Ireland following further assessments from the independent panel of judges. The shortlisted towns are: Ardmore, Waterford [small town]; Carrick on Shannon, Leitrim [small town]; Glengarriff, Cork [small town]; Kinsale, Cork [small town]; Lismore, Waterford [small town]; Portmagee, Kerry [small town]; Killarney, Kerry [large town]; Cobh, Cork [large town]; Westport, Mayo [large town]; Kilkenny, Kilkenny [large town].

As part of their shortlisting, the selected towns were subjected to a series of unannounced inspections from a team of independent ‘secret shoppers’ who visited each location and assessed the quality of the visitor experience. 2012 was the first year of the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Town Award which saw Portmagee in Co Kerry crowned the inaugural winner with Kilkenny taking home the overall ‘Tourism Town’ award in 2013. However, this year, in recognition of the diversity of size and scale of the communities involved, there will be a change to the format of the competition with titles awarded to Best Large Town and Best Small Town.

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NEWS & VIEWS

NESTLÉ CARNATION SPONSORS

TV3 COOKERY SEGMENTS NESTLÉ CARNATION is the new sponsor of TV3’s twiceweekly Ireland AM cookery segments. The segments will be topped and tailed with Nestlé Carnation sponsorship stings and branding. The year-long sponsorship, which is effective since September 1st, will see the Nestlé Carnation brand brought to the homes of the Irish public through activations such as a series of dedicated cookery segments featuring key Nestlé Carnation products, including recipes created from the new Carnation Chocolate filling and topping and the popular Carnation Caramel. There will also be a social media competition across Ireland AM’s Facebook page, social media support of the sponsorship, and an advertising homepage takeover of TV3.ie to coincide with the Ireland AM cookery segments. The Carnation brand has been in existence since 1899 with over 100 years of history. However, a new generation of bakers are discovering the Carnation range, which includes light alternatives to sweetened, condensed and evaporated milk.

Keith Banks, Nestlé Ireland, Sarah Jane Donnelly, TV3 Group, and Ireland AM’s Anna Daly and Joe Shannon announcing Nestlé Carnation as the new sponsor of TV3’s Ireland AM cookery segments.

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NEWS & VIEWS

CALLING ALL YOUNG CHEFS –

IRELAND NEEDS YOU! THE SEARCH IS ON to find the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2014. The most coveted culinary title in Ireland will this year focus on the theme ‘No Chef is an Island’ and asks young chefs to embrace all the influences associated with their gastronomic adventures in the kitchen. The overall winner will receive an all expenses paid stage at the worldrenowned The Square London where they will work under the direction of two star Michelin chef Philip Howard who is this year’s guest judge. Young professional chefs between the ages of 18 and 26 from any background could enter online via www. youngchef.ie. The entry stage of the competition closed on Tuesday, September 30th at 12 noon after which candidates will be notified if they have made it to stage two. Twenty three rising culinary stars, including Neven Maguire in 1994, have held this coveted title since the competition began in 1990. Euro-Toques Ireland is looking for three key ingredients when selecting candidates - a passion for Irish produce and food heritage, outstanding cooking talent, and the ability to showcase their creations as a sharing experience. EuroToques Young Chef of the Year 2014, in association with Fáilte Ireland and industry sponsor La Rousse Foods, is the perfect launch-pad for a fresh young chef to walk in the footsteps of Ireland’s most recognised culinary artists such as Myrtle Allen, Ross Lewis, Kevin Thornton and Derry Clarke. Euro-Toques Ireland is looking to be enthralled this year by exciting tastes, interesting traditions and refreshing experiences.

Successful candidates will be involved in a number of competition stages and events between now and the end of November and will be judged by some of Ireland’s most respected chefs, including Wade Murphy, President of Euro-Toques Ireland, Domini Kemp and 2013 winner Mark Moriarty who, in his role as Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year, cooked at Taste of Dublin, Electric Picnic and events in Paris and Boston this year. Mark is currently teaching in Cooks Academy, having previously worked in The Greenhouse Restaurant. Ireland’s top five young chefs will compete for the title at a culinary skills test final on Sunday, November 23rd, in Dublin and will cook for guests at an exciting event that evening where the winner will be announced. Entrants can also upload their online entry link to social media and tag them #youngchef14

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HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

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NEWS & VIEWS

NEW PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES

SALES & MANAGEMENT TRAINING THE IRISH ACADEMY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS announced on September 15th that it has entered into a formal agreement with Conor Kenny & Associates (CKA). The agreement will see the two businesses join forces to provide advanced sales and management training for hotels and businesses across Ireland and the UK. “The combination of our PR training expertise and their sales training expertise is a win-win situation for both businesses and our clients,” says Ellen Gunning, Director of the Irish Academy of Public Relations. Grace Gallagher is the Managing Director of CKA. She is a hotel and service industry expert, having spent years working in hotel management for top hotels in Ireland and the UK, including The Great Southern Hotel Group, Jury’s Hotel Group and Bewley’s Hotel (Glasgow). Her expert knowledge and mentoring skills allow her to advise clients about how best to grow their businesses. The Irish Academy of Public Relations provides corporate training in Ireland and Eastern Europe. The Academy has offices in Dublin, London and New York.

At the launch of the new agreement between The Irish Academy of Public Relations and Conor Kenny & Associates are (l-r foreground): Grace Gallagher, Managing Director of CKA, Conor Kenny, Principal of CKA, and Ellen Gunning, Director of the Irish Academy of Public Relations, with Carton House staff.

NEW STRATEGY UNVEILED TO

BOOST TOURISM FROM CANADA

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, Minister Donohoe, and Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons.

A NEW PLAN, ‘CANADA: LAND OF OPPORTUNITY - A STRATEGY FOR GROWTH 2014-2016’, was launched by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, last month. The plan sets out ambitious targets which will see the number of Canadian visitors to the island of Ireland grow by +47% to 184,000 by the end of 2016, delivering revenue of €134m (+47% growth). Despite global economic uncertainty in recent years, the Canadian market has performed strongly for tourism to the island of Ireland. Visitor numbers are estimated to have grown by +28% over the period 2011 to 2013. In 2013 alone, approximately

125,000 Canadians visited the island of Ireland, spending about €91m. Canadian visitors are highly prized as they tend to stay longer, spend more and visit more of the regions of Ireland than the average visitor. About two-thirds of Canadians coming here are holidaymakers who avail of a wide range of paid-for holiday experiences and services. On average, Canadian holidaymakers stay for nine nights. Typically, they each spend about €728 and they prefer to stay in hotels but also like guesthouses and B&Bs. One-third of Canadians travel on escorted (organised) tours and Canadian holidaymakers to the island of Ireland have traditionally travelled between May and September, mainly because of the seasonal nature of direct flights. Now with year-round, direct services from Canada, there is a new opportunity to generate incremental growth in visitor numbers year round, particularly during the shoulder season.

This new Tourism Ireland strategy, developed in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and other tourism partners at home and overseas, has identified the opportunities and challenges which will drive accelerated growth from Canada to the island of Ireland over the next two years. One of the key factors working in our favour is the number of direct flights from Canada to Ireland, which has grown dramatically this year – a +70% increase for the peak summer season and +100% increase for the shoulder and winter seasons.

For the first time ever this winter, there will be direct, scheduled services from Toronto to Ireland. It is also anticipated that there will be a further +18%, year-on-year increase in capacity in 2015.

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CommerCial Profile

TELLING IRELAND’S

FOOD TOURISM STORY As well as helping Irish tourism operators to pitch directly to the cream of the global travel industry, Fáilte Ireland is launching a new initiative called Ireland’s Food Story to ensure that everyone involved in food tourism is adopting the same approach in promoting Ireland’s food offering. Ireland has some of the best raw ingredients in the world - but it is the warm and welcoming people that turn this great natural larder into experiences that visitors will always remember.

NEW TOOLKIT FOR IRELAND’S FOOD TOURISM STORY A new marketing initiative, Ireland’s Food Story, created by Fáilte Ireland in consultation with the industry, is now available. The aim is to get all those involved in food tourism on the same page so that they can illustrate what is different about Irish food. he most successful destinations have a simple shared story to tell one that captures the essence of the place by focusing on its distinctive ualities he idea of the shared story is to communicate a strong consistent message around Irish food that sets Ireland s food e periences apart from other destinations and places us rmly on the international food stage says

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Importance of Food To Overseas Visitors Knowlege of staff about all the dishes served

35%

49% Important

Availability of distinctly national/regional dishes

25%

50%

Availability of locally sourced ingredients

27%

56%

elen c aid ood ourism anager with ilte Ireland It is important that the depth and uni ueness of Ireland s food offering is communicated effectively as food is such an important component of the tourism product for overseas visitors It is everyone s ob to get involved with the initiative It means that everyone involved in food tourism can use the same broad ideas in promoting Ireland s food offering and in essence sing from the same song sheet e are not suggesting for a moment that everyone s mar eting has to be the same but we hope that everyone will use components from it to bring out what is special and different about Ireland s food and drin offering for visitors As part of the new initiative an online tool it is available

Very Important

which contains a wealth of information to help businesses tell Ireland s ood tory as well as e amples of food e periences for particular target mar ets and tips on how to promote their food offering ou can use the story in whatever way suits your business best you can lift out words and phrases relevant to your business focus on the ey themes use sentences in press releases pitches or presentations or use it in its entirety says elen c aid It is up to you As part of the tool it we created some ctitious businesses a cafe food festival etc and showed how it could be used on websites blogs menus and blac boards he rst port of call for interested businesses is at

www.failteireland.ie/food

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CommerCial Profile

SALES BLITZ FOR 2015

COMMENCES Tourism, buoyant in , is now setting its sights on growth for ne t year as members of the Irish tourism industry from across the country begin their targeted sales drive. ilte Ireland has begun to host a series of custom made wor shops which enable Irish tourism operators to pitch directly to the cream of the global travel industry uring Autumn Irish tourism businesses will engage in over one to one meetings with appro imately of the world s ey tour operators ach one of these estination Ireland events organised by ilte Ireland focuses on a particular mar et he rst event which was held in lontarf astle otel ublin welcomed a select group of ey travel agents to attend the anadian po or shop and this was followed by the ritish oach and roup our perators wor shop in the ilver prings otel or he ew and merging ar ets or shop will ta e place on ctober th while the American po wor shop will be held on ctober st his has been a great year for Irish tourism so far with the recent gures showing strong growth in both revenue and visitor numbers for the rst si months of the year says artina romley ead of ales with ilte Ireland owever we cannot rest on our laurels and it is important to build on this year s momentum e are delighted to welcome these important overseas travel operators to our shores as they plan their pac ages hese overseas agents have the capacity to deliver signi cant amounts of visitors to Ireland and their presence here highlights our enduring strong appeal as a destination and the variety and attractiveness of the Irish holiday opefully the deals made over the ne t few wee s will assist ongoing growth in Irish tourism in o

Attending the Canadian Expo workshop are Martina Bromley, Fåilte Ireland, Susanne Reid, Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Joanie McAuliffe, Tralee Bay Wetlands, and Helen Smyth, Neville Hotels – Kilkenny Rivercourt/Royal Marine.

further showcase what Ireland can offer ilte Ireland has put together a number of specially crafted tailor made tours at each event so that the visiting travel agents can get out and about learn rst hand about the country and

get an authentic taste of what an Irish holiday can offer hese trips can play a ey role in closing the deal and persuading these agents to choose Ireland as a holiday destination for their customers

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KEY TO THE DOOR

KEY TO THE

DOOR Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions

LIMERICK STRAND HOTEL ON THE MARKET FOR €17M The Limerick Strand Hotel is on the market for €17m.

Savills and CBRE are handling the sale. Built in 2007, the award-winning four star hotel overlooks the River Shannon and is within short walking distance of Limerick’s main shopping, entertainment and business districts. It is also highly regarded as a base for all of Limerick’s major sporting events due to its close proximity to Páirc na nGael, home to the Limerick hurling and football teams, and Thomond Park, the

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home of Munster rugby. The hotel features 184 bedrooms, several bars and restaurants, extensive conference and banqueting facilities and a leisure club with approximately 900 members. Dining options include The River Restaurant and The Terrace Bar & Café and private dining is available in the John B Keane Library, the City View Suite and the Shannon Suite. Conference and banqueting facilities can cater for up to 600 delegates with a choice of 13 meeting rooms, seven of which are located on the top floor of the hotel with views over the Shannon estuary

and Limerick city. The Energise Health Club’s facilities include a fully equipped gym, 20 metre swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, jacuzzi, plunge pool, aerobics studio and spa with five treatment rooms. Limerick recorded the highest RevPar growth in Ireland for the eight months to August 2014, up 12% on last year. According to Trending.ie, The Strand Hotel outperformed Limerick RevPAR by over 80% in 2013.

DALATA BUYS DERRY HOTEL FOR €5.5M The Dalata Hotel Group has bought the Tower Hotel in

Derry for €5.5m. The 93 en suite bedroom hotel is located just off The Diamond in the heart of the city centre and has conferencing and banqueting facilities for up to 400 people and planning permission for an additional 52 bedrooms. It also has 28 basement parking spaces.

The hotel houses the Lyric Bar and Grill, Walls Bar and Restaurant and The Tyrconnell Suite function room. The Lyric Bar and Grill was refurbished in 2013 and is licensed for 250 patrons.

NAMA TO BRING 10 HOTELS TO MARKET NAMA is expected to put 10 hotels up for auction over the next few weeks as part of its strategy of bringing properties worth €250m to the market each quarter. The hotels are believed to be high profile and are designed to tap into the growing investor demand for prime Irish properties. NAMA has 108 hotels in its loan portfolio, directly controlling around two dozen through the appointment of receivers. NAMA is selling a portfolio of three hotels – the Metropole Hotel, Cork, the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel and the Malton, Killarney.

The sales are expected to close shortly. Ulster Bank is selling 10 properties as part of its Project Nadal portfolio and more properties are expected to come to the market as the big funds get round to dealing with their IBRC liquidation acquisitions.

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Show your business off to 10,000 customers CATEX 2015 promises to be bigger and better than ever as we celebrate 50 years of serving up Ireland’s biggest foodservice show. At the 2013 show 75% of visitors placed a trade order. Don’t miss out!

Book your stand now!

RDS, Dublin, 17 - 19 Feb 2015 catexexhibition.com

An IFSA Event

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COMMERCIAL PROFILE

THE SILVER RESTAURANT The Silver Restaurant at the Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre offers a culinary delight for visitors from 9am to 5pm (Monday to Saturday) and 11am to 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Diners are also treated to live music daily with performances from local musicians, including pianist Pat McNamara.

FOR THE PERFECT START TO THE DAY, the Silver Restaurant offers a delicious breakfast and brunch menu and is the ideal setting for a business breakfast or morning gossip. The breakfast menu is served until 11.45am daily and highlights include ‘Scrambled Egg with Smoked Irish Salmon’, ‘Eggs Benedict’ and, of course, the ‘Classic Full Irish’. For a lighter option or midmorning snack, diners can choose from freshly baked scones or brown bread.

As well as freshly brewed

tea and coffee, the Silver Restaurant boasts a wide selection of organic speciality teas from Java Republic.

the go, the Silver Restaurant offers an impressive takeaway range so there’s no excuse to miss lunch.

Lunch continues to be a firm favourite at the Silver Restaurant and is served from 12noon until 3.30pm daily. The selection includes a luxury sandwich bar with both hot and cold gourmet options and a mouthwatering hot counter, featuring daily specials.

There is also a variety of salad specials as well as a selection of heart-warming soups. For those who are on

Afternoon tea is another great dining option. Served from 3pm until 5pm from Monday to Friday, with full table service available, the afternoon tea option is a real treat and comes with a variety of homemade cakes, sandwiches, wraps and scones. The selection of delicious homemade cakes and treats available at the Silver Restaurant are second to none. Popular options

include the ‘Deep Filled Lemon Meringue’, ‘Baked Cheesecake’ and ‘GlutenFree Espresso Chocolate Torte’.

All dishes at the Silver Restaurant are prepared onsite and ingredients are sourced from local Irish businesses, including Doyle’s meats and Nick’s fish. A full children’s menu is also available. The Silver Restaurant has a normal capacity of 100 and can be hired for private functions of up to 150 seated/200 standing.

For en uiries, please email silverrestaurant newbridgesilverware.ie, call or visit www.thesilverrestaurant.com

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FIVE MINUTES WITH

HOW DID YOU GET INTO CHEFFING? I left school at 16 and started cooking throughout the UK in small classical restaurants. I moved to Ireland in 1999 and struggled a bit to get work so I ended up moving to New Zealand for a year. I was lucky enough to land a job in a restaurant called The Boardwalk under Grant Jackson, who’s regarded as one of the best chefs in New Zealand. It was probably one of the best places I’ve ever worked. It taught me a lot about the simplicity of food and a lot about quality of produce.

RICHARD LUCKEY

Richard Luckey joined O’Callaghan Hotel Group earlier this year as Executive Development Chef. We took five minutes of his time to discuss his career and what he’s bringing to his new role.

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BEFORE JOINING THE O’CALLAGHAN GROUP, YOU WERE EXECUTIVE CHEF AT THE BRABAZON RESTAURANT, TANKARDSTOWN HOUSE, WHICH WAS VOTED BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT IN CO MEATH ON THREE OCCASIONS. HOW DID YOU FIND WORKING IN TANKARDSTOWN HOUSE? It’s a beautiful place – we had two acres of our own farmland and I worked closely with local suppliers and producers. It was an idyllic place to be but I felt it was time to hand over the reins to a new person. Robbie Krawczyk is there now with a fresh pair of eyes and he’s doing a very good job.

WHAT DOES YOUR NEW ROLE WITH O’CALLAGHAN HOTELS INVOLVE? I came to O’Callaghan Hotels in February 2014. Its focus on food had slipped a bit in recessionary times so they’re now trying to change that.

The role here as Development Chef is to give each of the four properties in Dublin and

Gibraltar its own identity and I’m bringing my ethos into the group. It’s a long process but we’re now using a lot more local suppliers and producers, including some of the guys I worked with in Tankardstown.

Hotel food has got a bad reputation. Menus are generally handed down from head office.

I’m trying to reinvigorate the chefs in the hotels and get them to bring their own personalities to the plate. I almost want to forget that we have bedrooms above us!

WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE AHEAD? The challenge now is the scale - juggling four different properties. It is not a question of writing a menu and putting it in place. It takes time to develop. The property and the customer dictate the style of food that you do and you can’t force a square peg into a round hole. The Davenport is very classic and what we’ve done with the menu there is almost going back to a 1970s or 1980s style feel, whereas the Mont Clare across the road, which has a cracking bar, it about pub classics but done very well.

We have a beef stew on the menu but we are hand selecting the beef and making fresh stock - we are getting back to cooking again. I think a lot of hotels buy a lot of ingredients and we’re trying to break away from that.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR FOOD PHILOSOPHY? Simple, quality produce cooked with respect and care. I’m a provenance-led chef and I love using great quality ingredients and not playing around with them too much.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: SUPREME WINNER

THE SUPREME WINNER GREGANS CASTLE HOTEL, CO CLARE GREGANS CASTLE HOTEL WAS CROWNED THE CHAMPION OF IRISH HOSPITALITY when it claimed the Supreme Award at the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards 2014.

The winner of our industry’s highest accolade was chosen by the Gold Medal Awards judging panel following a review of all finalists across this year’s 24 categories. Gregans Castle Hotel also scooped the top honours in the keenly contested Best Country House Hotel category earlier in the night.

“We were astonished by the win and honoured to receive this award again,” says General Manager and Owner of Gregans Castle Hotel, Simon Haden.

“We had a fantastic night and I can’t emphasise enough how much the awards mean to us because they are judged by our peers and a lot of the judges are people who are retired from the industry, people like Dick Bourke, Eugene McSweeney and Eugene McGovern, and they have been in the industry a long time and they know what they are talking about.

We always strive to improve every year and we see the award win as an incentive to try and do even better. We will be using our win to promote the hotel because this is an extremely prestigious award and, because it is an award that recognises every aspect of our operation, we see it as an endorsement of the great team that we have at Gregans Castle.

Some of our staff are here 25 years and many of them were here when we won the Supreme Award

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in 2010.”

Maev Martin, editor of Hotel & Catering Review, explains why Gregan’s Castle Hotel was the natural choice for Ireland’s most prestigious hospitality prize.

“Gregans Castle is the best hotel in Ireland because it wowed the judges with its top notch facilities as a country house destination for food and relaxation, its warm and caring staff, sophisticated dining options, and its location in the unique and globally renowed The Burren region in Co Clare. It’s great to see their efforts and the efforts of all of our other award winners and nominees paying off because it benefits the whole country. Tourism numbers are up, with the latest figures from the CSO showing a 10.3% rise in overseas tourists in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year. That is due in no small part to the excellent work of people like our finalists and winners and we are delighted to be able to recognise that through the Gold Medal Awards.”

Gregans Castle has been a hotel since 1967 and Simon’s parents bought the hotel in 1976. “The house goes back to 1750 and the family who built it were there until 1967. Towards the end of 2007 we decided to make the hotel more of a food destination so we brought in Mickael Biljanen, who has since moved into The Greenhouse in Dawson Street, and then David Hurley took over as head chef. He came to us from The Tannery and he is still with us. At that time

we didn’t know that economic collapse was imminent but that development of our food product got us through the recession because it boosted business from the domestic market at a time when the overseas market, particularly the US, collapsed. However, that market came back last year so we now have the best of both worlds. We have had a great year this year. In a small hotel it is the bedrooms that make the money but the food helps to bring people in.”

Gregans Castle Hotel won the Fine Dining Award in 2009, the first time that they entered the awards. They won the Best Country House category in 2010 and in 2013.

Hilary O’Shaughnessy, Hotel & Catering Review, presents Simon Haden and Ken Bergin of Gregans Castle Hotel with the Supreme Winner Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: SERVICE TO THE INDUSTRY WINNER

THE SERVICE TO THE INDUSTRY AWARD FRANCIS BRENNAN HOTELIER AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY FRANCIS BRENNAN is the recipient of the 2014 Service to the Industry Award for his pioneering approach to business. The proprietor of the 47-bedroom, five-star Park Hotel in Kenmare has enjoyed a career in the industry that began with a stint doing bar work at the tender age of 14 and culminated with his purchase of the Park Hotel from the Swiss consortium that owned it in 1986. But in a sense, he was really only getting started in the industry, and the hotel has enjoyed a reputation for excellence both at home and abroad over the past three decades.

“I’m delighted and honoured to receive this award,” says Francis. “It is a lovely award to get because it is given by the trade and it is great that our peers are recognising what we have achieved with the hotel.” The list of former employees of the Park Hotel reads like a who’s who of the Irish hotel industry and is a reflection of the high standards of training and staff development that are maintained by Francis and his brother, Managing Director, John Brennan. “Ger Denneny, Vice President of Viceroy Hotels in North America, Patrick Hanley, General Manager of Sheen Falls Lodge, and Adrian Bartels of The Cliff House, to name just a few, so it shows that we are doing something right here at the Park Hotel and it is great to see all of those people do so well in our industry following their time here.”

Francis’ career in hospitality began at The Step Inn pub in Stepaside. “That’s where I got my first taste of the industry and I then completed a Degree in Hotel & Catering Management at DIT Cathal Brugha Street which was awarded through Trinity College Dublin as a B.Sc. Man. Degree in 1978,” says Francis. “Armed with my degree, I went to work in the Great Southern Hotel Parknasilla for two years under the General Manager Brendan Maher before moving on to the Victoria Hotel in Cork, which opened as Ireland’s first boutique hotel in 1979, to work as Deputy General Manager.” When the General Manager left, Francis went for the interview for the GM position and it proved to be a defining day in his career. “At 3pm I met the principal of the Swiss consortium that owned the Park Hotel, Ernst Weeland, who offered me the GM job at the hotel, at 5pm I did the interview for the GM job at the Victoria Hotel and was told that, at 22, I was too young for the role. The next day I was offered the job at the Park and I resigned from the Victoria, ” he says. The Park Hotel was closed and derelict before Francis arrived in February 1980 and the hotel re-opened in July of that year. “I worked for Ernst Weeland for four years and he insisted on the hotel opening all year round which was incorrect and he went bust in 1984,” he says. “I met with the liquidator who was keen to keep the hotel open so I made him an offer to lease the hotel from him until

they found someone to buy it and he accepted. The liquidator couldn’t find anyone to buy the hotel in the first couple of years so I continued to lease it from him until 1986 when my accountant said that I might be able to buy the Park Hotel. I visited 13 banks and they all said no because I was too young and it was too big a project, despite the excellent figures I had produced during my time running the hotel. I then decided to contact a guest that visited the hotel regularly who was based in Geneva. I showed him our plans, he gave me the money and, at 26 years of age, I became the owner of the Park Hotel.” Fast forward to the Irish hospitality industry in 2014, Francis is concerned about the ‘huge rate disparity’ between Dublin and the rest of the country. “Our rate dropped a lot in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and it has come back up from that now but it is still €120 to €130 off what it was during the Celtic Tiger years. All of the premises in our industry require a lot of upkeep so a return to a decent rate is very important.”

Francis Brennan, winner of the 2014 Service to Industry Award

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS Sponsored by Noel Recruitment BEST FIVE STAR HOTEL The Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa The Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa was victorious in the Best Five Star Hotel category this year. The hotel won this award in 2006 and has been a finalist in this category and other Gold Medal Award categories over the years, including Best Customer Experience and Best Hotel Spa. “I have been General Manager at Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa for the last 14 years so winning this award means the world to me personally,” says Marie Chawke. “We truly didn’t expect this prestigious award as this is a very strongly contested category each year.

The Aghadoe story is really one of collaboration by a group of staff with a combined service of over 500 years. I am so proud

of the exceptional efforts of our staff to ensure that guests have memorable experiences in our beautiful part of Kerry.

The amount of cards, letters, text messages, emails, tweets, Facebook messages and phone calls that we received from friends, colleagues and guests in the days following our win has been amazing. Winning this award gives us an unbelievable boost as we come towards the end of another very successful season.”

The Nominees: Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort; Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa; Dromoland Castle Hotel & Country Club; The Europe Hotel & Resort; Hayfield Manor; Sheen Falls Lodge; The Merchant; The Westbury Hotel.

Jerry O’Sullivan, Business Manager Ireland, Noel Recruitment Group, presents Marie Chawke, Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa, with the Best Five Star Hotel Award.

Sponsored by Gahan Meats BEST FOUR STAR HOTEL Harvey’s Point Hotel, Donegal Harvey’s Point Hotel in Donegal took the top honours in the Best Four Star Hotel category.

“We were surprised at the win but we are very proud to have received this award,” says Deirdre McGlone, Owner of Harvey’s Point Hotel. “It was a really wonderful night and the quality of the food and service at the event was outstanding. Members of our team who were there on the night included our Financial Controller Michael Cullinan, our Restaurant Manager and Sommelier Orhan Erinc, General Manager Noel Cunningham, and Operations Manager Kathleen Heraghty.

The win is a great motivator for

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our staff but it is also a good news story for Donegal and we believe strongly in promoting the destination as well as the hotel. This win will copperfasten peoples’ perception of our brand as a quality brand and our operation as one that strives for excellence in everything we do.”

The Nominees: Ballygarry House Hotel & Spa; Ballynahinch Castle Hotel; Harvey’s Point Hotel; Lough Rynn Castle Estate & Gardens; Mulranny Park Hotel; Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel; The Brehon; The North Star Hotel.

Declan Gahan, Gahan Meats, presents Kathleen Heraghty and Noel Cunningham, Harvey’s Point Hotel, with the Best Four Star Hotel Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS BEST THREE STAR HOTEL Inishbofin House Hotel, Galway Inishbofin House Hotel in Galway claimed the top prize in the Best Three Star Hotel category.

General Manager Niall Coffey says that he and his team were ‘surprised and delighted’ with the win. “It was terrific for the entire team and for the property,” he says. “It is our first nomination and win and last year was the first time that we had entered the awards so it is great to win. We have worked hard to improve standards at the property in the past two years and we have a new chef, George Dorin, who has opened a number of restaurants in the UK and has worked in the Michelin star environment in Germany so he is a great asset to the operation. This win will be instrumental in bringing extra business to our operation and it is fantastic from the point of view of staff morale. A number of new and interesting categories were introduced this year, including the Field to Fork Award and Best Customer Experience, and we are already thinking that we might enter some of these categories next year.”

The Nominees: Blue Haven Hotel; Carrickdale Hotel & Spa; Great National Abbey Court Hotel; Headfort Arms Hotel; Inishbofin House Hotel.

Anton Savage presents Niall J. Coffey, Inishbofin House Hotel, with the Best Three Star Hotel Award.

BEST COUNTRY HOUSE Gregans Castle Hotel Gregans Castle Hotel was victorious in the Best Country House category, making it two in a row for the Co Clare-based operation.

The hotel won this category in 2013 and in 2010. “We regard this win as an assurance that we have managed to maintain the quality standards that we were aiming for over the past year,” says General Manager and Owner, Simon Haden. “We are a well-established country house destination - the house itself is a destination for relaxation and food - but we are very lucky to be in The Burren because the area itself is a nationally and worldrenowned destination.”

The Nominees: Ard na Sidhe; Ballyseede Castle; Ballyvolane House; Gregans Castle Hotel; Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel; Red Cliff Lodge; Tankardstown House; The Lodge at Castle Leslie Hotel.

Anton Savage presents Ken Bergin and Simon Haden, Gregans Castle Hotel, with the Best Country House Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS BEST GUESTHOUSE Castlewood House, Kerry Castlewood House in Kerry won its first Gold Medal Award when it took the top prize in the Best Guesthouse category. The guesthouse was also a finalist in the Best Hotel Breakfast category.

“This win is great for the team here at Castlewood House because everyone that works here puts their heart and soul into the operation,” says Helen Heaton, who owns and operates the business with her husband Brian. “It is a great honour to win this award, particularly when you look at the list of finalists that we were up against, and we are a small

12-bed operation. Brian and I opened Castlewood House in 2005 and it is still the newest accommodation provider in Dingle. This is a special award from our peers so we are very proud of the accolade because it comes from the industry.”

Castlewood House was a finalist in the Best Customer Experience category in 2011 and in the Best Townhouse category in 2012 and 2013.

The Nominees: Aldridge Lodge; Ariel House; Castlewood House; The Castle at Castle Leslie Estate; the Old Bank Town House; Wild Honey Inn.

Anton Savage presents Brian Heaton, Castlewood House, with the Best Guesthouse Award.

Sponsored by Frylite BEST FINE DINING RESTAURANT Restaurant FortyOne at Residence, Dublin Restaurant FortyOne at Residence in Dublin made it two in a row when it won the Best Fine Dining Restaurant category.

“We won the category last year so we were surprised and delighted to win it again this year,” says Head Chef Graham Neville. “It is a great achievement and a terrific boost for the staff to see that their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. It is also a boost for business when our customers see that the restaurant is well regarded by its peers in the industry. And it is re-assuring to know that we are maintaining standards which is a huge factor in this business. Last year we put the award in a frame and displayed it on the door of the restaurant. We will be putting

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this year’s glass plaque on a shelf in a prominent position in the restaurant so it is very visible to all our customers. We will continue to promote our win through Twitter and Facebook, website media, and our own in-house marketing and mailers.”

The Nominees: Ananda Restaurant; Gregan’s Castle Hotel; Orchid’s Restaurant – Hayfield Manor; The Sandstone Restaurant – Lough Rynn Castle Estate & Gardens; Restaurant FortyOne; The Green Room – Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel; Snaffles – The Castle Leslie Estate; Brabazon Restaurant – Tankardstown House.

Eamon McCay, Managing Director, Frylite, presents Graham Neville, Restaurant FortyOne with the Best Fine Dining Restaurant Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS BEST CASUAL DINING RESTAURANT Anocht @ Kilkenny Design Anocht @ Kilkenny Design won its second Gold Medal Award when it took the top prize in the Best Casual Dining Restaurant category. The restaurant was runner up in the Best Newcomer category in 2012 when it was known as Kilkenny Design Centre Evening Restaurant.

“The team at Kilkenny Design is delighted with the win, in particular our Head Chef Paul Cullen,” says Kilkenny Design’s Sales and Marketing Executive, Grace Fegan. “Along with our Restaurant Manager Louise Mackey and the Directors and Owners of the business, Kathleen and Gerry Moran, we had a

glass of bubbly to celebrate. The win is a great boost to morale and, while we have always been confident about the service we provide, it is also a re-assurance that we are doing something right! The response on Facebook and Twitter in the 24 hours after we were presented with the award was phenomenal. Kilkenny people are very proud of us and we are looking at how we can use the award win to reach out to people who don’t know about our operation yet.”

The Nominees: Anocht @ Kilkenny Design Centre; Fisherman’s Pub at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel; Brasserie on

the Corner; Cornstore Cork; The Amber Lounge at Fota Island Resort; The Weir Bar at The River Lee Hotel; The Tavern Bar & Restaurant; Wild Honey Inn.

Anton Savage presents Paul Cullen of Anocht @ Kilkenny Design Centre with the Best Casual Dining Restaurant Award.

BEST ETHNIC RESTAURANT Ananda, Dublin Ananda in Dublin claimed the top honours in the Ethnic Restaurants category. “The competition in this part of the industry is pretty healthy these days so we were delighted to win,” says Director Asheesh Dewan. “Winning a Gold Medal Award is a great honour and these awards help to boost team morale and they are a great motivational tool for everyone to maintain the high standards that we have achieved. I know it is down to the judges as to how they categorise us. However, our aim would be to get out of the ethnic category and into the more mainstream awards in future years.”

Ananda was also nominated for the Best Customer Experience award.

The Nominees: Ananda Restaurant; Chakra by Jaipur; Jaipur Restaurant; L’Arco Italian Restaurant; Saba.

Anton Savage presents Vipanjot Singh and Arun Jaryal, Ananda Restaurant, with the Best Ethnic Restaurant Award.

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In a world of bland offerings, service by numbers and generic experiences, the 4-star Croke Park Hotel bucks the trend. We offer each of our guests a personable and memorable stay.

Our location makes us a unique destination – the world famous Croke Park Stadium, for over a century the headquarters of the GAA, is literally steps away from our front door, with Dublin city centre and airport also with easy reach. The passionate

atmosphere of the Club Finals and All Ireland Finals is matched only by the enthusiastic staff at our hotel staff. The Croke Park hotel, where All Ireland Loves to Stay!

The Croke Park Hotel, with its contemporary and chic design, offers a memorable retreat just opposite Ireland’s most famous stadium and conference centre, cementing its status as one of Dublin’s most popular hotels.

Jones’s Road, Dublin 3 • Tel (01) 871 4444 • Email crokepark@doylecollection.com Web www.doylecollection.com/crokeparkhotel

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS BEST CAFÉ AND COFFEE SHOP Fitzpatrick’s, Co. Louth Fitzpatrick’s in Co .Louth claimed the top prize in the Best Café and Coffee Shop category in this year’s awards.

Owner Danny Fitzpatrick says the team at Fitzpatrick’s was ‘completely surprised’ by the win.

“This was our first time entering the Gold Medal Awards so we didn’t expect to win anything,” he says. While the café is a newcomer to the Gold Medal Awards, they have entered the Bar of the Year awards which are run

by Hotel & Catering Review’s sister magazine Licensing World.

“We entered the Tourist Pub of the Year, Best Country Pub and Best Outdoor Space categories in the 2013 awards,” says Danny.

Fitzpatrick’s win in the Gold Medal Awards has been covered by local newspapers and they are promoting the award on their website and Facebook page.

“We are planning to defend our title next year and possibly enter other categories,” he says. “On a separate note, I thought the award ceremony and dinner was very professionally produced the atmosphere, food and music was superb. It was a perfect and very well executed event.”

The Nominees: Brasserie on the Corner; Café Noir Parkpoint; Fitzpatrick’s; Kai Café and Restaurant; Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Gardens; SLICE; The Silver Restaurant.

Anton Savage presents Danny Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick’s with the Best Café and Coffee Shop Award.

BEST SPA The Europe Hotel & Resort, Co. Kerry “We’re absolutely delighted to have won,” says General Manager Michael Brennan. “It recognises the commitment the team have to providing wonderful customer care and service in the spa. Our spa has been recognised by numerous awards but, of course, the Gold Medal is the pinnacle of the Irish hospitality awards. Business has been good and these awards and the publicity that goes with them is part of the reason we have such a high percentage of Irish customers. We have entered the Gold Medal Awards in three different categories – as a five star hotel, as a brasserie restaurant, and our spa – and now we have won in all three categories that we’ve entered.”

The Nominees: Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa; Dromoland Castle Hotel & Country Club; Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa; Kilronan Castle Estate and Spa; No.1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa; Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel; The Brehon; The Europe Hotel & Resort.

Anton Savage presents Nicole Barry, ESPA at The Europe Hotel and Spa, with the Best Spa Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS Sponsored by Keelings BEST IN-HOUSE CATERING Aramark Food Services at PwC Aramark Food Services at PwC won the top prize in the In-House Catering category.

“We are immensely proud to receive this award as it is a vote from our peers,” says Aramark Food Services Managing Director Frank Gleeson. “We wish to congratulate Ian Orohoe and our on site team at PwC. Aramark is committed to providing all of our customers with the best possible offering and service. We are constantly striving for excellence and the quality and variety of our food services has allowed us to achieve this success.”

Aramark at PWC was shortlisted for a Gold Medal Award in this category in 2013 and 2010 but this year was its first win. In 2011 Aramark’s operation at the NUIG collected the Gold Medal for Institutional Catering.

The Nominees: Aramark Ireland (Intel HQ); Aramark Ireland (PWC); Sodexo Ireland Ltd (eBay).

Colm Bury, Managing Director of Keelings Farm Fresh, presents Daragh Feighery, Caroline Lloyd and Ian Orohoe, Aramark Ireland (PWC HQ), with the Best In-House Catering Award.

BEST INSTITUTIONAL CATERING The Marymount University Hospital The Marymount University Hospital entered the Gold Medal Awards for the first time last year and walked away with this award. This year it held on to its Gold Medal for Institutional Catering.

“It was fantastic to win last year and we were delighted to win again this year,” says Catering and Housekeeping Manager Marie Foster. “We didn’t expect to win it twice in a row. We get great job satisfaction from our work in dealing with patients, residents and their families. Everybody in the hospital is delighted with this award.” The Marymount University Hospital & Hospice offers respite, intermediate palliative and residential care services and The Friends of Marymount University Hospital & Hospice are a voluntary group who raise funds for the hospital and hospice. “The people of Cork do a lot of fundraising for us so it’s great to be able to show them that we have a quality of service,” says Marie.

The Nominees: GMIT Catering Company; Haven Bay Care Centre; Marymount University Hospital & Hospice; Pavilion at UL; Sodexo Ireland Ltd (Clongowes Wood College).

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Anton Savage presents Deirdre Ryan, Senior Chef, and Marie Foster, Catering and Housekeeping Manager, Marymount University Hospital & Hospice, with the award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS Sponsored by Classic Drinks BEST WINE EXPERIENCE Harvey’s Point Hotel, Donegal Harvey’s Point Hotel in Donegal took its second award of the night when it won the Best Wine Experience category.

Deirdre McGlone attributes the win to a number of factors. “Our Sommelier Orhan Erinc played a big part in our achievement of this award but we believe that it is our wine philosoply and the team effort that has made our wine offering so successful,” she says. “Jody Gysling designed and devised the wine menu and he has been mentoring Orhan over the years to help him understand what wines work best for our customers and work best with our menu.

Orhan has completed a number of sommelier courses with wine expert Mary O’Callaghan so we have really invested in his skills in terms of wine sales and service. We believe that was a big factor in our winning this award. It is important to invest in the people as well as the place.”

The Nominees: Ananda Restaurant; Brasserie on the Corner; Harvey’s Point Hotel; Jaipur Restaurant; O’Grady’s on the Pier; The Ardilaun Hotel.

Hugh Murray, Co-Founder of Classic Drinks, presents Sommelier Orhan Erinc and Michael Cullinan, Harvey’s Point Hotel, with the Best Wine Experience Award.

Sponsored by Calor Gas FIELD TO FORK AWARD Ballyvolane House, Co Cork Ballyvolane House in Co Cork won the inaugural Field to Fork Award.

“We were honoured to receive this award,” says Justin Green of Ballyvolane House. “It recognises the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. It doesn’t just mean a lot to us, it means a huge amount to our staff. At the end of what has been a very busy season it’s a great way to finish.

We’ve always felt that our food is up there with the best of them so it’s wonderful to get this recognition. I’d like to thank all our suppliers - it is a reflection on their good work too because it’s not just what we grow here, we source a lot from the local area.” Ballyvolane House has received numerous awards but its owners are particularly pleased with the Gold Medal win. “The way you run the awards is very professional and very fair so it has a lot of credibility,” says Justin.

The Nominees: Ballyvolane House; Jacques; Kai Café and Restaurant; Limerick Strand Hotel; No. 5 Fenn’s Quay Restaurant; SLICE.

Larry Smyth, Domestic and Commercial Sales Representative of Calor Gas, presents Justin Green, Ballyvolane House, with the Field to Fork Award

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT O’Grady’s on the Pier, Barna, Co Galway The inaugural Best Seafood Restaurant award went to O’Grady’s on the Pier in Barna, Co Galway.

“The Gold Medal means everything to the team,” says Margaret McKenna. “All our hard work over the years has paid off and the recognition is fabulous.” O’Grady’s had previously been a finalist in the Gold Medal awards but this was its first victory. “We really didn’t expect it,” says Margaret. “It was the icing on the cake.

Mr O’Grady is thrilled. Business has been good.

The team have been busy all summer. The Gold Medal award has given the team a great boost at the end of the season. They are all ecstatic. We’ve a lot of young guys and girls here so it’s great because it’s an all round team effort.”

The Nominees: Aldridge Lodge; Aqua Restaurant; O’Grady’s on the Pier.

Anton Savage presents Fiona Kenny and Margaret McKenna, O’Grady’s on the Pier, with the Best Seafood Restaurant Award

ECO-FRIENDLY HOTEL OF THE YEAR The River Lee Hotel, Cork The top prize in the EcoFriendly Hotel of the Year category went to The River Lee Hotel in Cork.

“The award recognises our passion for, and dedication to, bringing environmental participation and responsibility into everyday life at our business,” says General Manager, Ruairi O’Connor. “It proves that hotels can be leaders in promoting green policies while also providing the highest standards of quality and service to guests. The environment is something that we all need to take responsibility for and responsible tourism is one of the largest growth sectors within travel globally.”

The Nominees: Gregan’s Castle Hotel; Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel; The Gibson Hotel; The River Lee Hotel.

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Anton Savage presents Ruairi O’Connor, The River Lee Hotel, with the EcoFriendly Hotel of the Year Award

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS PEOPLE AWARD - FRONT OF HOUSE Harvey’s Point Hotel, Donegal New to the Gold Medal Awards, the People Award: Front of House acknowledges an outstanding contribution that a member of staff makes to an establishment. The Gold Medal Awards judging panel selected the winner, Breeda Lucey of Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa, from nominations submitted by over 40 establishments across Ireland.

“Breeda Lucey, a treasured member of the Aghadoe Team since 1972, was absolutely thrilled to receive her award and thanked her colleagues and her family for all their support throughout the years,” says Agahadoe Heights Hotel & Spa General Manager

Marie Chawke. “I am delighted for Breeda. Just like the Marvel comics, the magic of Aghadoe is in its characters - ordinary mums and dads, sons and daughters who become everyday ‘Service Superheroes’. Breeda Lucey is truly one in a million. Breeda has been part of the team in Aghadoe for over 40 years. She runs our breakfast room impeccably every day and she does all the flower arranging throughout the hotel.

She continuously endorses and promotes the culture and identity of our hotel and spa, always ensuring that every visitor receives a personal service.”

Anton Savage with Breeda Lucey, Breakfast Manager of Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa, recipient of the People Award: Front of House.

Sponsored by Nestlé Cereals BEST HOTEL BREAKFAST – PUBLIC VOTE The Castle at Castle Leslie Estate General Manager Brian Baldwin says the Castle’s breakfast is “one of the things that people always comment on.

I think it’s the care and the attention to detail that goes into it. Sometimes breakfast isn’t seen as the most important meal of the day but for us it is. Castle Leslie Estate is a destination and guests aren’t in a rush when they stay with us. It is important that they take the hour to visit the breakfast buffet and enjoy the fantastic porridge, and the honey and jams that are made locally. The chefs put a lot of time and energy into breakfast.

All our packages have breakfast included so it’s one of the elements that we absolutely have to get right.”

The Nominees: Castlewood House; Crowne Plaza Dundalk; Druids Glen Resort; Gregan’s Castle Hotel; Hayfield Manor; Hodson Bay Hotel; Muckross Park Hotel; The Castle at Castle Leslie Estate; Wild Honey Inn.

Goretti Doyle, Nestlé Cereals, presents Brian Baldwin, The Castle at Castle Leslie Estate, with the Best Hotel Breakfast Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS Sponsored by Keelings BEST FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTEL Hotel Westport Leisure Spa Conference Hotel “The reaction to our win has been fantastic – we have had interviews with three local radio stations and we have generated some great PR for the hotel from the event,” says General Manager Declan Heneghan. “Our Facebook and Twitter accounts have been alive with well wishers. Personally and collectively we have got many additional messages from friends, associates in the industry, customers and locals in the town.

All employees see the award as a fantastic recognition of their work.”

Declan believes that the award will have a significant impact on the business. “The award will be a major

part of our marketing strategy for the coming months and into next year. This award is a great differentiator for us in the marketplace and it will give us a competitive advantage when it comes to marketing family holidays.”

The Nominees: Athlone Springs Hotel; Dingle Skellig Hotel; Hotel Westport Leisure Spa Conference Hotel; Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa; Lyrath Estate Hotel; Mulranny Park Hotel; The Newpark Hotel.

Peter Duffy, Regional Manager, Keelings Farm Fresh, presents Declan Heneghan, Collette Brawn and Eithne Cosgrove, Hotel Westport, with the Best Family Friendly Hotel Award.

HIDEAWAY OF THE YEAR Castle Leslie Estate The Hideaway of the Year award went to Castle Leslie Estate, its second win of the evening, and it is an accolade that fits almost perfectly with Castle Leslie’s marketing strategy.

“It was a really important award for us because it is synonymous with our branding and our marketing,” says General Manager Brian Baldwin.

“The phrasology we use is ‘escape to a rural retreat in a hidden corner of Ireland’. To have gotten ‘Hideaway of the Year’, which is nearly the opening line for our website and brochures, solidifies that. We encourage people to come and get lost in Castle Leslie Estate so getting this award is a huge win for us.”

The Nominees: Ard na Sidhe; Cromleach Lodge; Gregan’s Castle Hotel; Inishbofin House Hotel; Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel; The Castle at Castle Leslie Estate; The Lodge at Castle Leslie Estate.

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Anton Savage presents Olivia Cannon and Brian Baldwin, The Castle at Castle Leslie Estate, with the Hideaway of the Year Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014: CATEGORY WINNERS VALUE FOR MONEY HOTEL OF THE YEAR - PUBLIC VOTE The Dunraven Arms, Adare, Co Limerick The Dunraven Arms in Adare, Co Limerick, scooped the top prize in the Value for Money Hotel of the Year category.

“Winning by public vote is a great honour because it proves that our strategy to offer great value to our customers is working,” says Suzanne Kennedy.

“They voted for this! We are a private family-owned hotel

operating in a very competitive market. We are continuously upgrading the hotel and striving to offer value for money, as well as exceptional food and service to our loyal customers.

The entire team here at The Dunraven Arms would like to thank all our customers for voting for us to win this very prestigious award.”

The Nominees: Ariel House; Crowne Plaza Northwood; The Dunraven Arms; Great National Abbey Court Hotel; Limerick Strand Hotel; Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel; The Lodge at Castle Leslie Estate.

Anton Savage presents Suzanne Kennedy, The Dunraven Arms, with the Best Value for Money Hotel Award.

Sponsored by BWG Food Service CITY HOTEL OF THE YEAR - PUBLIC VOTE Croke Park Hotel, Dublin Croke Park Hotel was victorious in the City Hotel of the Year category.

“It felt amazing to win, particularly by public vote,” says Muireann King.“We often say that we have some of the most loyal customers around but this award proves it. The trophy is prominently displayed at our reception desk

and our regular customers are delighted that the hotel has been recognised. Winning the award for Best City Hotel means a huge amount to each and every member of staff. The team works tirelessly to ensure that every guest leaves our hotel with a wish to return so to be recognised with this award is very important to us.”

The Nominees: Hayfield Manor; No. 1 Pery Square; The Croke Park Hotel; The Dylan Hotel; The Marker; The Merchant; The River Lee Hotel; The Westbury Hotel.

that we never let a customer leave Castle Leslie Estate disappointed.

To have been recognised for putting that mantra into place is fantastic.” And what will the Gold Medals do for business?

“We’ve sent an ezine out to tell people about the awards. We ran a celebratory offer of a bottle of champagne and we reduced booking by 15% for our fans and followers on social media. From a marketing point of view it’s

fantastic.”

Ricky O’Brien and Joe O’Sullivan, BWG FoodService, present Alan Smullen, Croke Park Hotel, with the City Hotel of the Year Award.

BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Castle Leslie Estate Castle Leslie Estate also took the top honours in the Best Customer Experience category.

“This award is really special to us,” says Brian Baldwin. “It is brought up at every meeting that we have in the hotel. We look at TripAdvisor constantly. We have our own guest survey that we email to people after their stay.

We take comments, both positive and negative, extremely seriously and we act on them. My motto is

The Nominees: Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort; Aldridge Lodge; Ananda Restaurant; Ariel House; Brasserie on the Corner; Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel; The Brehon; The Castle Leslie Estate.

Anton Savage presents Patricia Donohue and Brian Baldwin, The Castle Leslie Estate, with the Best Customer Experience Award.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014:

ALL THE GLITTER ON A NIGHT OF GOLD Over 300 of Ireland’s leading hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers converged on the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin for the Annual Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards.

Goretti Doyle (left) and Michelle Conway of Nestlé Cereals.

Fiona Kenny and Margaret McKenna of O’Grady’s on the Pier.

(l-r): Barry Whelan, Eileen Mangan Rizby and Shane McLawe of Excel Recruitment.

(l-r) Gold Medal Awards judges Denis Tucker (left) and Richard Bourke, Director of Prem Group, with Carol Kennelly and Teresa Burke.

Sean Duffy and Ciaran Austin of Console.

Elaine Bolger and Jim Carey of Classic Drinks.

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(l-r): Hotel & Catering Review’s Hilary O’Shaughnessy with Karl deLacy of Best Western and Kate Lawlor of No. 5 Fenn’s Quay.

Oscar Navarro and Barry Francis of the Dylan Hotel.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014:

Rhona Brady and Keith Walsh of The North Star Hotel.

(l-r): Margaret Ryan, Park Hotel, Kenmare, with Patrick and Aileen Hanley of Sheen Falls Lodge.

Eva and Breda McSweeney.

Helen Byrne and Trish Conroy of Tankardstown House. (l-r): Stephen Opra and Michael Cunningham of Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel with Selina Murphy of The Gibson Hotel.

Suzanne Kennedy of the Dunraven Arms Hotel.

Sarah Cunningham and Brid O’Sullivan of Inchydoney Lodge and Spa.

Natalie Collins and Hubert O’Reilly of The Silver Restaurant.

Kate Kavanagh and Marian Hayden of Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014:

Catherine Toolan and Joan O’Shaughnessy of Aramark.

Kevin Crowley and Gary David Jordan of UPC Business.

Laura Behan, UPC, and Ciaran McGowan of Cobweb.

(l-r): Daniel Brzyszcz, Eimear Killian and Joe Flaherty of Brasserie on the Corner.

Pia K and Therese Breen of The Brehon Hotel & Spa.

(l-r): Michelle Maguire, Ireland’s Blue Book, with Josie O’Kelly and Karen Fleming of Hayfield Manor Hotel.

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(l-r) Breda Miley with Jerry O’Sullivan and Brid Kearney of Noel Recruitment.

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GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2014:

Justin and Jenny Green of Ballyvolane House.

Nicole McEllistrim and Tadhg McGillicuddy of Ballygarry House Hotel.

Jerry O’Sullivan, Business Manager Ireland, Noel Recruitment, and Ciaran Austin, Console, present the winner of their charity raffle, Nesib Gasni of the Ardilaun Hotel, Taylor’s Hill, Galway with two VIP tickets to see Lady Gaga at the O2 Venue in Dublin.

Rosemary and Simon Hodgson of Dromoland Castle.

Catherine Finan and Paul Cullen of Anocht Restaurant.

Niamh Jordan and Yvonne McNamara of the Radisson St Helen’s.

(l-r): Kate Muller, Matt and Jenny Carey, Ray Lynch and Alison Worrell of the Great National Abbey Court Hotel.

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BUSINESS MATTERS

TRANSFERRING

HOTEL PROPERTIES TO

OPERATING COMPANIES

Grayson Buckley, Tax Director, Crowe Horwath, looks at the ownership options available for hotel properties.

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BUSINESS MATTERS

I

n the past the accepted wisdom was for hotel properties to be acquired by individuals, either by themselves or through partnership/coownership structures. The rational for this was to permit the individual(s) to avail of tax shelters by claiming accelerated capital allowances and/or to avoid a double charge to tax that would arise on a sale of the hotel if it was held by a company. However, with increased personal tax rates, this conventional wisdom is being reviewed by some tax advisors.

THE PROBLEM During the period of strong economic growth in the early part of the previous decade, many individual(s) acquired hotel properties personally.

Typically the individual(s) would enter into an agreement with an operator (which may be a related company) to operate the hotel for seven to ten years. As outlined above, this enabled the individuals to claim accelerated hotel capital allowances (over a sevenyear period) and claim a tax deduction for such allowances against any other Irish rental profits.

In many cases, significant loans were required to finance these acquisitions. As many hotel purchases were made during the boom, the assumption was that hotel property prices would continue to rise and therefore further bank borrowings would be forthcoming at the end of the agreement with the operator. A sale of the property now/or further finance may be impossible due to substantial

negative equity. To compound the situation, banks continue to pressurise borrowers for interest and capital repayments, which may have to be financed by the individual(s) from their own personal income, often resulting in significant tax costs.

In order for the individual(s) to repay the capital and interest on these loans, it is necessary for the hotel operating company to pay the necessary rent to the individual(s) which is subject to income tax at a marginal rate of up to 55%. For example, an individual with a debt of €1m will require up to €2.2m of income to repay that debt.

Of that €2.2m in income, €1m will go to the bank and €1.2m will be paid in income tax. In addition, due to the restriction of hotel capital allowances for certain ‘high earners’, some individuals may not be able to obtain the full value of the accelerated capital allowances.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION – TRANSFER HOTEL PROPERTY TO A COMPANY A possible solution may be for the shareholders to consider selling the hotel property to the operating company for the current market value. This will allow the company to repay any loan repayments to the bank out of company profits subject to corporation tax at 12.5%, rather than personal income tax rates of up to 55%.

Therefore, for every €1 of profit the company earns, it may repay €0.875 in bank debt or invest in further capital expenditure.

For example, if a company has a debt of €1m it will require approximately €1.15m of profit to repay that debt. Of that

€1.15m of profit, €1m will go to the bank and approximately €150,000 will be paid in corporation tax. This should dramatically reduce the time necessary to repay the bank and also lower the debt burden for the shareholder. The consent of the bank may be required and without their co-operation the implementation of the transaction may be difficult.

LEGAL AND TAX ISSUES ON THE TRANSFER There are legal and tax issues that arise in respect of the sale of a hotel property to a company by a shareholder which require careful consideration prior to the sale.

Any sale of a hotel property should not be undertaken until more than seven years after the hotel capital allowances have being claimed otherwise there may be a claw back of the allowances which would be subject to income tax at the individual’s marginal rate (up to 55%). Where a hotel property is sold by a shareholder to their trading company at a loss no capital gains tax would arise.

However, the loss incurred on the sale would only be available to offset gains made by the individual(s) arising on sales of assets to the same company and not gains accumulated from the sale to other entities. As the sale is to a ‘connected party’ the hotel property must be sold at market value. A stamp duty liability of two per cent of the market value of the hotel would also be due. This duty would be payable by the company purchasing the hotel. The VAT status of the hotel property subject to the transfer should be identified and the correct treatment determined. In some

cases, VAT will have to be charged by the shareholder. This should, in turn, be reclaimable by the trading company.

Company law provisions must also be given thorough consideration. For instance, the company is legally prohibited from acquiring the property for greater than the market value of the property.

CONCLUSION This transaction can be a very effective way of reducing the debt burden where an individual holds a hotel property in their personal name and also runs the hotel trade through a trading company which is generating excess cash. Individuals with unincorporated businesses may consider incorporation to avail of the benefits offered. The tax saving over the life of the loan will greatly enhance the capacity of the borrower to complete repayments and will be very attractive in many cases. Expert tax and legal advice should be sought before implementing such a transaction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Grayson Buckley is an experienced chartered accountant and AITI chartered tax adviser and a tax director with Crowe Horwath. Grayson provides tax planning and consultancy services to a wide range of individuals and corporate clients operating in Ireland and internationally.

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COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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CONFERENCING

HOW TO WRITE

A WINNING The proposal is the most client-centric document that any company can design. It must be created to suit each client’s communication style. Ciara Feely of ConferenceConverter.com explains.

T

he simplest way to know what to put in a proposal is to ask the client ‘what information do you need in the proposal?’ That way you are not boring them with irrelevant information. This great advice was given by Andy Bounds, who was voted Top Sales Trainer of the Year, Top Sales Awards, UK. PROPOSAL PREPARATION – THE RULES n Make it relevant to the client.

Personalise it. Don’t make them feel like a commodity receiving a standard proposal. n Answer their main question first. How can you help them deliver a great meeting or conference? n Prove how you are going to do this.

WHAT NOT TO DO When I worked as a venue finder, many hotels sent me proposals with a three-page sales pitch which first described

the hotel, giving its history, and then listing lots of information that was not relevant to me as a conference planner. It read like they just changed the name, date and rates on the proposal. This annoys organisers as the first piece of information they want to see is the price and how you are going to help them run an amazing event. Proposals must be personalised to their needs to make a winning impression.

BEST TIP Answer the client’s main question at the beginning of the proposal – how you can help them; back-up what you say, prove it with the right pitch for their event, and then give them pricing options.

Don’t just give a description of the venue. The information at the beginning of a document must be relevant to the client every time. It will vary from client to client as to what level of information they require. So ask them!

THE WORD YOU IS THE TOP WORD THAT SELLS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

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TOP 3 TIPS FOR WRITING WINNING PROPOSALS The most important word in the document is the word YOU or the client’s name/ company name. Check how many times the word I, your name or the hotel’s name is in the proposal. The document should have YOU in the proposal four to five times more than the venue’s name! The document has to be all about the client and how you can help them. The word YOU is the top word that sells in the English language.

Name the proposal with a benefit. For example, how to ensure a successful conference at X hotel or how to double your sales at X hotel (Top tip from Andy Bounds). Everyone else is naming the proposal with the hotel name and date so stand out by sending a strong message before they even open up the proposal.

Give them a choice on pricing or of packages to choose from. Don’t just give them one choice or nothing because they can easily choose nothing! It is a great opportunity to up sell and increase the value of the business. List the most expensive option first so that if they are going to have a ‘that is expensive’ reaction, it will be to your most

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expensive option. They will then see pricing options b and c as much more reasonable. This is a classic sales technique – always give the client three choices.

These tactics will help persuade them to buy from you, so you don’t have to sell. That is your job as a sales professional persuading event planners to buy from you. All of these pricing strategies are designed to take the focus away from having to negotiate on price and lower it. Instead, focus on how you can make them look great and the return on investment they will get from holding their conference, meeting or event at your property. To increase your conversion rates, specify the added value that your venue can bring to this particular event. If you can answer the question - ‘what is the number one result you must get from

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Congratulations to all the Winners of the Hotel & Catering Review Awards 2014.

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this event?’ in the proposal, then you are speaking your client’s language and your conversion rates will soar. How you deliver the proposal says a lot about how much you want the business. It is a fantastic opportunity to get creative and wow your prospective client into booking with you. I go into a lot more detail on this in the Conference Converter Toolkit Virtual Workshop. Visit www.

ConferenceConverterToolkit. com, which is launching in November. If you like this information and have learnt a few tips, then join the Conference Club that gets results. I bring passionate sales and operations professionals together - people who want to know and understand the conference and meeting planner in order to attract and convert more conference leads. Do

you want to be informed and inspired? If so, join the club that is created specially for you. Each month I will interview different experts in the conference industry from around the world. We will discuss the latest trends, how to get a face to face appointment with a decision maker, the current challenges faced by planners and the new design solutions that will help them overcome these challenges.

I will also interview conference planners so you can ask them questions without having the pressure of a sale.

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INTERVIEW

CELEBRATING

50 YEARS OF CATEX Sean Martin of Bunzl McLaughlin and Chairman of the Irish Food Service Association (IFSA) talks about the association’s recent successes and looks forward to the 50th Catex exhibition in 2015.

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Q: Q: How did the inaugural Dublin Tea & Coffee Festival go for IFSA? A: It went very well. Over 5,700 people visited over the three days so it surpassed our expectations in terms of attendance. 58% of the attendance was in the 31 to 45 age group, which was an interesting trend, so the show revealed that this is a major target market for the tea and coffee sector. The other significant trend was that Leinster was strongly represented. Of course, the event was in Dublin, but people from Munster and Connaught didn’t travel to it so we are looking at staging smaller versions of the event in other parts of the country. Harvey Norman was one of the late sponsors that came into the show and I was wondering what the relevance was for them but they are actually the largest sellers of domestic coffee machines in the country. The over-riding trend in this market is that customers are looking for variety. We have become a coffee- loving nation and a very strong food element is

coming through as well - people want to eat something with their coffee and we see that as a big opportunity for our members.

Enjoying the final day of the inaugural Dublin Coffee & Tea Festival 2014 at the RDS are Bobby Kerr, Chairman of Insomnia Coffee, and Monika Bielska.

Q: You supported the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) in staging the Dublin Tea & Coffee Festival. Will you be staging any other events with SCAE? A: It was our first time to work with them on an event and they were delighted with the support they received from us. They said they would not have been able to stage such an event without IFSA. We will repeat the event again with SCAE in 2015 and IFSA is looking forward to 2016 when SCAE, with the help of IFSA and Eventhaus, will host The World Barista Championships.

Q: Are you concerned that there might be changes to the 9% VAT rate in the forthcoming Budget?

A: IFSA and its members back the Restaurants Association

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INTERVIEW

The joyous finalists in the Avonmore Irish Barista Compeititon which took place at the Dublin Coffee & Tea Festival. (l-r): Vinicius Arruda, Khedun Viswarnath, WojciechTysler, Mark Ashbridge, Bruno Ferreira Silva and Natalia Piotrowska.

of Ireland and the hospitality industry in their efforts to keep the VAT rate at 9% and to keep existing excise rates in place.

We are very concerned and we feel that if the VAT rate was changed it would put prices up.

This would have a very negative impact on the industry and return us to being uncompetitive in the cities and in the world destinations rankings.

Q: I believe that IFSA is building regional chapters to mirror the work being carried out in Leinster.

Can you update me on the progress to date?

A: This is a real passion of mine since I accepted the Chair of IFSA in 2013. I want to broaden the association’s activities to the rest of the country and take it out of Leinster and Dublin. In May we ran breakfast briefings in Cork, Galway and Belfast which covered topics such as the imminent new packaging legislation which is due to take effect in December. We also looked at finance for small businesses and we ran an

advisory session on that with Ulster Bank. The third subject covered at the briefing was current trends and one of Bunzl McLaughlin’s own suppliers, Churchill, a pottery company from Stoke-on-Trent, gave a presentation on trends in the market place which was very informative. On September 26th we followed these breakfast briefings up with the inaugural meeting of the Munster chapter in The Strand Hotel in Limerick. Our intention is to run more briefings before Christmas in the same three cities. We will attempt to get the Connaught chapter up and running but, given how busy our members are, it may not happen until the New Year.

Q: I believe that a book has been commissioned to celebrate the Catex exhibition’s and the Catering Equipment Association’s 50th anniversary year in 2015.

Can you tell me about it?

A: It won’t just be about the Catering Equipment

Association and its transformation into IFSA, it will be about 50 years of the industry. We felt that by doing this we were making it more relevant to the entire industry so it will look at how the industry has changed over the last five decades. Well-known industry writer and editor of ehospitalitynews.ie, Frank Corr, is writing the book, which will be published at the beginning of 2015. It will include lots of quotations from my predecessors and will feature photos from the first Catex. It will track the history of the event from its inception to the present day and will finish with the modern period of the association when I took over as chairman of IFSA in 2013.

Q: What are the significant changes or milestones that you have noticed over the past 50 years in the industry?

A: Big changes in the last half century include the introduction of high tech, intelligent cooking and the heightening of hygiene

standards, as well as the emergence of labour-saving and cost-saving equipment.

The introduction of ethnic food and themed foods and restaurants is a massive trend that has completely transformed the dining experience in Ireland. Our whole approach to culinary education and training has also changed significantly and colleges now run courses that specialise in different aspects of the culinary arts. And cheffing has become a trendy and sexy occupation - every second programme on TV is about food in some shape or form, whether it is The Restaurant, Hells Kitchen, or Ready Steady Cook, to name just a few.

Q: How are the bookings for Catex 2015 going? Can we look forward to any new exhibitors and features at the show?

A: The bookings for Catex 2015 are stronger than ever and are therefore mirroring the positive state of the hospitality industry. The show will be sold out by Christmas and we are expecting the largest attendance ever. Bunzl McLaughlin and Calor are the main sponsors this year and we have introduced a number of new features, including The Contract Caterers Culinary Challenge which is a team competition that will showcase culinary excellence within the contract catering sector. Eurotoques Ireland will feature as well, and some of the larger food companies, such as Brakes, Lynas Foodservice and Henderson Foodservice, will be there. Those are three big names in our industry and three brand new exhibitors for Catex 2015 so we are delighted that the show continues to attract highly-respected and high profile exhibitors.

For further information, contact www.ifsa.eu.com and www.catexexhibition.com.

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08/10/2014 14:06

THE CHEF’S TABLE

The ‘NATURE TO PLATE’

EXPERIENCE

Gavin McDonagh of Brioche in Ranelagh talks to Hotel & Catering Review’s Valerie Jordan about modern dining concepts, the working holiday he took to Edinburgh’s best restaurant, and the importance of training and inspiring young chefs.

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avin’s culinary background in the industry is in French fine dining.

“I trained in l’Ecrivain and Patrick Guilbaud’s and I went off to France for a while and then onto Germany for a year,” he says. “I came back and worked in Shanahan’s on the Green. I also worked with Conrad Gallagher.

Then I went into business on my own, mass producing starters, garnishes and desserts for large catering companies like Fitzers in Croke Park. After that I opened a cafe on Aungier street called Brioche. We trialled a French tasting plate restaurant.

There is no sequence of service no starter, main course, or dessert - it’s just plates. We trialled the concept in Aungier Street and then I found a premises and a

business partner in Ranelagh where we opened last year. It has been flying since we opened. A lot of our plates are starter size, some are miniature main courses, but it is executed in a very refined and modern way and it seems to be the way that people want to eat these days.”

The 40-seater Brioche Restaurant focuses on three key elements - flavour, the quality of the product that’s coming in the back door, and training.

“In a nutshell, that’s what this restaurant is about,” he says.

“And my business partner and I have decided that any profits this year will be reinvested, whether it’s in sourcing good product or in training. I’m very open about figures and about how we order ingredients, how we sell, percentages, profit and margins.”

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THE CHEF’S TABLE one week and they are still talking about it,” he says. “We have also featured Dublin coddle on the restaurant menu. We ran a pork tasting night with a rare breed pig and we made a 16week master stock from the pork.

We clarified it so the flavour was really rich and intense and we turned it into a coddle. I was in the Blarney Woollen Mills recently for lunch. We had bacon ribs, cabbage and mash. It was beautiful. That is the type of food that I ate when I was growing up.

Every Saturday night there was a pot of ribs on. I try and introduce little quirky bits like that into the fine dining end of things.”

FOOD PHILOSOPHY Brioche Restaurant uses locally sourced Irish produce as much as possible. “85% of our menu would be locally sourced,” says Gavin. “I try to get at least one or two items on the menu from the Dublin area,” says Gavin.

“For example, our pig’s head is a Gloucestershire old spot pig and that’s bred in the Naul, Co Dublin. He kills two pigs a week, we take the head and different parts of the pig, and it becomes a dish on the menu.

I try to use most of the animal and the unusual bits. I’m trying to encourage people to revert back to eating the lesser known cuts. People have a tendency to think they are cheaper but when you add the labour costs and everything into them they actually work out the same. For

example, we have a lamb shank dish and people are expecting the bone but we actually break all the meat off the shank and turn it into a ball like the English faggot. We wrap it in pigs’ caul and we serve it with lamb’s tongue. The pork head is served with pig’s ear crackling, cod cheek, quail’s egg and black pudding but people visualise something totally different so when it comes out on the plate you get a bit of a wow factor.

Our crab meat was handpicked pasteurised crab from Castletownbere but we now have a contact with a one day boat in Howth that brings us the whole crab. Price per kilo it looks a lot cheaper. However, when you add in the cost of labour they work out to be almost equal in price but the quality is much better.

Plus, there is the educational aspect for the young lads in the kitchen. All our fish comes in whole on the bone so the guys get filleting and boning training and they get to see the raw ingredient. We are planning to look at other ventures and bigger seatings and concepts, but maintaining our locally sourced Irish produce approach, so I’m trying to build a team of guys around me that can slot into place. I’ll know they can do what we want done and the way we want it done.”

Apart from Brioche’s focus on the nature to plate concept, Gavin says they are trying to introduce comfort food into a fine dining environment. “We do a staff lunch here everyday and we made Dublin coddle on Thursday, Friday and Saturday

ATTRACTING YOUNG CHEFS Gavin points out that if the industry is to persuade young chefs to come back they will have to be shown that cheffing is a desirable job with a rewarding career path. “They’re going into kitchens, they’re getting no training, they’re getting dogs’ abuse and they’re getting out of the industry because their mates are working 40 hours a week in an office and probably earning more money,” he says. “We’ve an open kitchen in Brioche so when we see the plates going down and the customers going ‘wow’, and we can see in their face that they’re enjoying the food, we get a lot of job satisfaction.

That sense of pride and job satisfaction needs to be brought back to the industry, particularly for trainees. They are going to do long hours because that is the nature of the industry but if they are encouraged and see positive results they will work that little bit harder.”

Having worked in the top restaurants in Ireland and around Europe, Gavin says that he enjoys “playing with food” and being able to create a dish with a difference. “For example, getting our pig’s head (the dish is shown on their Twitter page) to that finished plate was extremely satisfying and that trickles down to the customer. Women tend

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THE CHEF’S TABLE

to be a bit squeamish about a pig’s head but we have our theatre table which faces into the kitchen and customers can see our chefs cooking. We had a group of women sitting at that table one night and when we saw them eating the pig’s head dish we knew we were doing something right.”

THE EDINBURGH EXPERIENCE Gavin went on a bit of a busman’s holiday this year, spending one week of his twoweek break in the office chasing up paper work and the other in The Kitchin and Castle Terrace restaurants in Edinburgh.

The chef/proprietor of both restaurants, Tom Kitchin, became the youngest Michelin star recipient in the world at the age of 29 when he was awarded his first Michelin star after The Kitchin had been in business for six months.“That was probably the toughest thing I’ve done since being a commis chef,” he says. “I went from being a

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restaurant owner with 20 years’ experience to being a nobody with commis chefs kicking me around the kitchen! I didn’t go to learn how to cook. I went to see how they run their kitchen. It was an eye opener to see the level of discipline, whether it revolved around the products, the chefs, the head chef or the chef owner, and the hours they work - 16 hours of service. The respect for the produce and the quality of the produce they have is second to none. And the nature to plate concept is particularly strong.

Grouse season started when I was over there. Tom Kitchin walked in at five o’clock with 30 grouse - feathers on, guts in and everyone had to stop, pluck, draw and prep these birds. That’s a great thing for young chefs to see but it’s something you don’t see in Ireland and I think that is a pity because it takes down the skill level of chefs. Given the shortage of chefs that we have in this country, I think there is a huge requirement for training. I’ve a couple of guys in

college but, with the cutbacks and the absence of a nature to plate approach, what they’re doing in college means that they are not getting to see certain aspects of the food preparation process. Those aspects are an important part of the ethos of my restaurant. It’s a much harder way of working but at least I can hold my hands up and say I’m doing my best to train these guys.”

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08/10/2014 14:37 09:59

DINE

CHOCOLATE DELICE Dish of the Month comes from Natalie Collins, Head Chef at Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre’s The Silver Restaurant.

METHOD 1 Melt butter and chocolate together.

2 Soak gelatine and dissolve in the warm chocolate mixture.

3 Add egg yolks to chocolate mixture and combine.

4 Whisk egg whites until stiff. Then gradually add the sugar, continue to whisk until stiff and smooth, approximately three to five minutes.

5 Fold in the chocolate mixture and pour into a mould of your choice, be it small individual moulds or a larger mould that can be cut into smaller pieces once set.

6 Place in the fridge and allow to set.

INGREDIENTS Butter Dark Chocolate Water Gelatine Egg Yolks Egg Whites Caster Sugar

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225g 330g 40g 10g 80g 330g 160g

CELEBRATING 80 YEARS

CHOCOLATE GLAZE Heat the butter, cream and golden syrup gently over a medium heat until it just reaches boiling point. Then pour onto the chocolate and mix until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly and pour onto the cake previously prepared. Return to the fridge and allow to set.

INGREDIENTS Dark Chocolate Cream Butter Golden Syrup

50g 120g 20g 10g

CHEF ’S TIP: This Chocolate Delice can be decorated on the top with fresh fruit, cream or icecream.

2014 marks the 80th anniversary of Newbridge Silverware. As part of the company’s milestone year, the Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre received a new and improved look, which included a revamped Silver Restaurant that also boasts a new menu. “The new restaurant layout looks great and our menu additions have also proved popular with our customers,” says Head Chef Natalie Collins. “We continue to source fresh and local produce and the quality of our ingredients comes through in the taste of our food.”

The Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre attracted 350,000 visitors last year and was recently announced by Fáilte Ireland as the fifth most visited free attraction in Ireland and the only attraction listed in the top 10 that is located outside of Dublin. The new décor in The Silver Restaurant includes frosted displays on the windows, a timeline of Newbridge Silverware’s impressive 80year history, and a convenient breakfast bar, which serves as a laptop docking station with charging points.

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estled on 1,000 acres of undulating Irish countryside, dotted with ancient woodland and glittering lakes, Castle Leslie Estate is one of the last great Irish estates still in the hands of its founding family. Steeped in history, full of character and charm, it is the ultimate Irish rural escape.

Only 80 minutes from Dublin and 60 minutes from Belfast, Castle Leslie Estate boasts a variety of accommodation and activities to suit all tastes. The Castle, at the heart of the Estate, offers authentic original interiors and old-style hospitality and is a complete respite from the world. The Lodge is the social hub of the Estate, a country house boutique hotel that and brings locals and guests together in an atmosphere of conviviality and comfort. The Old Stable Mews and Village Cottages are the perfect spot for groups that want the convenience of hotel living combined with private self catering.

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Castle Leslie Estate offers an idyllic setting for outdoor activity and adventure. Explore the Estate on horseback, enjoy some of Ireland’s finest coarse fishing, take in a movie at our private cinema, luxuriate in a relaxing massage in the Victorian treatment rooms, exhilarate in a abundance of outdoor adventures, or just borrow a pair of wellies from our boot room and go for a stroll on our 1,000 acres – just some of the choices that await you in this hidden corner of Ireland.

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6/10/14 15:19:10 08/10/2014 09:45