Virgin Media Business Gold Media Awards 2022

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WELCOME

You are all very welcome to the 2022 Virgin Media Business Gold Medal Awards, held in association with Hotel & Catering Review magazine.

For the past 33 years, the Gold Medal Awards have been recognising the outstanding achievements of the hotel and catering sector across the country. Despite the economic and staffing uncertainty we find ourselves in, and returning to work post the Covid- 19 Pandemic, we find ourselves with more entries than ever to review. A testament to the resilience and determination of the Irish People in our industry.

Judges for this year’s Gold Medal Awards received over 500 entries in total to consider, from 175 hotels, guest houses, country houses, restaurants, cafés, bars and healthcare companies from across the country.

An important factor in the Gold Medal Awards is the credibility and impartial nature of the judging process. Every property that undergoes this process is subject to benchmarking against a strict set of criteria and a blind site inspection conducted by the judging panel. This panel comprises respected industry experts from across the hospitality, culinary and catering sectors.

“Gold Medal Inspectors were delighted to be back on the road fully this year and had the opportunity to visit some excellent properties as always. It is the people that really distinguish one property from another and this year was no exception. As the sector faces challenges in terms of staffing, the properties who continued to invest in the training and development of their team really stood out. People have always been at the heart of our industry and will continue to distinguish properties from their competitors. Our congratulations to all the very worthy finalists.”

Dr Donagh Davern FIHI, Judging Panel Member

From all of us here at the Gold Medal Awards, we wish all of our finalists the very best of luck and an enjoyable evening in truly fabulous surroundings. Your dedication, innovation and hard work is a credit to the industry and we wish you all success in the future.

ThankDrinkssponsors you to our

CONTENTS

Ireland’s Four Star Hotel 5 Sponsored by Career Vision Recruiters

Ireland’s Guest Experience 7 Sponsored by Net Affinity

Ireland’s Five Star Resort 9 Sponsored by Virgin Media Business

Ireland’s Healthcare Caterer .................................................................... 10

Ireland’s Hotel Breakfast ......................................................................... 11

Ireland’s Afternoon Tea Hotel 13 Sponsored by Barry’s Tea

Ireland’s Business & Conference Hotel 15 Sponsored by Career Vision Recruiters

Ireland’s Four Star Hotel Spa Experience 17

Ireland’s Family Friendly Hotel ................................................................. 19 Sponsored by AdSmart

Ireland’s Menu Provenance Award........................................................... 20

Ireland’s Three Star Hotel 21

Ireland’s Site Contract Caterer ................................................................. 23 Sponsored by Excel Recruitment

Ireland’s Sustainability / Leading Green Hotel ........................................ 25 Sponsored by AIB

Ireland’s Five Star Hotel Spa Experience ................................................. 26

Ireland’s Country House & Guest House Experience 27

Ireland’s Wine Experience 29 Sponsored by Classic Drinks

Ireland’s City Hotel .................................................................................. 30

Ireland’s Front of House Team / Team Member ...................................... 31

Ireland’s Four Star Resort 33 Sponsored by istil38

Ireland’s Fine Dining Hotel Restaurant 34

Ireland’s Wedding Hotel ........................................................................... 35

Ireland’s Hotel Group 37 Sponsored by Career Vision Recruiters

Ireland’s Hotel Casual Dining Experience 38

Outstanding Customer Service Award ..................................................... 39

Ireland’s Five Star Hotel ........................................................................... 41 Sponsored by Avvio

Ireland’s Chef of the Year ......................................................................... 43 Sponsored by BWG Food Service

Ireland’s Favourite Place to Stay 44

Ireland’s Innovative Supplier 45

Supreme Winner ...................................................................................... 47

Naas Office: Unit W3B, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Kildare W91YR58

Naas Office: Unit W3B, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Kildare W91YR58

Limerick Office: Ducard Suite No 12, Castletroy Park Commercial Campus, Limerick V94Y6FD Ph: 01 443 8906 info@cvrecruiters.ie www.careervisionrecruiters.ie

Limerick Office: Ducard Suite No 12, Castletroy Park Commercial Campus, Limerick V94Y6FD Ph: 01 443 8906 info@cvrecruiters.ie www.careervisionrecruiters.ie

VIRGIN

MEDIA BUSINESS WISHES THE BEST OF LUCK TO ALL FINALISTS

IRELAND’S HEALTHCARE CATERER

CO CORK

DUBLIN

Proud Sponsor of Ireland's Afternoon Tea Hotel Award

Naas Office: Unit W3B, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Kildare W91YR58

Naas Office: Unit W3B, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Kildare W91YR58

Limerick Office: Ducard Suite No 12, Castletroy Park Commercial Campus, Limerick V94Y6FD Ph: 01 443 8906 info@cvrecruiters.ie www.careervisionrecruiters.ie

Limerick Office: Ducard Suite No 12, Castletroy Park Commercial Campus, Limerick V94Y6FD Ph: 01 443 8906 info@cvrecruiters.ie www.careervisionrecruiters.ie

Let’s reverse the tide on climate change.

AIB

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Naas Office: Unit W3B, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Kildare W91YR58

Naas Office: Unit W3B, Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Kildare W91YR58

Limerick Office: Ducard Suite No 12, Castletroy Park Commercial Campus, Limerick V94Y6FD Ph: 01 443 8906 info@cvrecruiters.ie www.careervisionrecruiters.ie

Limerick Office: Ducard Suite No 12, Castletroy Park Commercial Campus, Limerick V94Y6FD Ph: 01 443 8906 info@cvrecruiters.ie www.careervisionrecruiters.ie

IRELAND’S HOTEL GROUP

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD

The Outstanding Customer Sevice award recognises a property’s focus on overall customer service. All hotels, country houses, guest houses and catering services were automatically added into this category.

The Judges analysed every aspect of the service provided to customers in terms of staff interaction and the services on offer, from check in to check out.

Particular attention was paid to:

• First impressions (standard of cleanliness, signage, access etc)

• Customer Awareness (acknowledgement of customers by staff including welcome, staff availability and presentation)

• Services (range of activities on offer, comfortable environment)

• Overall Experience (the customer experience and lasting impressions)

by The Science of Direct Guest Acquisition

OUR STORY

At BWG Foods wholesale division we’re passionate about quality, food safety and great value for money. Through our offering and expertise, along with our commitment to outstanding service, we aim to exceed customer expectations.

One of our key strengths is our local presence around the country meaning we are always close to you, no matter where your business is.

BWG Foods is a proud member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green sustainability programme since 2020. We are committed to the transition to renewable energy, to source our products more sustainably, and to reduce our carbon emissions and waste.

Industry leading storage and distribution ensures your order arrives in premium condition.

We deliver your order fresh, on time and in full, every time.

You’ll have peace of mind knowing we’re helping you serve the best.

William’s Gate

IRELAND’S

CHEF MARCIN SZCZODROWSKI, OCEAN SANDS HOTEL ENNISCRONE

CHEF JONATHAN KEANE, THE LODGE AT ASHFORD CASTLE

IRELAND’S FAVOURITE PLACE TO STAY

This year we were delighted to bring to the public the People’s Choice Award - Ireland’s Favourite Place To Stay!

All finalists in the hotel, country houses and guest houses are automatically entered into the ‘Ireland’s Favourite Place to Stay’ category.

The category is then broken down by province and an intense 4 weeks of voting will ensue with one property emerging as the winner from each province, and an overall winner taking the award home.

The outstanding business, voted by the public, will be revealed at the Virgin Media Business Gold Medal Awards on the 31st January 2023.

IRELAND’S INNOVATIVE SUPPLIER

In addition to the main category awards, we want to recognise your suppliers! As they are such an essential asset to your organisation, we want to know – who is your “Most Innovative Supplier”?

From food and beverage, glassware and crockery to technology or energy, let us know if your supplier is spectacular.

The overall winner will take home the award for Ireland’s Innovative Supplier.

BUILDING CONNECTIONS THAT REALLY MATTER

VIRGIN MEDIA BUSINESS BROADBAND

Getting online has never been easier. With an ultra-modern router and business-class service level agreements, our plans will help you boost productivity across the board.

VIRGIN WiFi

Delve deeper into the mind of your customer by driving them to your website through a dedicated landing page.

Top up your superfast broadband with our Managed WiFi system and unleash your business potential, whether you need to provide an internet connection for clients or need flexibility in the office.

IRELAND’S SUPREME WINNER

The Supreme Winner Award is the Irish hospitality industry’s highest accolade. The recipient of this award is chosen by the Gold Medal Awards judging panel following a review of all winning entries in the awards this year.

The Supreme Winner award acknowledges outstanding service and exceptional achievements within the Irish hospitality industry. The recipient of this award is an establishment that offers first-class hospitality, superlative customer experience, and stands out from the other prestigious awarded winners as a result of their dedication to the highest quality standards.

THANKS TO OUR GOLD MEDAL AWARDS JUDGING PANEL

From all of us here at the Gold Medal Awards, we would like to extend a huge thank you to our judging panel that took time out of their busy schedules to help make these awards possible.

They meticulously reviewed every entry, site inspected every property, and discussed in incredible detail each and every entrant. They undertook the near impossible task of cutting down the list to our current finalists and, indeed, choosing our winners which, as you can imagine, was no easy job and didn’t go without a few heated debates.

Eamon Barrett

Contributing Editor McKennas Guides 2005 to date National Judge, Restaurant Association of Ireland Owner, Altitude Waterford

John Caffrey General Manager DCU Rooms, Dublin City University

John Carty Lecturer and Researcher, Galway International Hotel School in the Atlantic Technological University

Tony Conlon Lecturer, Food & Beverage Studies Dr. Donagh Davern FIHI Lecturer, Munster Technological University

Ian Doogue Key Account Manager, Hotel, Restaurant and Catering

Anthony Farrell Hospitality Consultant, Cocktail Keg Company

Noreen Gannon

Owner of Gallaghers Cork, Co owner Moody Cafe Vin Cork, Co owner Nell’s Wine Bar Cork

Colin Gilligan Lecturer, Hospitality, GMIT

Mark Howell Business Development Manager with Gather & Gather

Karen Leavy Senior Recruitment Consultant & Brand Manager with Career Vision Recruiters

Shane McLave Managing Director Excel Recruitment

Eugene McSweeney BSc International Culinary Arts, Consultant Chef

Sybil Mulcahy Editor, EVOKE.ie

Maria Murphy Lecturer, College of Tourism & Arts at GMIT Mary O’Callaghan Lecturer, Wine Studies, DIT

Lucinda O’Sullivan Food & Hospitality Critic

Jeanne Quigley Irish Food Writers’ Guild

Oliver Quinn Writer & Editor

Oliver Sheedy Catering and training consultant and national tour guide

Michael Vaughan Proprietor, Vaughan Lodge Hotel, Former President of the Irish Hotels Federation