Hospitality Review NI October 2019

OCTOBER 2019

The VOICE of Northern Ireland’s catering, licensing and tourism industry

The official publication for

OCTOBER 2019

The VOICE of Northern Ireland’s catering, licensing and tourism industry

The official publication for

TRADE NI ALLIANCE LAUNCHES 10-YEAR PLAN FOOD HEARTLAND: ARMAGH CITY HOTEL’S JOHN WHYTE SAYS HE IS SPOILED FOR CHOICE WITH ALL THE ARTISAN FOOD PRODUCERS ON HIS DOORSTEP IN THIS MONTH’S CHEF PROFILE P8

FROM HOLLYWOOD TO HOLYWOOD: THE BACARDI BAR PROFILE IS BACK, FEATURING SHELBY’S IN HOLYWOOD, WHICH HAS TAKEN INSPIRATION FROM THE LOS ANGELES BAR SCENE P25

Pictured at Westminster on September 11 are the representatives of Trade NI: from left, Glyn Roberts, Retail NI; Colin Neill, Hospitality Ulster; and Stephen Kelly, Manufacturing NI.

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educing the regulatory burden on businesses, increasing the skills base and delivering a clear economic strategy for Northern Ireland are among proposals outlined in Vision 2030, Trade NI’s 10-year plan launched last month.

Trade NI, an alliance of Hospitality Ulster, Manufacturing NI and Retail NI, introduced the plan to over 350 MPs, peers and business representatives at a reception in Westminster on September 11.

The reception was held only days A-LIST(ED) ATTRACTION: HERITAGE, into the controversial prorogation of PROVENANCE AND LOCATION ARE AT THE Parliament until October 14 by Prime HEART OF A £12M PROJECT TRANSFORMING Minister Boris Johnson, with Brexit still KILLEAVY CASTLE INTO A BOUTIQUE HOTEL scheduled for October 31 at time of AND SPA P29 print.

Representing the largest-ever delegation of the Northern Ireland business community to visit Westminster, the reception was attended by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith and shadow Secretary of State Tony Lloyd. Some of the delegation also attended a working lunch at the Irish Embassy and evening reception at BRINGING GOLF TO THE FORE: MORE Downing Street.

PEOPLE TRAVEL THE WORLD FOR GOLF Trade NI says its economic plan THAN ANY OTHER SPORT, HIGHLIGHTING GOLF TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES IN NI, SAYS sets out key policy priorities with the potential to create 65,000 jobs and DR PETER BOLAN PS40-41 www.hospitalityreviewni.com

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make Northern Ireland a high-growth economy.

Currently the local business community is hampered by increased operational costs, and complexities related to both Brexit uncertainty and the collapse of Stormont.

In a joint statement, the representatives of Trade NI, Colin Neill (Hospitality Ulster), Stephen Kelly (Manufacturing NI) and Glyn Roberts (Retail NI) said: ‘Northern Ireland is facing a huge challenge as it struggles politically and economically with a growth forecast of around 1% or below. This is simply not good enough and we can’t sit idly by and let events overtake us. We must break the cycle of limited economic growth.

‘We need to be bold and ambitious about creating 3% or even 5% growth over the next few years, but that requires decision makers to be pressed into action and a series of policy and legislative decisions to be taken and driven through.

‘We want to make Northern Ireland the best place in the UK and Ireland to shop, socialise, locate and start a business.’

OCTOBER HRNI • 3

editorialcomment THE TEAM & CONTACTS Editor: Alyson Magee Manager: Mark Glover Art Editor: Helen Wright Production Manager: Irene Fitzsimmons Subscriptions: 028 9055 4598 (Price £27.50 UK, £37.50 outside UK) Published by Independent News & Media Ltd: Hospitality Review NI Independent News & Media Belfast Telegraph House 33 Clarendon Road Clarendon Dock, Belfast BT1 3BG Contact: Editorial: a.magee@independentmagazinesni.co.uk.

Tel: 028 9026 4175 Sales: m.glover@independentmagazinesni.co.uk.

Tel: 028 9026 4266 The Review is the official publication for: Hospitality Ulster: 91 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HP. Tel: 028 9032 7578.

Chief Executive: Colin Neill Chairperson: Mark Stewart The Institute of Hospitality Northern Ireland Branch Email: nibranch@instituteofhospitality.org Web: www.instituteofhospitality.org Chair: Marianne Hood FIH Vice Chair: Siobhan O’Sullivan MIH Northern Ireland Hotels Federation: The McCune Building, 1 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PJ. Tel: 028 9077 6635 Chief Executive: Janice Gault President: Gavin Carroll Design & Production by: Independent News & Media Ltd Printed by: W. & G. Baird Ltd. The opinions expressed in Hospitality Review are not necessarily those of Hospitality Ulster or the NIHF.

Hospitality Review is a copyright of © Independent News & Media Ltd 2019

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HospitalityReviewNI Look at our Website: www.hospitalityreviewni.com 4 • HRNI OCTOBER

A NEW WAVE OF LOCAL PHILANTHROPY

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elcome to the October edition of Hospitality Review.

October 31 is still, at time of print, scheduled to represent a momentous occasion for the UK but more on that later.

In this month’s magazine, we take our usual tour around Northern Ireland, showcasing its talent and innovation.

Representing the food side of the hospitality trade, this month’s chef profile features John Whyte, head chef at Armagh City Hotel in the Food Heartland on p8, while our Flogas restaurant profile shines a spotlight on Café on the Square at Belfast’s Custom House Square, which is open one year this month, on p10.

Heading out of Belfast to Holywood and our Bacardi Bar profile stages a welcome return with Shelby’s, which takes inspiration from the Los Angeles bartending scene, on p25.

Hotel Hub on p29, meanwhile, profiles the rehabilitation of Killeavy Castle Estate, restoring the Castle and its outbuildings into a fantastic boutique spa hotel, farm and nature trails.

The story of its restoration is amazing in itself; a local boy-done-good tale of a South Armagh native emigrating to Australia with his parents as a child, making it big in construction as an adult and returning to invest in his roots.

The £12m project is aimed at sustainable regeneration of the area as a tourism destination, creating local jobs while preserving the landscape.

Inspiring indeed, and part of a new wave of local philanthropy which has also, for example, seen Purplebricks founders Michael and Kenny Bruce return to their hometown to invest in Larne Football Club; generating great interest, excitement and pride in the team and the town as a whole.

Elsewhere in the magazine, the NI

Hotel Federation’s 20 Hotel Hero winners, marking its 20th anniversary, are announced over ps32-33, and further information unveiled ahead of Hospitality Exchange later this month on ps30-31.

Our lead news story covers Northern Ireland’s biggest-ever business delegation to travel to Westminster, alongside Trade NI on September 11, attending a reception in the House of Commons as well as events at the Irish Embassy and 10 Downing Street.

It’s a familiar refrain; left without government for now-approaching-three years and rapidly approaching the latest Brexit deadline of October 31, the local business community is left lobbying for itself.

A reform of our antiquated licensing laws is one of a number of key issues hampering further development of our hospitality and tourism offer including, as Michele Shirlow highlights on p9, the ridiculous restrictions preventing the burgeoning craft beer, cider and spirits sector from selling on site.

Avoiding a no-deal Brexit, and any form of hard border, was of course another aim of the Northern Ireland delegation.

At the time of print, PM Boris Johnson was travelling to Brussels to discuss the Irish backstop with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, while DUP leader Arlene Foster was said to be headed to Dublin for talks with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

If Boris sticks to his pledge to Brexit, deal or no deal, on October 31, we should know more by the next edition but confidence in any end in sight is hard to find.

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news

NEW IRISH WHISKEY TOURISM BRAND KICKS OFF WITH OCTOBER FESTIVAL A

new brand, IrishWhiskey360°, has been launched with the aim of making Ireland the leading destination in the world for whiskey tourism.

The brand, website and social media platforms were launched by Irish Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, Drinks Ireland/ Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) Chairman David Stapleton and Fáilte Ireland Chief Executive Paul Kelly at The Jameson Experience in Dublin on September 10.

Its launch was scheduled to coincide with, and support, the Taste the Island campaign run by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland from September to November.

IrishWhiskey360° aims to support continued growth in Irish whiskey tourism, with distillery visitors rising 13% year on year to 923,000 in 2018.

Phase one of the campaign will highlight 17 Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres or brand homes operated by IWA

members including Bushmills Distillery in Co Antrim and The Echlinville Distillery and Rademon Estate Distillery in Co Down.

“Visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries and visitor centres are set to break the one million mark this year for the first time ever,” said William Lavelle, head of IWA. “The Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy, which we published in 2016, sets out an ambitious target of 1.7 million visitors by 2025.

“The fantastic collaborative approach taken by distilleries, visitor centres and state agencies - which is central to IrishWhiskey360° project – will ensure we reach this target.”

Over October 10-13, IrishWhiskey360° will coordinate over 30 events and promotions in distilleries, brand homes and Irish whiskey visitor centres in conjunction with the on-trade and supported by Fáilte Ireland as part of Taste the Island.

BELFAST’S LISTED ASSEMBLY ROOMS COULD BECOME HOTEL IN £500M REVAMP

BY JOHN MULGREW

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listed Belfast building could become a new hotel and restaurant as part of wider plans for a £500m revamp of the City Centre. Tribeca Belfast, formerly Royal Exchange, will see UK developer Castlebrooke redevelop much of the north side of the City Centre.

It’s made a number of amendments and changes to the development, most notably revising back from a formerly retail-led scheme to one with fewer shops.

As part of the revised plans, it wants to turn the listed former Assembly Rooms building at the corner of North Street and Waring Street into a new 50-bedroom hotel, with a restaurant and bars.

That would involve knocking down part of the newer extension to the building, including the rear part of the former Northern Bank and the adjacent 7-9 North Street to ‘accommodate the new extension to form the proposed boutique hotel’.

‘The proposals for the existing building are similar in scope to that which was included as part of the extant approval. It is proposed to conservatively repair the existing historic fabric of the former Northern Bank,’ a design statement says.

The scheme includes the re-use and adaptation of the existing building as well as an extension on the footprint of the existing 1950s extension on North Street.

The extension will be set over five floors, with a rooftop bar, while upper floors are set back with metal cladding to the facades.

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Planned events and promotions are set to include free and discounted tours, open days, whiskey tastings and food pairings, cooperage demonstrations and meet the distillers talks.

Paul Kelly, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, said: “The Festival of Irish Whiskey is a perfect example of how, by working together, we can develop compelling visitor experiences that can attract more international visitors to Ireland and boost the country’s reputation for its food and drink.”

Subsequent phases of the campaign are set to include regionalised campaigns, inclusion of further Irish whiskey tourism partners and media activation in major markets. Of the 923,000 visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries in 2018, 45% came from North America, 14% from GB, 12% from Ireland, 8% from Germany and 7% from France.

NI HOSPITALITY WORKERS URGED TO UNIONISE TO FIGHT EXPLOITATION

BY EMMA DEIGHAN

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he hospitality arm of trade union Unite is calling on bar and restaurant staff to sign up to challenge any exploitation in the sector.

Unite Hospitality, which set up a Northern Ireland branch last year, believes many workers in the trade are afraid to challenge workplace issues because of a previous lack of support.

“The hospitality industry has a poor reputation among many workers,” said Neil Moore, hospitality organiser for the union here. “Discrimination and harassment is one of the more serious issues experienced across the sector, as well as mental health problems, work-life balance and zero-hour contracts.

We want a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and, while many workplaces offer that on paper, they rarely practise it.

“We deal with cases of sexual assault from customers to staff and we find there’s a general attitude of what’s unacceptable behaviour in a supermarket is suddenly acceptable in the environment of a licensed premise.

“Managers are resistant to barring people or threatening to sack in cases where it’s members of staff.

“Overworking contracted hours is another issue that is endemic and is, in some cases, in breach of minimum wage and, because the industry hasn’t been unionised, there hasn’t been anyone who has really challenged this.”

He said the union is currently working on a number of cases involving “high-profile” hospitality establishments here, which it will make public soon.

OCTOBER HRNI • 5

news

BATTLING FOR FAIR BUSINESS RATES WHILE HOSPITALITY ULSTER HAS HELPED SECURE RATES RELIEF FOR PUBS SERVING FOOD, THE FIGHT CONTINUES FOR WET-ONLY PUBS AND RESTAURANTS, SAYS CHIEF EXECUTIVE COLIN NEILL

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his is a significant win for us. We’ve been negotiating with the Land and Property Service for months and had a working group together with several of our members on it to make the case about our rates.

I think it is fair to say that people expect to pay rates, but business rates in Northern Ireland are the highest in the UK, so we want those rates to be fair.

We looked at everything – food-led pubs, restaurants, wet-only pubs and have been making the case with as much evidence as we could find. It can be pretty difficult to make arguments about why it was wrong and point out why many out there were paying too much.

We’re pleased to say that we’ve got to a point on pubs serving food that we’ve had a win, but we still have lots to do and need to continue to fight on ‘wet only’ and, indeed, restaurants.

Making it clear on what the food pubs win means, it is important to give some context to the different way 5(1)(a) licensed pub is rated when compared to licensed restaurants.

We have members with both, but the big difference is that a restaurant is rated like a shop on the standard square footage rating model, and they face all the challenges that we are fighting on. For example, the level of rates they are paying, the level of small business rate relief they are getting and indeed the amount of rates relief their counterparts in England get that we’re not getting - we are fighting to secure that for them.

A 5(1)(a) – a pub or bar – have rates calculated differently than a restaurant. Their rates are calculated on what is known as a ‘receipts and expenditure’ model which is basically their turnover. This means their rates 6 • HRNI OCTOBER

are actually much higher.

Previously, premises with a 5(1)(a) serving food were calculated on a banding system which combined food and wet sales together, with a small discount at the beginning for food. The new approach separates food from alcohol sales with a similar initial discount, with the rest of food at 5% and alcohol calculated on the banded system.

The most important piece to note is that the pubs serving food now have that food element of the FMT calculated separately which will go some way to recognise the increased staffing and investment costs and tighter margins on food.

But business rates in Northern Ireland remain too high. The system on property rates is broken. When this system was first set up, the online world didn’t exist. We are working with our GB counterparts to lobby for an online sales tax which should be used to supplement the rates.

Last year Westminster subsidised all the English councils so that any business with a NAV below £51,000 got a third off their rates. We got our share of that money through the Barnett formula, but it disappeared into the big black hole here.

We are determined that if a pub or restaurant in England gets 30% off their rates, we should also get that here and have a stronger case due to the fact that we have a tighter domestic economy.

To ensure your rates are calculated properly, businesses need to complete the LPS form and return it to LPS as a matter of urgency. We’ve made this as easy as we can for members and have a downloadable form on the Hospitality Ulster website.

To find out more, listen to the Hospitality Ulster Trade Talk Podcast available on the Hospitality Ulster website.

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news

BELFAST INTERNATIONAL RATED WORST AIRPORT IN UK

BY TOM PILGRIM

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elfast International has been rated as the UK’s worst airport after passengers expressed frustration over long queues, crowds and limited shopping options.

Northern Ireland’s busiest airport ranked bottom of an annual survey by consumer group Which? encompassing 30 British airports and major terminals.

It received a customer approval rating of just 42% - compared to Belfast City’s 67% - scoring one star in the categories of seating, staffing and queuing at security.

A spokeswoman for the airport acknowledged it had faced challenges

in the last 18 months, but said passenger satisfaction levels were improving since an upgrade to security facilities.

She said: “We acknowledge the operational challenges passengers have faced over the last 18 months, but since the Which? survey was carried out, Belfast International has seen a noticeable improvement in satisfaction levels since completing a £1m reconfiguration and expansion of Central Search security facility.

“This investment is having a positive effect. A new tracking system shows the time it takes to process through security

is averaging below 15 minutes.”

The spokeswoman said the airport had made “considerable strides” to improve the passenger experience, including through “enhanced” food and drink options.

London Luton (43%) came in secondto-last place in the Which? ranking after spending three consecutive years as the UK’s worst-rated airport.

Doncaster Sheffield retained its crown as the country’s best-rated airport for the third year running with a score of 86%, achieving five-star accolades for queuing experiences at security and passport control.

THOUSANDS TO VISIT DERRY AS SLOW FOOD FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH PACKED FIVE DAYS PROGRAMME Copyright nwpresspics

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ocal cuisine will again take centre stage at the Slow Food Festival, set to return to Derry for a fourth year over October 9-13.

The Derry City and Strabane District Council event celebrates the best

artisan produce in the North West, with tens of thousands descending on the city for the festival, which was named NI Food and Drink Experience of the Year 2018 by Tourism NI and Best Tourism Event at the North West Business Awards.

“The Slow Food Festival is always a staple for food and drink lovers in the North West and beyond, and it promises to be the best year yet with a magnificent five-day programme,” said Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Michaela Boyle.

“It’s a chance for the North West to showcase the brilliance of the local cuisine, while the public can also enjoy

the festival atmosphere in the Marquee and throughout Guildhall Square.

“Derry City and Strabane District Council value the importance of promoting good local clean and fair food, as well as showing our commitment to the community and the environment, and with so much incredible talent in the local food and drink scene, this is a wonderful way to promote what the North West has to offer.”

For more information, including a full timetable of all the workshops, demos, food and family fun activities on offer, visit www.derrystrabane. com/food.

BUSINESS OWNERS PREPARE FOR BELFAST COIN

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olu, the tech company behind Belfast Coin, met with retailers and business owners expected to be among the first cohort of traders to sign up to the incentive-based rewards app on September 5.

With support from local trade groups and Belfast BIDs, representatives from Colu hosted a breakfast-briefing event for local companies interested in Belfast Coin to learn more about the opportunities the app presents for their respective businesses.

Due to go live later in the autumn, Belfast Coin will be accepted as payment in hundreds of shops, bars and eateries across the city. The app is designed to act as a rewards platform, gifting users www.hospitalityreviewni.com

From left, Chris Bunce, Belfast Community sales manager; Richard Cherry, general manager, Colu UK; and Leona Mills, Belfast Community marketing manager.

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exclusive discounts and money-back offers when they use the app to purchase goods or services in independently-run businesses.

Business are also expected to benefit from Colu’s extensive marketing drive which will feature many of the retailers and restaurateurs signed up to the scheme.

Belfast Coin is designed to encourage Belfast residents to shop independently and support local businesses as shoppers generate more ‘coins’ with each transaction. Coins can also be accrued for other city-minded behaviours, known to make an encouraging environmental impact, such as visiting parks or using public transport.

OCTOBER HRNI • 7

chefprofile

CHEFPROFILE Chefs now have to buy produce that is sustainable and have a low environmental impact. Less travel and delivery miles are important. With a long list of local artisan food producers, within 10 miles of the hotel, I am spoilt for choice when creating my menus.

JOHN WHYTE, HEAD CHEF AT ARMAGH CITY HOTEL, TALKS TO HRNI

WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTO COOKING? I started cooking with my mum at home.

She was also a cook and made meals every day in a local special needs school for children. I loved helping her make scones, breads, buns, apple pies, puddings, Sunday roasts and stews. All these smells and flavours are now like a time machine and bring me back to when I was a child. I loved the social aspect of cooking as it brings family and friends together.

WHAT SIZE IS YOUR STAFF? I have a team of 14 chefs and eight cleaning staff. Teamwork and communication are very important in a busy hotel. The kitchen should choreograph like an orchestra with everyone knowing their part and when they should play. Respect and gratitude are also important in a job that is unsociable and very stressful. It is all worth it at the end of service when I can take the time to speak with customers.

Good and sometimes bad feedback keep us motivated.

HAVE YOU ANY CULINARY QUALIFICATIONS? I have the old style 706/1, 706/2 and 706/3 chef qualifications. I have also provided culinary lecturing. I have won a few culinary awards and medals in cookery competitions over the years. This year I was awarded Best Hotel Chef of the Year by the Institute of Hospitality NI, which was a big achievement for me.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? My first real cooking job was in The Copthorne Tara Hotel in London in the very early 1990s. I came home after about a year and then worked in Belfast Castle. After that I worked in The Terrace Restaurant on the Lisburn Road for about four years. I then made the decision to go and work in The Europa Hotel.

I worked there for over 10 years with many other chefs who helped shape my future. I then took the decision to move to work in the Armagh City Hotel. I have now been working as head chef and living in Armagh for 15 years.

HAS ANYONE INSPIRED YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER? The trick to being a successful chef in a fast and changing business is to work with as many inspiring chefs, business owners and managers as possible. It helps when you are planning your future jobs to have a five-year plan to achieve your personal goals. The chefs that helped me grow the most would have been Gerry Risotto (Europa Hotel) and Marius Cleary (The Terrace Restaurant).

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WHAT STYLE IS YOUR COOKING? My style of cooking is a mixture of classical and modern Irish cuisine. I am from Co Armagh, so I want to cook and serve ingredients that tell the stories and history of this beautiful region of Ireland. I am spoiled for choice as I have a long list of artisan food producers on my doorstep which is also known as Food Heartland #FoodHeartlandNI. Co Armagh is packed with many awardwinning producers and ingredients.

Long Meadow Cider, Armagh Bramley apples, Burren Balsamics vinegars, Harnett’s Oils are just a few of the award-winning ingredients that I use regularly on my menus. It is so nice to know the producers personally and to tell their stories to hotel guests. Guests from outside Ireland find these stories fascinating.

WHAT IS YOUR FOOD SOURCING POLICY? The ingredients on my menus change with the seasons. I will also buy ingredients that are locally produced in Armagh to help the local economy.

WHOSE CAREER WOULD YOU WISH TO EMULATE? I’m a huge fan of Keith Floyd. I love his food philosophy and passion for sourcing ingredients and world culture.

His charisma and personality were infectious. When you watch food TV documentaries today, it just shows how far Keith Floyd was ahead of his time. I remember when I was young watching him going to other parts of the world cooking food in strange places while sipping wine. I think he would have loved to have come to Armagh’s Food Heartland and Food and Cider Festival. I think he would have really enjoyed cooking with some of our award-winning ingredients and Meet the Artisan producers. I would have enjoyed sipping cider and cooking with him. I was so sad when he passed. I tip my chef hat to him!

HAVE YOU ANY INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF WORK? I love traveling in France. I love the French way of life and their culinary history. My wife Colette and my kids visit as many vineyards, cider producers and local artisan markets around France as we can. This year we went to Normandy. We would travel around in a caravan. The cider and food were excellent. Although Armagh cider is better! It has more character, like its people and places, our Food Heartland.

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foodnews

WHITEWATER BREWERY’S TREMENDOUS SUCCESS HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO TACKLE ARCHAIC LICENSING LAWS FOR VISITORS

BY MICHELE SHIRLOW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FOOD NI

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hat a tremendous acknowledgement for Bernard Sloan of Whitewater Brewery, Castlewellan, to secure the coveted Northern Ireland Regional Golden Fork at the finals of the Great Taste awards in London at the beginning of September. Bernard, as many readers of this publication will be well aware, is one of the pioneers of the craft brewing revolution in Ireland.

Bernard’s splendid beers are becoming an export success and are available from Sweden to Singapore and Japan.

Whitewater deservedly won the award for a novel beer, an Imperial Russian Stout imaginatively named Krema dela Kremlin brewed at his state-of-the-art brewery in the picturesque foothills of the Mournes; a facility which now features an impressive visitor centre with stunning views. It’s a destination well worth a visit but they cannot sell you beer because of our licensing laws.

In the latest Food NI drinks guide, it is really inspiring to see the innovation and progress of local drinks companies.

While the industry is clearly flourishing in markets beyond these shores, our

archaic licensing laws are inhibiting its growth and contribution to the economy. Smaller producers are still unable to sell products in their breweries. The only way around this currently is holding ‘tap rooms’ which can be expensive and an inadequate source of revenue.

Organisers have to buy a temporary licence and need the support of a local bar; not always forthcoming.

As a result, some of our smaller breweries have had to resort to shipping casks to Britain and thereby losing brand identity and local growth potential.

It’s a real barrier to the growth of the smaller breweries and cideries that they are not allowed to sell to visitors and tourists in particular. Food and drink are so vital to experience tourism, and increasingly so, which is what the imaginative Tourism Ireland, Failte Ireland and Tourism NI Taste the Island campaign, launched in mid-September is all about.

The award, of course, celebrates a great tasting stout and is also recognition of the strength of the

brewing and distilling industry here.

There are now some 40 craft breweries across Northern Ireland producing virtually every type of beer, ale and stout imaginable.

It’s a dynamic and entrepreneurial sector with strong growth potential but at a disadvantage alongside competitors in the Republic of Ireland who can sell to people touring their premises.

The Intoxicating Liquor (Breweries and Distilleries) Act 2018 in the Republic enables craft breweries and distilleries to sell alcohol on their premises. It means tourists being shown how beer and spirits are made can then buy them at the end of the tour… just not in Northern Ireland and certainly not at global exporters and award winners such as Whitewater. It’s daft.

The Irish government says that, while the law will increase tourist numbers, it will also create demand for other services, such as accommodation, catering and transport.

According to the latest statistics, 2,590,215 people visited brewery and distillery tourist attractions in Ireland, up from 2,437,206 in 2016. Our developing network of visitor centres at craft breweries, distilleries and cideries here have enormous economic potential and should be supported.

NEW FUSION RESTAURANT OPENS IN BELFAST CITY CENTRE

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ospitality company Global Caterers Belfast has invested £500,000 in Mumbai Milano, a 2,700-square-foot unit in Wellington Place, Belfast.

Fronted by Indian head chef Jainal Abedin and Italian sous chef Luigi Savarese, the new restaurant aims to bring a global taste to local produce.

“Choosing this location in the City Centre was key to ensuring the success of Mumbai Milano,” said Abedin. “We wanted to both cater for the local market as well as attracting tourists and visitors into the city. This part of the city centre is seeing an influx of new offices and student accommodation so there is a market for more restaurants in this area to cater for what is anticipated to be an area of increased footfall.

“We have identified other sites across www.hospitalityreviewni.com

the city for potentially expanding the concept to a second location; however, we are entirely focused on the Wellington Place site for now.

“I’ve always had a desire to fuse both Indian and Italian cuisine so when we decided to open the restaurant, I knew exactly what we wanted to create.”

Savarese said: “Northern Ireland has a longstanding love for both cuisines; however, it is rare to have a restaurant in which the customer can avail of the standouts from both cultures. People today desire good quality, delicious food, that is good value for money and that is exactly what we offer.

“To be able to showcase these beautiful cuisines and create a fusion menu that we think will both intrigue and excite people is a delight.”

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Mumbai Milano Belfast

OCTOBER HRNI • 9

restaurantprofile

CAFÉ ON THE SQUARE, BELFAST KIMBERLEY LAVERY, GENERAL MANAGER, TALKS TO HRNI a standard so high they will have never eaten anything like it before. Our menu would change on a seasonal basis. We are about to launch our new Autumn Menu which consists of a lot of seasonal dishes catering to a varied of dietary needs. For example, our new menu is going to feature more options for vegetarians and vegans than we have ever done before.

WHEN DID YOUR RESTAURANT OPEN? October 5, 2019. Having built many restaurants over the years and the love for opening a new restaurant inspired me to open Café on the Square.

TELL US ABOUT THE SPACE YOU HAVE We are located in the heart of Custom House Square as part of the Cathedral Quarter, based right beside Belfast City Centre, but fortunate enough to be based only a short five-minute walk away from the Titanic Quarter and SSE Arena. We aim for a relaxed, friendly, easy-going environment. Our staff are trained to provide a casual dining experience, with five-star service. Our restaurant décor is one of a kind in Belfast. We have a rustic, wooden, cooper theme going throughout the restaurant and even into the bathroom facilities.

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU? We offer a range of options ranging from your expected Steaks, Chicken Burgers or Battered Haddock to our Chickpea & Coconut Curry, Firestarter Cubano or our famous Pork Belly Burnt bits. The inspiration behind our food is to make and serve food that customers know they already love, but to

WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO TO IMPROVE AND DRIVE YOUR MENU? We run daily specials that change every day with the creative kitchen team, as well as being very active on social media. Our Instagram & Facebook pages are updated daily every day to inform our followers of what we’re running that day, along with any special deals or offers.

WHAT IS YOUR FOOD SOURCING POLICY? We source everything local to and from Belfast or the nearer area.

For example, we serve Drop Hopper Coffee, which is local to Belfast and runs a store at St George’s Market.

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? We see a variety of customers come through our doors every day. From the everyday regulars coming for their daily coffee and guests staying at the Belfast Dream Apartments to the businessmen and women coming for their quick lunchtime break and tourists looking for somewhere to dine for a five-star meal in Belfast, we cater to all types of people.

HAVE YOU FACED ANY PARTICULAR CHALLENGES TO DATE? The most recent challenge we had faced was the ChSq concerts arriving on the

Square. We had been cornered off with limited access to our establishment and we had to get creative to keep the customers motivated to come to us. Lucky for us, our fantastic food and brilliant front-of-house team had provided such an amazing atmosphere that it didn’t stop people from coming to us; our customers were willing to find a way through all the closed off areas to come eat at our establishment.

HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR RESTAURANT DEVELOPING? We have experimented with live music and sports. We have expanded our menus to provide a pre- and post-game menu for ticket holders of the Belfast Giants, and we are soon starting our very own Cinema Club with food and drinks offers also. We aim to be more than just a local Belfast eatery; we aim to make people want to come to our establishment to have a good time and enjoy themselves.

6-8 Ulster Street, Belfast t: 028 90333819 w: www.cafeonthesquarebelfast.co.uk OPENING HOURS Mon-Wed: 8am-7pm Thur-Fri: 8am-late Sat: 9am-late Sun: 10am-7pm

energy

MONEY SAVED ON ENERGY GOES STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM LINE THE CARBON TRUST HAS ISSUED ENERGY EFFICIENCY ADVICE FOR HOTELS AND THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, INCLUDING PUBS AND RESTAURANTS

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ithin the hospitality sector, energy costs may only be a small percentage of turnover, but reducing them can directly increase revenue without the need to increase sales, according to the Carbon Trust’s March 2018 publication Hospitality.

Money saved on energy goes straight to the bottom line which makes businesses more competitive and, with rising energy prices, this is more important than ever. The implementation of simple energy efficiency measures can also increase levels of staff and customer comfort as well as improving general morale.

In addition to financial and customer service benefits, there are of course, social and environmental advantages to reducing energy consumption, such as minimising climate change. Increasing awareness about these issues has seen customers and guests becoming more discerning about the environmental

credentials of the businesses they deal with. Being energy efficient can enhance business’s reputation and help to attract more customers.

Three areas to focus on for reducing energy in your sector: Heating: this can account for 60% of your total energy costs. Read lowcost housekeeping tips and advice for implementation of energy efficient equipment to potentially reduce your heating costs by up to a third.

Lighting: on average, 25% of an organisation’s electricity costs come from lighting. Find out how you can cut these costs by up to a third while reducing your carbon footprint and improving the working environment for your staff.

Energy management: get buy-in for energy saving across all levels of the company, from appointing an energy manager and monitoring energy use, to developing an action plan and training staff.

The 30-page hospitality sector guide introduces the main energy saving opportunities for the hospitality sector and demonstrates how simple actions save energy, cut costs and increase profit. Managers and staff in most hospitality organisations including pubs, restaurants, hotels and guest houses can benefit from the advice in this publication. Focusing on low and nocost measures with quick paybacks, this overview demonstrates the best energy saving opportunities for hospitality businesses and will help managers to: • Assess the potential for energy savings and highlight areas where businesses can improve.

• Raise awareness of energy conservation amongst staff and motivate them to reduce waste.

To download the full publication, visit: https://www.carbontrust.com/resources/ guides/sector-based-advice/hotels-andthe-hospitality-industry/

SLIEVE DONARD RESORT RAISES A GLASS TO NATURAL GAS

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ne of Northern Ireland’s leading hotels is the latest business to reduce its carbon footprint by making the switch to natural gas as part of a major £60m extension project by Phoenix Natural Gas to extend access to its network to 13 towns across Co Down.

The Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle, which is owned and operated by Hastings Hotels, made the move following a £1.1m investment in the hotel which also included a brand new kitchen and a redesign of the Drawing Room, as well as the upgrade of 16 of the hotel’s guest bedrooms.

The popular hotel, which is set against the stunning backdrop of the Mourne Mountains, is making the investment to facilitate its growing business and ensure it continues to offer the very best experience for all its guests.

Michael Weston, general manager at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, explains: “We are committed to conducting our business in a way that ensures environmental sustainability for future generations. This made

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making the move to natural gas, which produces less carbon than any other fossil fuel, a priority for us as soon as it became available in the area.

“As well as the environmental savings, connecting to natural gas has allowed us to install new Combined Heating and Power units which allows us to convert any surplus gas into electricity which is further reducing our carbon emissions

and reducing our overall electricity costs.

All of which is achieved without any compromise to the comfort, standard and enjoyment of our guests.”

Olly Mars, industrial & commercial sales manager at Phoenix Natural Gas, is delighted with the number of

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businesses making the switch to natural gas as a result of the network extension. He says: “We are excited to be working with clients like the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa to support them in their ambitions to operate their business with an energy efficiency focus and to provide an effective, reliable and lower carbon heating solution for their business.

“As well as bringing an environmental benefit, we are seeing more and more commercial customers making the move for the additional benefits that natural gas can bring.

From consolidating their fuel choices to better utilising their existing spaces with the removal of large boilers, we are seeing more and more commercial customers investing in natural gas to fuel the future of their business.”

Phoenix Natural Gas began work on the extension of its natural gas network to 13 towns across East Down in 2016, providing access to natural gas for a further 28,000 properties.

For more information on the benefits of natural gas, visit www.phoenixnaturalgas.com.

OCTOBER HRNI • 11

energy

CASTLE LESLIE ESTATE OFFERS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WITH A SWITCH TO BIOLPG RENEWABLE ENERGY MONAGHAN’S CASTLE LESLIE ESTATE, A UNIQUE AND RENOWNED DESTINATION IN IRISH TOURISM HAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ITS CARBON EMISSIONS FOLLOWING A SWITCH TO BIOLPG, A RENEWABLE GAS EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE FROM CALOR. BIOLPG REDUCES EMISSIONS BY UP TO 90% WHICH MEANS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN CARBON EMISSIONS FOR CASTLE LESLIE ESTATE, MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

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astle Leslie Estate is nestled on 1,000 acres of undulating Irish countryside, dotted with ancient woodland and glittering lakes. It is one of the last great Irish castle estates still in the hands of its founding family who have resided on the estate since the 1660s, and one of the finest luxury estates in Castle Leslie Estate certificate presentation.

Ireland.

Steeped in history, Castle Leslie Estate has demonstrated a deep respect of its origins through its extensive restoration programme over the last two decades, but of equal parity is the forward-thinking approach; its ethos of sustainability and protection of the environment that is undertaken in the day-to-day running of the business.

Brian Baldwin, CEO of Castle Leslie Estate explained the rationale for switching to BioLPG: “We are proud of our reputation and always aim to give our visitors the high standard of service and comfort that they expect. It is important to us to give them a warm welcome and our energy management is an essential contributor to this. We use Calor BioLPG to help us provide comfortable surroundings, exceptional facilities and renowned cuisine. We are delighted to be the first hotel in Ulster to make the move to Calor BioLPG renewable energy and this has enabled us to further commit to our ethos of sustainability. It is a perfect fit for our business.”

Calor, who have been in business in Ireland for over 80 years, are among network, it is available to every home or the first companies in the world to business. deliver BioLPG. Ireland is one of the Calor CEO Duncan Osborne: “We first markets in Europe (along with are delighted to welcome Castle the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Leslie Estate as customers for BioLPG. Germany and Scandinavia) to utilise Calor are proud of our long standing BioLPG commercially. As Calor is association with Castle Leslie and available to all energy users who are are delighted to now provide BioLPG located away from the natural gas

12 • HRNI OCTOBER

and support their genuine on-going commitment to sustainability. In an ever more competitive market for guests, we are increasingly seeing hotels look to sustainability credentials as a key differentiator. It is a small change, but one which makes a big difference for how customers see your business.”

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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training&development

PROFESSIONAL COOKERY APPRENTICE LANDS DREAM JOB AT GALGORM Louis Bell.

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ouis Bell from Carrickfergus, a recent graduate of Northern Regional College’s Professional Cookery apprenticeship scheme delivered in partnership with Galgorm Spa and Golf

Resort, has landed a dream job at the luxury resort.

As an apprentice, Louis spent four days each week in the resort’s busy kitchens and one day a week studying at the College’s Ballymena campus.

He is currently working at the Castle Golf Club restaurant at Galgorm and now that he has completed his apprenticeship, he is a full-time member of staff. He has also been offered an opportunity to complete a Level-3 qualification in-house at the hotel.

Louis started his catering career in a local café when he was just 16 years old.

A couple of years later he was working in the bustling kitchens of one of Belfast’s most exclusive hotels, the Malmaison.

The experience confirmed for Louis that he wanted a career as a professional chef. So, when he learned about the apprenticeship offered by the Galgorm and Northern Regional College, he could not pass up the opportunity.

Louis decided to leave school after doing his AS-Levels and pursue his career as a chef.

“Looking back, it was definitely the right decision for me. I couldn’t have learned everything I have by just being in a classroom. I have been able to work my way up from prep chef to performing restaurant service,” he says.

Louis has been able to gain experience in three different kitchens at the Galgorm and has praised the “supportive head chefs” in each of them.

Theory-based learning at the College’s Ballymena campus was also part of his apprenticeship and, although he was initially sceptical about how useful this would be, Louis admits: “I wouldn’t change a thing about the course, or my experience.”

The apprenticeship has also given Louis the chance to take on increased responsibility. He was one of the two apprentices selected to make the canapés for the apprentice graduation ceremony.

Ultimately, he has described the decision to do the apprenticeship as a “no-brainer”.

CAREER PROGRESSION FOR NORTHERN REGIONAL COLLEGE PROFESSIONAL COOKERY APPRENTICE

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ames Blair, from Ballymena, has recently finished his Professional Cookery apprenticeship at Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort in partnership with Northern Regional College.

Having secured full-time employment, James plans to continue working at the luxury resort, where he can continue to develop his skills and pursue his passion for food and cooking.

James was studying for A-Levels in Nutrition and Food Science, Life and Health Sciences and Applied ICT at Cambridge House Grammar School when he was given an opportunity to do work experience in Antrim’s Ramble Inn. For James – who had always dreamed of being a chef – his time in the kitchen made him realise that he could turn his passion into a career. When he found out about the Professional Cookery apprenticeship opportunity, he jumped at the chance, calling the decision a “no-brainer.”

“An apprenticeship offered an immediate route into the career I love so why put that off for another year?” explains James on why he chose the apprenticeship over going to catering college after A-Levels.

Richard McGowan, project manager at the School of Excellence and Staff Wellbeing at Galgorm, says: “An apprenticeship offers great career progression opportunities, and we are thrilled that all 10 of our apprentices this year have progressed to full-time permanent posts here.

James has been able to gain incomparable, hands-on experience during his apprenticeship, learning from the

14 • HRNI OCTOBER

James Blair.

experts in a top-quality kitchen, which he believes has been extremely valuable.

“You can read in a text-book that a professional kitchen is a high-pressure environment, but unless you’ve actually been there during peak times, you can’t truly understand it,” he says.

James has also relished the opportunity to earn whilst studying and is glad to have completed his apprenticeship with no student loans to worry about.

Professional Cookery apprentices spend four days a week working in the Galgorm kitchens and the practical experience is backed up by theory-based learning at Northern Regional College’s Ballymena campus. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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training&development

MENTOR-LED COLLEGE CONNECT TURNS CHEF’S LIFE AROUND Jodie Toland.

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young woman from Castlewellan, who has recently completed the College Connect programme at SERC, is keen to share the tremendous positive change the course has made to her life.

Jodie Toland, 20, completed the mentor-led College Connect course following the catering and hospitality stream.

The programme also included literacy and numeracy entry level 3 and Jodie completed food hygiene level 2.

Jodie heard about College Connect following on from Job club at SERC. Jodie said: “I have always had an interest in food and the hospitality industry so I thought I would give the course a go. I have really enjoyed the whole course. It has turned my life around and now I feel confident that I have some direction in terms of a future career.

“I undertook a placement at SERC’s Downpatrick Campus Restaurant in the McNeill Room. I got great feedback and support from the lecturers and catering staff whilst I completed the course which spurred me on to do my best.

One of the best parts of the placement was being part of the team serving up the SERC Friday Fry. I got to meet a lot of different people and it was great to be part of the team.

“I learned to make a whole new range of foods including scones, soups, cakes, stir fry, and I even picked up barista skills. It has been a real eye opener and I have loved learning about food and the new skills I have picked up. I plan to come back to SERC to do a Level 1 or Level 2 in one of the catering programmes.

“I would definitely recommend College Connect to anyone looking a fresh start. The course has been a fresh start for me and I feel more mature and confident now that I have completed it successfully. I feel that College Connect has been my second chance at education and I have loved it.

It has been that good, I haven’t missed a day and never wanted to. I find that I am eager to learn new things and to share my new-found cooking skills at home with my family.

My carrot cake is now legendary in SERC. “The mentor support as part of the course has been brilliant. It just means I have a friendly face every day and can talk through any issues that might arise or if I am having any problems that might need extra help with. For me, it has been a big part in helping me succeed.”

SERC is calling for participants for the College Connect programme aimed at 16-24-year olds who are not in employment, education or training thanks to funding from the European Social Fund. The one-year, mentorled programme provides participants the opportunity to undertake a Level 1 qualification with the aim of progressing into Further Education or employment. Participants over 18 years old in receipt of Job Seekers allowance will be allowed to retain their benefit for the duration of the programme.

Barbara McNeill, head of School, Training, at SERC, said: “We know how difficult it is for young people to find a route into training or education if they have been unemployed and out of school for a while. College Connect is a relatively new programme which will help those aged 16–24 to kick start some training which could lead on to further education or employment in the catering and hospitality or building and construction industry.

“Participants will have a personal mentor to help and support them throughout the qualification which can help address any barriers to their success. The course will commence in September 2019 for one year. This is a chance for a fresh start to gain literacy and numeracy skills, as well as the opportunity to achieve an OCN Level 1 in Vocational Skills in either Catering and Hospitality (Downpatrick Campus) or Building and Construction (Newtownards Campus).”

SHU CHEF SPEAKS AT BELFAST MET SKILLS AND APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS

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ax Johnston, a former Belfast Met apprentice at Shu, is now employed by the restaurant. Guest speaker Max spoke passionately about his journey to becoming a chef at the top Belfast restaurant at the recent Belfast Met Skills and Apprenticeship Awards. He is pictured with Aidan Sloane, head of Skills and Apprenticeships and Damian Duffy, director of Development. www.hospitalityreviewni.com

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

OCTOBER HRNI • 15

q&a

A DAY IN THE LIFE This is a time I will never forget as I am also the Spa Academy manager and I was so proud. Alongside all of this, I had been working with the head of spa operations on opening the Skin Clinic at Galgorm in association with SkinCeuticals, which opened in November 2018; it’s been a whirlwind few months.

WHAT ARE THE BEST/WORST PARTS OF YOUR JOB? My job is challenging but very rewarding and I am very lucky to say that my job really is a labour of love. Having been at Galgorm for 11 years, I have seen the company go from strength to strength and become one of the best resorts in the world. The best parts of my job are helping my clients to feel better about themselves by helping them correct their skin concerns and watching the apprentices grow into fantastic spa therapists.

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT THE SECTOR? I believe that the most challenging thing about the hospitality and tourism sector is that young people are not aware of the amazing career opportunities within the industry. Our apprenticeship program has been very successful with helping us recruit and develop high-quality therapists.

LYNDSAY HEGARTY, SKINCEUTICALS EXPERT, GALGORM SPA & GOLF RESORT WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE? I am currently the SkinCeuticals Expert at the Skin Clinic in Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort and have been since November 2018, when the Skin Clinic introduced SkinCeuticals as their official skincare partner. My role involves a whole range of activity, from establishing clients’ individual skin concerns and administering tailored facials to providing clients with expert advice on how to correct their concerns and prevent damage in their skin by using SkinCeuticals products at home.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? I joined the Galgorm team in 2008 as a spa assistant whilst completing my CIBTAC and CIDESCO beauty therapy qualifications. From there I worked my way into spa therapy and up into duty management of the spa. In 2012, I became spa therapy manager, where my role included training and development of the spa therapist team, daily running of the treatment corridor and creating new treatments in collaboration with our product houses. In September 2018 we opened our Spa Academy, taking on our first spa apprentices.

16 • HRNI OCTOBER

OUTLINE A TYPICAL DAY In the morning, I check my schedule and come into the clinic, checking that the area is clean, tidy and set up for the day. I will make sure I have all the products I may need and that the retail display Is fully stocked. With every client, I go through in detail how they currently look after their skin at home and what their concerns are. I then use our skin scanner to help highlight any areas that we need to work on and, from this, I devise a personalised treatment plan for each client. The SkinCeuticals treatment includes a light chemical peel that leaves all skin types glowing and refreshed - it really is a wonderful facial. At the end of the treatment, I will advise each client of their tailored homecare plan and when to rebook for their next treatment.

PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE My proudest moment of my career was when our spa apprentices all passed their first exam.

BEST THING ABOUT BEING INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL SECTOR The best thing about being involved in the local hospitality sector is meeting new people and helping them feel better about themselves. I also love training and developing therapists to become the best in their field, helping to support our spa and to maintain its fantastic reputation within the industry.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? I like to walk my two little Yorkshire terriers, there is nothing like a good walk in the fresh air to clear your head.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW I love planning parties for my friends and family. I host a Halloween party every year, but we also love birthday parties.

Life is too short not to celebrate with friends. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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www.unitedwines.co.uk

drinksnews

THE BEAVER HAS LANDED

DRINKS BLOG FROM #DRINKSBLOGGERNI

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK, ON TRADE KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER

Matthew Fitzpatrick

I

s it just me or is 2019 running away from us? With time moving this quickly, there is no room for a company that is going to stand still, and that is definitely something United Wines cannot be accused of doing.

So here I am to shamelessly plug yet another fantastic new product we are adding to our portfolio; let me introduce – Beavertown.

Now, as I’m sure you’re aware, Beavertown isn’t actually a new product, far from it; in fact, it began life in 2011 when founder Logan Plant (son of Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant) took his inspiration from brews from around the world and set up a 650L Brew House in the back of his BBQ restaurant in London. It’s come a long way since then.

Fast forward to 2018, and after the creation of many iconic brews, hours of hand bottling, huge expansions in production, and the design of some of the coolest cans I think I have ever seen, a £40m minority stake is purchased by HEINEKEN, which allows the guys the opportunity to make their dream of a 450,000-hectolitre ‘Beaverworld’ facility a reality.

So what does this mean for your business? Firstly, with consumers globally seeking quality over quantity evidenced by growth in premium and super premium categories, eg the gin phenomenon, Beavertown presents a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on this. Personally when I go out for a pint or two after work on a Friday, I want to savour the experience, try something different and, if that means spending

20 • HRNI OCTOBER

an extra pound or two, then so be it.

That desire to ‘try something different’ appears to be at the front of most consumers’ minds now more than ever, with some utterly determined to seek out the next quirky craft creation to enjoy but also to show off to their mates – and what better way to show off to as many mates as possible than on social media.

We all know how much of an obsession sharing our lives on social media has become; the quest to let everyone know just how much fun we are having all the time. And the platform that appears to be stealing a march on others is Instagram – their active users grew by 200 million between 2017 and 2018. So, as a business, it is becoming ever more important to be posting regular, interesting content while also giving consumers a reason to post while in

your outlet and, guess what, Beavertown does just that.

The artwork used on the Beavertown can range has become something of an icon all on its own, with fans of the brand paying top whack just to own a t-shirt that has the Gamma Ray space man on it.

I challenge you to find me something more instagrammable than these images. And not to worry purveyors of fine draught beer, the Beavertown glassware we have looks just as cool as the cans.

Good news for you seasoned beer drinkers out there, Beavertown really does offer the total package. Not only does the product look fantastic but the taste profile of the range available through United Wines is diverse enough to tick all the boxes. Gamma Ray is rammed with juicy malts, huge tropical aromas and packed full of American hops; you could really sip on this beauty all day.

Neck Oil started its life as a home brew, you can kick back, relax and appreciate this crisp, easy drinking, any day, any time IPA. And last but not least, Beavo. Inspired by German and Czech pilsners, this is a light, easy drinking lager made with pilsner malt and bright floral noble German Hops. Try one, try them all, pick your favourite and come back for more.

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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advertorial

SUPERVALU LINES OUT FOR FIRST REDUCED-PLASTIC PACKS FROM GUINNESS Pictured at SuperValu are John Crawford, take home trade channel manager for Diageo NI; James McLornan, trading manager off-licences, SuperValu & Centra); Fergal O’Kane, category manager, SuperValu & Centra; and Lyndsay McKernan, SuperValu, holding a Limited Edition Guinness Draught 8 pack, marking the roll out of Diageo’s new packaging which will see the removal of plastic from multipacks of Harp, Rockshore, Smithwick’s and Guinness.

DIAGEO’S GLOBAL PLASTICS TARGETS FOR 2025 • Ensure 100% of our plastic use is designed to be widely recyclable (or reusable/compostable), using plastics that allow for increased consumer recycling rates • Achieve 40% average recycled content in our plastic bottles - and 100% by 2030 • Continue to invest in circular economy opportunities and other sustainable packaging breakthroughs • Accelerate our support for recycling by increasing collaboration, particularly where we have influence, and engaging with governments, peers and consumers to facilitate improved recycling 22 • HRNI OCTOBER

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ollowing Diageo’s landmark £16m investment into 100% recyclable and biodegradable cardboard packaging, SuperValu in Lisburn is one of the first retailers in Northern Ireland to stock the new product in the form of rugby-themed Guinness multipacks.

The new packaging of multipacks of Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwick’s is currently making an appearance on shelves across the island of the Ireland, with GB and other international markets following from next year. Diageo’s bottling and packaging plant in Northern Ireland is the first site to produce the new packs, with the firm investing £8m in its east Belfast plant.

Commenting on the roll out of the new packaging John Crawford, Diageo channel manager, said: “Diageo is proud to be living up to its sustainability commitments with this new packaging. Consumers rightly expect our packs to look beautiful, be

functional and sustainable and, through this initiative, we have been able to combine all three.

“Diageo’s facility in East Belfast plays an important role in the bottling and packaging of our beers and has taken the lead in this £8m plastic packaging initiative so it is great to see our new, more sustainable cardboard packaging on the shelves just down the road here in SuperValu in Lisburn.”

Welcoming the new development, James McLornan trading manager at Musgrave, said: “At SuperValu, we are continually looking for opportunities to develop our commitment to sustainability across our business and welcomed the opportunity to partner with Diageo on this great initiative. I would encourage customers to visit our recently-refurbished Lisburn store and pick up the product as the countdown continues ahead of an exciting calendar of rugby this autumn.”

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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drinksnews

COPELAND OPENS NEW DONAGHADEE DISTILLERY C

opeland Distillery has begun production at its new site and was due to open its Visitors Centre to the public mid-September following a £900,000 investment and over 10 months of construction work.

The 6,500-squarefoot premises is based in the centre Gareth Irvine, founder of the of the harbour town Copeland Distillery. of Donaghadee, revitalising a former picture house and community hall which lay unoccupied for more than 20 years.

The Distillery will become the production site of the brand’s acclaimed gin and its new portfolio offerings which will include a classic Irish gin, now in production, and a single cask whiskey reserve, set to begin production in the coming months.

In addition, the Distillery will offer an immersive and

LA DRINKS DISTRIBUTING LECALE BREWERY RANGE

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urgan-based, family-owned wholesaler La Drinks has announced it is to distribute Lecale Brewery’s range of craft products – Lecale White Knight Irish Lager, Lecale Legbiter Ale and Lecale Three Saints Irish Stout.

Situated in the historical fishing village of Ardglass on the east coast of Co Down, Lecale Brewery has been in operation since September 2018, when brewer Michael Howland crafted his first beer Since then, he has brewed three styles, each with their own profile.

Lecale White Knight Lager is made with the best of barley and Vienna malt and has a sharp crisp flavour.

Lecale Legbiter Ale is made with the best of barley and Vienna malt and has a unique taste of its own.

Lecale Three Saints Stout is a traditional stout made with roasted barley and chocolate malt and has a warm charm of its own.

All three are 4.5%ABV and are packed in cases of 12x 500ml bottles. For further information contact distributor LA Drinks Ltd on 028 3832 6601.

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educational visitor experience. This visitor experience will enhance Northern Ireland’s growing distillery landscape by offering an illuminating and experiential opportunity for guests.

With an educational tour, gin tastings and botanical sensory sessions, the immersive experience will last approximately 1.5 hours. Visitors will explore the distillery with the help of an expert guide before being led to the best vantage points in the town where they can take in the beautiful views of the Copeland Islands – an area integral to the brand’s story.

To wrap up the experience, visitors will then be taken to a Copeland Distillery hideaway where they will have the opportunity to enjoy signature serves and purchase souvenirs.

Along with the Distillery reveal, Copeland has revealed a new brand identity to further cement its connection to Co Down’s coast with its bespoke corked bottle featuring a prominent compass feature derived from an historic chart of the Copeland Islands.

MOLSON COORS COMMITS TO REDUCE PLASTICS IN PACKAGING

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olson Coors in the UK and Ireland is removing the plastic packaging from its Carling and Coors Light brands, as part of new global packaging goals.

The brewer will remove the plastic film wrap from large multipacks by the end of March 2020, replacing the plastic wrap with 100% recyclable fully enclosed carton board. By the end of March 2021, it will remove plastic rings from Carling and Coors Light cans, switching to 100% recyclable cardboard sleeves.

Molson Coors is investing around £7.5m (€8.1m) over the next two years to implement the changes.

The global brewer announced a set of new global packaging goals to reduce plastics in its packaging, aiming for 100% of its packaging to be reusable, recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025. It is also strengthening its goals to drive down packaging emissions, use more recycled materials in its plastic packaging and improve recycling solutions in its key markets.

The new packaging goals have been announced as part of the release of Molson Coors’ annual sustainability report, Our Beer Print Report 2019.

“As a global brewer with a strong family heritage, we have always taken seriously our responsibility to brew a more sustainable future,” said Mark Hunter, chief executive of Molson Coors. “Plastic waste poses a clear environmental challenge, and as a consumer-packaged goods company, we play an important role in helping to solve the global waste crisis.” twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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bacardibrown-formanbarprofile

FROM HOLLYWOOD TO HOLYWOOD BRAHM GALLAGHER, OWNER OF SHELBY’S ON HOLYWOOD’S HIGH STREET TELLS HRNI ABOUT THE VENUE to collaborate with other independent purveyors - whether they be food sellers or drink makers - and solidifying its position as a truly exciting and interesting place to come for a drink and a bite.

WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND SHELBY’S? Shelby’s is inspired by the desire to bring a new way of dining and socialising to NI based on years of experience bartending in Los Angeles. We have cherry picked some of the best bits from places worked at and visited, and incorporated those aspects into Shelby’s come-as-you-are vibe.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FOCUS? Right now its the most exciting time in Shelby’s since we opened at the tail end of last year. We are just about to launch our autumn/winter menus as well as finalising the offerings on our Christmas menu, which means R&D our true passion. Along with these daily operations, Shelby’s is playing host to numerous private events, working

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED? With any new business, there are going to be challenges, but we have hurdled many more than initially expected.

Trying to bring a different approach to the socialising scene, as well as incorporating the contemporary small plates style of dining, has proven an interesting fit for some of our guests.

Trying to get folks to branch out and try something different can be a challenge but, as we have shown, once you try Shelby’s, you’ll keep coming back.

WHAT MAKES SHELBY’S UNIQUE? From its core, Shelby’s is an unique experience due to its staff. Our Head Chef Oisin Montgomery is from NI and brings his amazing creativity and local ingredients to a menu of American street food prepared to fine dining standards.

Pair that with my extensive cocktail experience in some of the foremost bars

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FUTURE PLANS Right now, Shelby’s is focused on collaborating with those of the same mindset, whose ethos reflects our own, and who are looking to work with partners that can drive each other forward. There are so many great producers in Ireland and we want to celebrate them just as we hope people will celebrate what we have to offer. As it goes, ‘it takes a village...’ and we know how NI is basically just that. One big village.

DESCRIBE SHELBY’S IN THREE WORDS Hmmm.... Contemporary. Innovative.

Exciting.

CAMPFIRE 40ml BACARDÍ Añejo Cuatro 10ml Amaro Montenegro 10ml Benedictine 5ml Laphroaig 2 dashes Angostura Bitters METHOD: Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass and stir with ice for 15-20 secs.

Strain into a Nic & Nora with a 1”x1” ice cube. Spritz with Laphroaig and serve.

Smoky. Full-bodied. Sharp.

OCTOBER HRNI • 25

BRAHM RECOMMENDS...

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? My role is endless! I’m the director of the company, the mixologist and developer, the ‘what-needs-done’ guy basically.

In truth, our team is comprised of all muck in types who are working for the betterment of Shelby’s. We believe in the concept we have, enjoy the experience we provide, and look toward capturing more converts and delivering to them a more contemporary form of dining experience.

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? One of Shelby’s many fantastic traits is it caters to all demographics who are yearning for something just a bit different. We see returning clientele from all walks of life, local to Holywood, and from further afield. Additionally, people are letting us know that they are coming because they have heard from friends, or through social media, about how great it is. From dinner crowds to blowing off a bit of steam after work, to late-night-one-more-before-we-call-ita-night, Shelby’s is available to all and can be used as it suits you, your party size and/or needs.

in Los Angeles, and Shelby’s is offering something only it can. Not to mention, we are making as much of our products in-house as we possibly can.

From the ketchup to the juices for the cocktails, to the tonic and amazing flavours that stride forth from the kitchen, the bread, we pride ourselves on doing it our way and delivering a product that has yet to be seen here in NI.

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GORDON’S CELEBRATES 250 YEARS

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his September, the world’s favourite gin(i), Gordon’s, celebrates its 250th birthday. And what better present than delivering more value growth than any other gin and becoming the world’s most sold international gin during the past yeari.

Two bottles of Gordon’s Gin are sold every second, with its first high quality gin dating back to 1769. It was first distilled by founder Alexander Gordon in the ‘Old Tom’ copper still, which has been in use since the reign of King George V and continues to be used today.

Now the best-selling gin brand in 64 countries(ii), Gordon’s is setting standards for gin around the world. It uses the very best natural botanicals and 250 years of distilling experience to create the ‘ginniest’ gin through its combination of juniper, coriander seed, angelica and liquorice root. In fact, only 1 out of 10 hand-picked, air-dried junipers is deemed good enough to deliver the unique aroma and flavour character of Gordon’s.

Its award-winning taste has come

26 • HRNI OCTOBER

Alexander Gordon

out top in blind taste tests, winning 15 awards at the world’s best spirits competitions in last five years alone.

Gordon’s was recently crowned the Supreme Brand Champion and Gin Brand Champion at The Spirit Business awards in July 2019.

With three million serves sold across the globe every day, Gordon’s has since pioneered new flavour profiles and extended into innovations. The highly successful Premium Pink Distilled Gin, inspired by an original recipe from 1880, has been a global hit amongst both drinkers and industry experts, with one million cases sold in the first two years, a Product of the Year award(iii) and Top Launch of the Year accolade(iv).

Gordon’s has also responded to the desire for low to no-alcohol options with its Gordon’s Ultra Low Gin & Tonic with A Hint Of Grapefruit & Hint Of Lime, which saw the product recognised for Product Innovation of the Year 2018(v). Infused with the iconic Gordon’s London’s Dry Gin botanicals twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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and perfectly blended with the subtle garnish of a twist of citrus, Gordon’s Ultra Low is available ready to drink and bursting with flavour, with less than 0.5% ABV and 68 calories per serve.

Global head of Gordon’s, Mark Jarman, remarked: “Looking back, it’s amazing to think Gordon’s has spent 250 years spreading

its passion for gin and tonic.

Through that time, we have shown and continue to show a relentless dedication to making award-winning gin, pioneering innovation and creative marketing that is all about making gin enjoyable and accessible for all.

“Gin is the fastest growing spirit category in the world, and it’s a

proud moment that in the context of a vibrant and competitive category, Gordon’s has experienced its best year ever delivering more value than any other gin and taking the top spot for value as well as international volumei.

“Whilst we are 250 years old, the optimism and energy we have for a bright future for Gordon’s and the category as a whole definitely makes us feel 250 years young.”

For more information, visit www.gordonsgin.com. (i) IWSR 2018 data: most sold gin by volume in 64 markets and by value in 47 (ii) IWSR 2018 volume data (iii) In Great Britain, Gordon’s Pink was voted ‘Product of the Year’ for the Alcohol category, in a Kantar TNS survey of 10,637 people (iv) The Grocer’s ‘Top Launch of the Year’ in the Alcohol: Spirits category (v) The Grocer www.hospitalityreviewni.com

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OCTOBER HRNI • 27

hotelnews

HOLIDAY INN BELFAST RECOGNISED WITH THREE AWARDS IN 12 MONTHS

WORK BEGINS ON BEANNCHOR’S £4M HASLEM HOTEL AT LISBURN SQUARE

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ndras Hotels’ flagship Holiday Inn, Belfast City Centre on Hope Street, has scooped a trio of awards from top hospitality organisations this year.

The hotel has From left, Nicolle Loughran, Vikrant Tyagi and Jeanette Harbinson, the team from Holiday Inn, picked up Elite Belfast City Centre.

Status in hotel group IHG’s Heartbeat Torchbearer Award, Best Hotel at the Belfast Business Awards and the Housekeeping Team Award at the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation’s Hotel Housekeeping Awards.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been recognised for these fantastic awards,” said Rajesh Rana, director of Andras Hotels. “They reflect the hard work and dedication that the team do daily and who go the extra mile to provide a quality experience for all our guests and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who works at the hotel who has helped secure these awards.

“We believe in continual investment in our staff and our facilities, and we are proud to offer world-class facilities for business and leisure travellers alike. The awards confirm we are delivering on our commitment to quality.”

onstruction work Artist’s impression of The Haslem at Lisburn Square. is underway to develop the Beannchor Group’s new £4m Haslem Hotel in Lisburn Square, with the site expected to open in spring 2020, creating 75 jobs.

The 52-bedroom property will be the first hotel in Lisburn City Centre and will include a contemporary open-plan ground floor reception, lobby bar, restaurant, residents’ gym, conference room and underground car park.

The property is aiming for 4* status and is part of a wider project encompassing flexible workspace, supported by a development loan from the Northern Ireland Investment Fund.

“We are delighted that construction of the Haslem Hotel has now started,” said Nicky McCollum, development director, Lisburn Square. “Historically, Lisburn Square was regarded as a retail location but, since Marcol took ownership in 2015, we have been working to re-position the scheme as a destination to eat, work, live and shop. The opening of Haslem will add to the eclectic mix of occupiers, with a number of other units within The Square also under negotiation.”

hotelprofile

HOTELHUB

THESTATS

KILLEAVY CASTLE ESTATE, CO ARMAGH Jason Foody

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eritage, provenance and location are at the heart of a £12m project developing the formerly derelict Killeavy Castle into a boutique hotel and spa.

The 19th century Grade A-listed Castle now features four luxury rooms and is linked to a 45-bedroom spa hotel housed in Grade 2-listed former coach house, mill and farm buildings by an underground passageway.

As well as private function facilities in the Castle, hotel dining and a café in the Estate’s walled garden, a permanent marquee has been constructed behind the hotel to host weddings and corporate events.

Located on 350 acres of mixed farm and woodland around Slieve Gullion,

the Estate includes a working farm and extensive nature trails for guests.

While the venue only opened on Easter Monday this year, General Manager Jason Foody has been on board since June 2018 to oversee completion of the major restoration project.

Aside from the usual challenges around listed restoration projects, Foody says redevelopment of the Estate progressed without any major problems.

“The reception has been very positive from all aspects, with a good mix of local, national and international visitors,” he says. “It has been very well received, and we’re taking time to find our feet and get the message out.”

And the marquee is taking off as an events space, already hosting four to five weddings, conferences and corporate gatherings per week.

The GM says owners Mick and Robin Boyle are committed to a long-term vision for the Estate, focused around sustainability, stewardship of the woodlands and making a positive contribution to the local community.

HOTEL OPENED: April 22, 2019 OWNERSHIP/REFURBISHMENT HISTORY: Killeavy Castle was purchased

by Armagh native Mick Boyle and his wife Robin for £1.2m in 2013. Mick immigrated to Australia with his parents in the late 1960s and lives in Sydney, running a successful construction company. The couple hopes to reinvent South Armagh as a tourism destination, making the most of the Castle’s location and heritage.

EMPLOYEES: 96 full- and part-time ROOM NUMBERS: 45 in hotel; four luxury rooms in castle; two-bedroom self-catering gate lodge STAR RATING: 4 STYLE: Grade A-listed Castle – old worldly reflecting the different generations residing in the Castle since 1836 with restored original features and antique furniture; Marquee – contemporary neutral tones to provide a blank canvas for events; Grade 2 listedSpa Hotel - contemporary décor with an equestrian theme and a focus on natural light, connecting the interior to the views through a neutral palette accentuated by splashes of colour to represent the seasons.

MARKET POSITIONING: Event space is geared towards the incentive side of business, while the hotel, spa and food and beverage offers are focused around adult retreat and wellness experiences.

USPs: Setting and landscape; farm-tofork ethos with 300 Cheviot sheep and Longhorn cattle on the Estate; separate areas for wedding and incentive market, and leisure and corporate guests.

FOOD & BEVERAGE: Good quality food served well. Meat from the Estate’s own livestock and vegetables from its walled garden are supplemented by local suppliers with a focus on wholesome, seasonal produce. Offer includes a bar open 12-9pm; restaurant serving breakfast and dinner; café in the walled garden, serving bistro-style food, open 10am-5pm; and the events space.

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KÄRCHER CENTER BELFAST HAS CONTINUED ITS RAPID GROWTH AND IS EXPANDING INTO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN NORTHERN IRELAND HAVING PROVEN ITSELF TO BE MARKET LEADER IN THE INDUSTRIAL CLEANING SECTOR IN NORTHERN IRELAND, KÄRCHER CENTER BELFAST IS EXPANDING INTO NEW TERRITORY AND IS ALREADY WORKING WITH HOSPITALITY GIANT ANDRAS HOUSE COST-EFFECTIVE CLEANING SOLUTIONS

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ärcher Center Belfast has enjoyed significant success within its first year of business. After winning the Belfast Chamber of Business Award for Best New Business in May, the company propelled into new markets. Andras House, the hospitality giant managed by Rajesh Rana, has recognised the value that Kärcher Center Belfast provides and has placed Kärcher machines in all of the Andras House hotels. The 4* Crowne Plaza Hotel, based on the Milltown Road Belfast, has taken order of the Kärcher BR 35/12 C Bp Scrubber Dryer and the Kärcher WVP 10 Window and Surface Cleaner to replace more traditional methods, significantly reducing the time used to clean, making them the more cost-effective choice. Kärcher Center Belfast General Manager Stephen Anderson and Floor Care Specialist Neil Black carried out site surveys, site demonstrations, and made recommendations for all of the Andras House hotels.

Rajesh Rana, managing director of Andras House, was pleased with how the Kärcher range performed and placed an order for the WVP 10 Adv into every hotel in the group and the BR 35/12 C Bp, and CV 38/2 Adv Vacuum into the 4* Crowne Plaza hotel with the intention to follow up with a more significant purchase across the range for all of the group’s hotels.

Floor care specialist Neil Black training a Crowne Plaza staff member on the BR 35/12 Scrubber Dryer.

Rajesh Rana, managing director of Andras House, and Stephen Anderson, general manager of Kärcher Center Belfast.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW: KARCHER BR 35/12 C BP SCRUBBER DRYER BR 35/12 C Bp Lithium-Ion Battery Powered Scrubber Dryer is highly manoeverable due to its 200° rotatable head. Using Kärcher’s Kart technology, this feature allows for user-friendly and easily maintained cleaning, making it a highly professional and efficient tool for cleaning narrow areas and cluttered surfaces. This product can also clean in reverse, making it ideal for small to medium-sized retail environments. It also features a new lithium-ion battery, with an onboard charger that takes a charge time of up to three hours and a run time of up to two hours. It is 35% lighter than the other devices in this unit class, facilitating transport for everyone in the workplace and features a vacuum function to lift small debris. You can outright purchase this product from £1995.00 plus VAT or lease it from £1.85 per day.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW: WVP 10 ADV WINDOW AND SURFACE CLEANER The lithium-ion battery-powered WVP 10 Adv ensures streak-free cleaning results in any position thanks to its high-speed motor. It is suitable for all types of smooth surfaces and, with its light weight, it can be used vertically, horizontally, and overhead.

The powerful lithium-ion battery allows work periods for 30 minutes, and the quick charger and second battery provide the ability to work uninterrupted. The manuallyadjustable spacer allows streak-free cleaning results right up to the edges, and the small interchangeable head (200mm) makes sure it can be used on the smallest of surfaces. This product also comes with accessories including a built-in microfiber cloth and dispenser bottle, allowing the user to agitate off any debris and vacuum the debris away hygienically. You can outright purchase this product from £124.99 plus VAT. 34 • HRNI OCTOBER

Crowne Plaza staff member using the WVP 10 Adv.

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advertorial PRODUCT OVERVIEW: CV 38/2 ADV UPRIGHT BRUSH VACUUM The CV 38/2 is a robust, high-performance upright vacuum cleaner ideal for the hospitality industry. The single rotating brush head with two powerful suction motors ensures superb cleaning performance and reliability. With a fast, dust-free bag change, and a range of tools including a detachable suction hose for hard-toreach places, this is the perfect cleaning solution for bars, hotels and restaurants.

This product also has a cleaning width of 38cm so the CV 38/2 cleans quickly and thoroughly with minimum input by the user into the cleaning process, meaning it can be used by all staff members in your workforce. You can outright purchase this product for £321.00 plus VAT.

A Crowne Plaza staff member using the CV 38/2 Adv.

SERVICE, PURCHASE CONTRACTS, AND SITE DEMONSTRATIONS

All leasing prices listed above include a service package, which can be added to outright purchases for an additional cost.

If you would like to see the products mentioned above or any of the Kärcher range for no cost, please do not hesitate to call 02890667333 or email info@karcher-center-craigmore.co.uk. Training is also provided as standard with any Kärcher industrial equipment.

TESTIMONIAL FROM RAJESH RANA, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ANDRAS HOUSE Across all of the Andras House hotels, what are the leading cleaning demands? Why does Kärcher equipment meet these needs better than its competitors?

As with any hotel, having a clean and presentable environment is crucial for customer satisfaction and to maintain the reputation that Andras House has for its hotels.

In terms of the leading cleaning demands within the hotels, floor care is the most significant need to be addressed. When Neil and Stephen arrived with all the equipment for the free site demonstration, I was impressed with the enormous product portfolio but, for floor care, what really stood out to me was the Kärcher BR 35/12 C Bp Scrubber Dryer.

Previously what we had been using was doing an effective but time-consuming job, but the Kärcher products and chemicals outperformed our previous installations by such a large margin that I had to choose to change the brand to Kärcher. We have a lot of windows across all the hotels that are in the group, and the Kärcher Window Vac has cut down massively on time spent cleaning the windows; this is because of the vacuum built into the WVP 10 Adv, and the dispenser bottle combination is fast and straightforward to use. The WVP 10 was also great for the bathrooms within the hotel, it worked well on the mirrors, shower doors, and was also great for lifting water residue from tiled surfaces. The products have allowed more time to be spent elsewhere by my cleaning staff, and the positive effects of this are showing already.

As Kärcher Center Belfast is new to the market, how did you hear about them and the solutions they provide?

Yes Kärcher Center Belfast is new to the market; however, their Managing Director Geoff Baird and General Manager Stephen Anderson have over 40 years’ service combined, providing industrial cleaning solutions which have shown in the service that I have had. Kärcher Center Belfast achieved a great result at this year’s Belfast Chamber Business Awards. I am the president of the Chamber and, for such a fresh business to win the award for Best New Business and to be a finalist in the Best Family Business category,

illustrated to me that they are ahead of the pack. This was also highlighted in the other markets which they have seen rapid success in; the FMCG sector in Northern Ireland has been the primary business sector for Kärcher Center Belfast, and they have already become sole supplier to organisations such as the globally-renowned drinks manufacturer, Old Bushmills Distillery.

Having made an initial order, on what scale do you expect to expand by?

The initial order I made was for two items across all the hotels within the group, the Kärcher BR 35/12 C Bp Scrubber Dryer and the WVP 10 Adv Window Vacuum are both fantastic products that I saw a real need for immediately within the group. The rest of the products that Stephen and Neil brought into the site demonstrations worked very well.

However, at that time I wanted to make a smaller order first followed by a large one. The Ibis Hotel has placed an order for an EB 30/1 Cordless Sweeper, a Puzzi 10/2 Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner, and the PW 30 Floor attachment to go with it. This will be the first of many orders to come from the recommendations that Stephen Anderson and Neil Black made to me for all of my hotels.

How would you rate Kärcher Center Belfast’s after sales service, and would you recommend them to another hospitality sector business?

Kärcher Center Belfast has provided me with outstanding products which are a testament to high-quality German engineering, which has meant the after-sales support has not been needed. However, at their headquarters on Boucher Crescent, they have a fully-qualified team of engineers which have over 30 years’ experience collectively working on Kärcher machines. This gave me great peace of mind when making my decision to buy from Stephen and Neil; furthermore, both Stephen and Neil have kept in contact with me with follow up calls which have made me feel like a valued customer. I could not recommend Kärcher Center Belfast highly enough to any other business seeking to improve its cleaning solutions.

If you have any further enquiries, please call Stephen Anderson - 028 90667333.

Kärcher Center Belfast, 1-2 Windsor Business Park, Boucher Place, Belfast, BT12 6HT. T: +44 28 90667 333 • E: info@karcher-center-craigmore.co.uk W: www.karchercenterbelfast.co.uk www.hospitalityreviewni.com

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OCTOBER HRNI • 35

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THE FIVE STAGES OF TRAVEL TO INSPIRE TRAVELLERS AND DRIVE BOOKINGS

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ravellers are online at every stage of their journey. Whether it’s social media, review sites or your own website – there’s a huge audience of potential customers active online, just waiting to be inspired and satisfied. But, today, hotels are facing complex distribution, pricing, and guest contentment challenges that see them fighting to balance their own business needs, whilst remaining in touch with evolving technology trends and the savvy, resourceful attitudes of travellers.

A few years ago, Google produced a study that laid out the five major stages of travel. These five stages help to define the consumer’s behaviour before, during, and after their trip. Here, Guestline, the global leader in hotel cloud property management, distribution and digital marketing solutions, delves further into these five stages to best

36 • HRNI OCTOBER

determine how your property can engage with and attract more guests.

1. PROVIDING THE DREAM INSPIRATION A destination featured in a magazine, a picturesque scene in a movie or a friend’s holiday photos on Instagram may be the spark that inspires the dream, which in turn, is what kickstarts the potential customer through the buying cycle. Most people in the dreaming phase are looking for an experience; it’s unlikely that they are interested in the trouser press or free wifi, so think about the overall experience, location, unique selling points and using photography to convey your product as a great way to catch attention.

We know from research that over 60% of travellers look online, therefore, it is imperative that we utilise technology to

trigger memories or reminders about your property. Make sure your Google presence is spot-on, including your Google maps presence, your website SEO and your hotel details. And, don’t be afraid to explore social media, but be consistent, update regularly and promote your experiences. We engage with social media fully in our personal lives and now it is time to translate this to business.

2. PLAN TO SELL BEYOND THE ROOM Helping to turn the traveller’s dreams to reality is not easy. After the initial dreaming, the customer has decided on action and moves to the planning stage, where we know from industry research that they will visit at least 20+ websites in order to find the ‘perfect’ hotel. Aside from the obvious details such as dates and prices of your bedrooms, think

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about the guest’s other needs, such as the location, experiences and what they can do when they are with you.

This is where your website is key.

Your website is the hub of your digital ecosystem and should provide as much as the planner needs with clear and concise ‘what next’ calls to action to move them to the all-important ‘booking’ journey. Whether the planner finds you directly or through a thirdparty site, your omni-channel marketing strategy should ensure the future guest receives the same value proposition from you, wherever they find you and that you in turn attract, convert and compete direct bookings by implementing a price comparison tool such as Triptease.

Travellers also want reassurance they are making the right choice so ensure you get positive reviews on TripAdvisor by using reputation management software like GuestRevu or Review Pro to encourage guests to leave reviews.

3. CONVERTING PLANNERS INTO BOOKED GUESTS After dreaming and planning, the traveller is ready to book their stay – hopefully with you. It’s up to you to make it easy for them. This is where a hotel’s value proposition (ie price, room, rate, restrictions) is the fundamental and most important piece of product marketing a hotel can do. Guestline’s solutions help customers to formulate, define, execute and propagate their packages, rates and products. By automating bookings through a Property Management System, you can review, modify, release rooms and manage cancellations quickly and efficiently, popping rooms back up for sale automatically to help you sell down to the last room.

While OTAs are still a top resource, OTAs play a greater role in the dreaming phase. Now travellers are simply

revisiting OTA and direct websites to price compare the options already on their radar. Whilst on your website, it is essential that it is attractive, easy to navigate, best portrays your hotel and that you have a robust direct booking platform in place to attract and retain visitors to your own website. Guestline’s open API platform allows partnerships with website creators and booking engines to further assist hoteliers to convert lookers to bookers.

4. EXPERIENCE THE DREAM Whatever the reason for travel, your guest has expectations from the dream, plan, book phases in the digital world to match up with the reality they face during their stay. Engaging with the guest with the right mix of staff and technology can make your guest feel welcome, connected and above all, happy with their choice of hotel. From the moment the guest books and checks in, to the moment they check out, the hotel’s PMS system is fundamentally the core product that helps the hotel, the staff, and the guests all connect; leveraging the power of the data retrieved to ensure the guest is ‘not just a booking reference’. It is important to blur the line between the technology and the guest; guests want to be known by name, not by digital reference or a room number.

Reaching out to guests pre-arrival, to kickstart their excellent customer service journey, is a great time to upsell. We know what the guest has booked, but this is where you tempt them to purchase add ons, ie book dinner reservations, spa treatments, golf tee times etc. By developing a relationship with the future guest, you are also prepping operations in advance, yielding tables and managing staff requirements – by extracting information not normally available at booking. The intel extracted

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at this stage proves vital ahead of their arrival at the hotel. Allow the guest to update their profile before arrival and other pertinent stay info that would assist operations and in turn make for a better stay.

As the hub of the hotel, the PMS can notify other systems of check-ins, check-outs, no-shows, etc. mapping a full picture of what stage the guest is at; for example, check-in is smarter as reception staff can now see more information about the guests (from prearrival profile communication), helping staff to be more guest centric. Whilst staying at your property, it is important to know your customer by using PMS technology to assist the guest journey across your restaurant, spa, room service, concierge etc, ensuring all staff have visibility as to who the guest is and what their expectations are from their stay.

5. REFLECT AND SHARE THE EXPERIENCE Most people choose their travel options based on recommendations from family and friends and those they follow or who influence them online. So, when your customer posts a photo of your spectacular lake views from their balcony, sharing a moment they had, it will encourage other contacts in their network who are at the dreaming stage to consider your hotel.

It’s proven that a disgruntled guest will share their problems with the world, but a happy guest is less likely to speak up. But a bad experience can provide great feedback to staff if it’s dealt with satisfactorily, to eliminate negative post stay reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor.

In order to encourage communication of those positive guest experiences, the stories less likely told, hotels need to provide touchpoints and encourage reviews and sharing of the ‘dream’ micro moments via review sites and social media – Instagram photos, Facebook check-ins and Twitter hashtags. From obtaining client’s contact details for future marketing, encouraging feedback and online reviews, communicating benefits (and rewards) of booking direct to following up with email campaigns, it is up to you to wow customers and provide a memorable experience.

Guestline are exhibiting (stand 7) at this year’s Hospitality Exchange, 15th & 16th October 2019. Come say hello and find out how we can help drive your bookings.

WWW.GUESTLINE.COM

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OCTOBER HRNI • 37

tourismnews-attractions

TOURISM IRELAND LAUNCHES £11M AUTUMN CAMPAIGN Ciaran Doherty, Tourism Ireland NI stakeholder liaison manager, is pictured, centre, with holidaymakers John and Jenny from the US at Dunluce Castle.

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ourism Ireland has launched an £11m multi-media autumn campaign, to boost late-season travel to Northern Ireland from around the world.

The September to December period usually yields as much as 30% of annual overseas tourism business. A key objective for Tourism Ireland is to drive more overseas tourism business to more rural areas, throughout the offpeak and shoulder season months.

Brexit remains an ongoing challenge for overseas tourism – giving rise to consumer concern, particularly in GB and some mainland European countries. However, the fall in the value of sterling is an opportunity for Northern Ireland, and Tourism Ireland will highlight the good value on offer

from industry partners, including attractive fares and packages in GB and in other markets. An extensive programme of co-operative promotions with air and sea carriers, online travel agents, as well as traditional tour operators and travel agents, is either under way or in the pipeline.

Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign will incorporate a major focus on attracting visitors to more rural areas and less-visited attractions and locations, between now and the end of 2019. It will highlight the many reasons to come here, including festivals and events taking place over the coming months like the Belfast International Arts Festival, the Armagh Food & Cider Festival and the Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival.

MONTALTO ESTATE CELEBRATES 100,000TH VISITOR AHEAD OF ITS FIRST YEAR

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ontalto Estate, a visitor experience aimed at reconnecting people with nature through the estate’s magnificent surroundings, has welcomed its 100,000th visitor. The major milestone comes ahead of the estate’s first year in operation which will be marked in September.

Owned by the Wilson family, the Montalto Estate visitor experience features public access to the estate’s manicured gardens, historic walks and trails, an exciting tree house and natural play area for children, a welcome area featuring interpretation of the estate’s history, a stylish 120-seat café and a unique retail space.

As part of a continued investment strategy for Montalto Estate, future plans include development of an events programme, further planting and the

38 • HRNI OCTOBER

EMBRACE THE PLACE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED AT KEY TOURISM SITES

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mbrace the Place, a new partnership between Tourism NI and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, will animate four key tourism sites across the region by using the arts to tell the stories of that particular area, offering visitors something new and inspiring to enjoy.

Following an investment by Tourism NI of £150,000 and an open call, Dumbworld, Kabosh, The Armagh Pipers and Snow Water, were commissioned to present an original art work that reflects the heritage of some of the Northern Ireland’s most special locations including, Belfast’s Maritime Mile, Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Navan Fort in Armagh and The Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh.

“We have a very vibrant arts sector here,” said Rosemarie McHugh, director of Product Development, Tourism NI. “We want this project to enable the best talent to create new innovative content to animate key tourism sites across Northern Ireland.

“Visitors want to engage with the authenticity of the destination and its people and the best way to get an emotional connection with place is through the arts. This creates memories and gives visitors even more compelling reasons to visit, return and encourage their friends and family to visit.

“We are very excited to have supported the creation of the four projects and look forward to our visitors experiencing them over the coming weeks.”

Andrea Magill from Montalto Estate visitor services, the 100,000th visitor Eleanor Jordan from Belfast and David Wilson, managing director of Montalto Estate.

creation of more gardens and additional trails including a 2.7km history trail highlighting areas of interest such as an early settlement site and the location of the famous Battle of Ballynahinch, which took place on the estate.

From left, Damian Smyth, ACNI; Angelina Fusco, Tourism NI; and Rosemarie McHugh; Tourism NI.

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tourismnews-travel

BELFAST HOSTS GLOBAL TRAVEL CONFERENCE

From left, Brett Tollman, TTC; Lord Mayor John Finucane; John McGrillen, Tourism NI; and Gavin Tollman, Trafalgar.

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ales teams from across the world visited Northern Ireland in August to visit key tourism attractions and experience the best in hospitality and entertainment as The Travel Corporation (TTC) chose Belfast as the location for its Global Sales Staff Conference for the first time.

Founded almost 100 years ago, TTC is one of the world’s leading travel companies with a portfolio of 42 awardwinning brands. It organises unique holiday experiences for 1.9 million travellers every year in more than 70 countries.

Supported by Tourism NI, nearly 300 delegates travelled from USA, Canada,

Switzerland, Singapore, London, Australia and New Zealand.

Representing well-known travel brands such as Trafalgar, Brendan Vacations, Insight Vacations, Contiki, Costsaver, and Luxury Gold, the main programme included visiting landmarks and attractions across Belfast as well as gala events at some of the city’s most prestigious venues including the City Hall, St Anne’s Cathedral and Titanic Belfast.

The programme also included the Giant’s Causeway, Titanic Belfast and street parties in the Cathedral Quarter to experience local food, drink and nightlife. The conference ended with a gala dinner showcasing the best of Northern Ireland’s hospitality.

“We want to grow this positive perception of Northern Ireland across the world and give even more people a reason to travel and visit,” said John McGrillen, chief executive, Tourism NI. “Tourism is worth nearly £1bn for Northern Ireland. We want to double that by 2030 and we believe that tourists from international markets are the key to that.”

INVESTMENT AND IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE AT BELFAST CITY AIRPORT

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ork is underway at George Best Belfast City Airport to reconfigure the front of house area, resulting in improved access to the terminal for passengers using taxi and bus services.

This latest phase of work is a continuation of the infrastructure investment announced last year, aimed at enhancing the overall passenger experience.

“Since completing upgrades within the terminal last year, our attentions have now turned to the exterior front of house area,” said Mark Beattie, operations director at Belfast City Airport. “A covered walkway has already been completed connecting our Premier Car Park to the main terminal, only a twominute walk away.

“This current phase of works will significantly extend the size of the Value Cabs rank at the front of terminal with separate areas for account and walk-up passengers. The bus halt will be relocated at front of terminal to ensure accessibility to the terminal and covered walkway.” www.hospitalityreviewni.com

Christopher McCausland, managing director at Values Cabs and Katy Best, commercial director, George Best Belfast City Airport.

Works completed within the terminal last year include a reconfiguration of the Departure Lounge, resulting in a 30% increase in retail space; 25% increase in the food and beverage offering; 100% more customer seating for passengers; refurbished washroom facilities; and a significant upgrade to the Security Area, resulting in an average passenger processing time of just six minutes.

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TASTE AND TOUR NAMED NI’S BEST SMALL VISITOR ATTRACTION

From left, Phil Ervine, co-founder of Taste and Tour; Cliona Arthur, media sales manager at Belfast City Airport; and Caroline Wilson, co-founder of Taste and Tour.

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aste and Tour has won the title of Northern Ireland’s Best Small Visitor Attraction following a competition launched by George Best Belfast City Airport in partnership with Tourism NI. The Belfast-based company, which hosts food and drink tours and experiences, will now receive £30,000 of free marketing support and brand visibility at Belfast City Airport.

Earlier this year all 11 councils put forward a shortlist of attractions and experiences which then took part in a public vote on the airport’s Facebook page with the winning attraction from each council progressing to the final.

All 11 finalists then received a visit from the judging panel, which included representatives from Tourism NI, Tourism Ireland, Visit Britain and TripAdvisor.

“We were thrilled to partner with Tourism NI on this project to really shine a light on some of the hidden gems here in Northern Ireland,” said Katy Best, commercial director at Belfast City Airport.

“We hope all the finalists have benefitted from additional exposure as a result of this campaign and will work with our winners, Taste and Tour, to facilitate £20,000 of in-terminal advertising and £10,000 of visibility across our popular digital channels.”

Other finalists included Erne Water Taxi, Carrick Cottage, Clip ‘n Climb, Kilcreggan Urban Farm, The Somme Museum, Museum of Orange Heritage, RSPB Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre, Siege Museum, Todds Leap and World of Owls.

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tourismprofile

GOLF TOURISM SUCCESS TO THE FORE IN NORTHERN IRELAND GOLF IS QUITE SIMPLY THE WORLD’S MOST LUCRATIVE SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL MARKET, WITH MORE PEOPLE TRAVELLING THE WORLD TO DO WITH GOLF THAN ANY OTHER SPORT, SAYS DR PETER BOLAN, ULSTER UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

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his year’s 148th Open golf championship at Royal Portrush was a resounding success by any stretch of the imagination. Returning to our world-renowned links course for the first time in 68 years, anticipation, ticket sales and media interest reached fever pitch long before the event even commenced.

This year’s Open showcased Royal Portrush and the fantastic coastal scenery along the North Coast to incredible effect and further raisied Northern Ireland’s reputation as a golf destination.

With spectator numbers of 237,750 (far exceeding the original mooted 190,000) attending the event, Portrush set a new record for the event staged outside St Andrews. The previous such record having been 235,000 at Royal

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“IN TERMS OF DRIVING TOURISM FORWARD IN NORTHERN IRELAND, WE HAVE TO PLAY TO OUR STRENGTHS, AND GOLF TOURISM IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THOSE. IT IS ALSO A HIGHLY LUCRATIVE AND MEDIA-FRIENDLY FORM OF TOURISM WHICH IF FOSTERED AND DEVELOPED PROPERLY CAN BRING HUGELY SIGNIFICANT DIVIDENDS.” Birkdale in 2017 (last year’s Open at Carnoustie had spectator numbers of just over 172,000). In fact, a record-

breaking 61,000 attended the practice days alone at Portrush.

Upwards of 600 million also viewed

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tourismprofile

the tournament on television around the globe, bringing highly positive media exposure for Portrush and Northern Ireland around the world. Causeway Coast and Glens Council staged a superb array of evening activities and events in and around town which added a further element of entertainment and atmosphere for those around during The Open event week. Some economists have put the potential economic impact in the order of £80m for the local economy, but it may yet be shown to be somewhat higher still, such was the success of the week-long event and the associated build up. It was also great to see the event culminate in an Irish winner in Shane Lowry, something which further added to the atmosphere www.hospitalityreviewni.com

and all-round success of this important milestone tournament.

Just a few weeks later we had another highly successful event in the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm. The event (replacing the former Northern Ireland Open) was something of a first with both male and female professional golfers playing in the tournament. Building on the success of the Northern Ireland Open and its profile, the newly branded event also saw a local winner on the female side with Stephanie Meadow lifting the trophy. Golf momentum and exposure in the media clearly continues to be high for Northern Ireland therefore and what we can leverage from this as a form of tourism is potentially enormous.

More people travel the world to do with golf than any other sport. It is quite simply the world’s most lucrative sports related travel market.

Golf tourism has been valued at some US$30bn with over 50 million golf tourists travelling the world to play on some of the estimated 40,000 courses. Northern Ireland is ideally situated to capture a larger slice of this lucrative market due to our excellent golf product in terms of courses and venues, the extremely high profile of our top golfers and the ever-increasing portfolio of golf events being hosted here (undoubtedly boosted further by The Open and its return).

The significance of what this can do for the image of Northern Ireland, our economy and tourism in particular should not be underestimated. In terms of driving tourism forward in Northern Ireland, we have to play to our strengths, and golf tourism is certainly one of those. It is also a highly lucrative and media-friendly form of tourism which if fostered and developed properly can bring hugely significant dividends.

Compared to other types of tourists, golf tourists spend significantly more on their vacations (typically two-three times as much) and are a prime tourist market to target. It is not just the immediate impact The Open brought, leading up to and during the event, that will bring the huge economic dividend but the longerterm tourism potential through the vast media coverage and exposure that the course, the scenery and the region received. Tourism NI recently put revenue from golf visitors at close to £40m per year and wants to grow this to at least £50m by the end of 2020. No question that the profiling provided by The Open

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will certainly help in this regard.

We had already proven in Northern Ireland in recent years that we can host major scale events to an extremely high level, with the likes of the Giro d’Italia and the World Police and Fire Games, in addition to some very successful Irish Open golf events (at Royal Portrush Royal County Down and most recently Portstewart). Such successful event management has not gone unnoticed on the global stage and helped provide the enormous opportunity of hosting golf’s most prestigious event – The Open in 2019.

One of the key differences this time with The Open (as opposed to Irish Open events for example) was that it brought a much higher percentage of overseas international visitors to our shores and the media coverage was further reaching on a global basis.

With momentum gathering pace, it really is time to leverage this highly, to fully harness these immense opportunities.

The economic benefits are potentially enormous as long as we are ready to capitalise on it in the right way. The Open is set to return to Portrush in just five years’ time in 2024. We may have another Irish Open in the north in the intervening period. The new World Invitational at Galgorm can build on its success and gather further pace and attention over the next few years. From a wider Ireland perspective, we have the Ryder Cup set to return in 2026 to Adare Manor.

There have been plans for up to four new hotels on the North Coast, fuelled by the 2019 Open interest and success in particular, and golf tourism and growing tourism interest generally. One of these, The Salthouse, has already opened near Ballycastle. A further three hotels have been in the planning for Portrush/Portstewart and the north coast region. Whilst none of these three have come to fruition yet, if we are serious about harnessing golf tourism we need more high-end hotel facilities (golf tourists are a high spend market) in the regions where our top courses are located, both for more convenience and minimal travel for our visitors but also to help keep the spend in the regions that provide the attraction and deserve more of the economic benefit that results. The future for this form of tourism looks very bright indeed.

OCTOBER HRNI • 41

businessnews

McCUE SETTING THE STANDARD IN LUXURIOUS FIT-OUTS

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pecialist refurbishment and fit-out company McCue Crafted Fit has added another London-based hotel to its prestigious portfolio following completion of the new Standard Hotel in King’s Cross.

The Carrickfergus-based company completed the fit-out of a number of areas of the former Camden Town Hall Annexe, which opened to the public on July 11.

McCue’s work on the project consisted of the fit-out of the entire ground floor area including the Hotel Lobby and the foliage-filled Isla restaurant.

One of the stand out features of the hotel on Argyle Street is the colourful Double Standard Bar. The bar, designed

by Shawn Hausman and created by McCue, is the second longest bar in the UK. A separate project, meanwhile, saw McCue fitout a number of food and beverage and retail stores at Ireland’s first Center Parcs resort in Co Longford, which opened on July 29.

“The Standard Hotel in London was a fantastic project for McCue to be involved in, especially with it being the brand’s first hotel outside the United States,” said Gary Purdy, McCue managing director designate. “We were delighted to have the opportunity to showcase our work and craftsmanship in what was a unique and exciting project for McCue.” The Standard, London is the brand’s sixth hotel, and first international hotel. It

GUESTLINE ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH RIGHT REVENUE

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s a PMS captures and houses data related to everything from occupancy rates, ADR and booking pace to lengths of stay, booking channels and guest segments, advanced revenue management solutions can analyse increasingly large volumes of data, faster than ever before.

Therefore, a clever integration between the global leader in hotel cloud property management, Guestline and leading revenue analytics company Right Revenue expects to revolutionise operations and drive revenues at hotels across Ireland and the UK. “Together with Right Revenue, Guestline is taking away the guess work of working out a rate strategy and understanding the cost of sale by capturing live data and feeding this through to Right Revenue for analysis,” said Clio O’Gara, county manager for Guestline Ireland. “Time saving and revenue growth are the big benefits.”

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Adrienne Hanna, founder & CEO, Right Revenue, said: “It is not only about room sales; it’s maximising everything else, understanding cost of sale and incremental spend and being aware that hotels must always drive the right rate. Existing Right Revenue clients are running on double digital growth and this is set to grow thanks to this integration.”

Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh: a client of the integration.

boasts 266 rooms, two restaurants and a recording studio.

McCue’s has also completed recent projects in London at The Corinthia Hotel, Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square, The Berkeley Hotel and Claridge’s.

THE MERCHANT APPOINTS NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

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anith Panayotou has been appointed business development manager at The Merchant Hotel.

She has been tasked with developing and nurturing long-term relationships with new and existing customers, identifying opportunities for new business, promoting and representing the hotel and Belfast as a destination through various trade shows, networking, and client events.

After university, Panayotou started her career in Belfast, working in a range of operations roles in luxury hotels before joining the sales team at The Merchant Hotel. She went on to work in a number of luxury hotels in Oxford and Edinburgh and has now returned to Belfast to take up the new role.

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OCTOBER HRNI • 49

q&a

THE LAST WORD FAVOURITE RESTAURANT: La Taqueria LAST HOTEL YOU STAYED AT: The Hendrick, Dublin LAST BAR/NIGHTCLUB YOU VISITED: Margot FAVOURITE PLACE IN WORLD: Mullaghmore, Co Sligo INDOOR CONCERT OR FESTIVAL: Indoor gig LAST HOLIDAY: Barcelona

DRINKS FAVOURITE HOT DRINK: Good coffee FAVOURITE SOFT DRINK: Full unadulterated proper Coca Cola or Evian.

BEER OR CIDER: Beer WHITE OR RED WINE: White (No Brosé option?)

WHISKEY OR BRANDY: Whiskey (Irish) GIN OR VODKA: Whitley Neill, Aloe and Cucumber Gin, obviously.

COCKTAILS OR BUBBLY: Cocktails.

NAME

MARK CRAIG

COMPANY

HALEWOOD WINES AND SPIRITS

JOB TITLE

TRADE MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER - IRELAND DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY? Read emails, check socials/drinks news.

Get up, and take Alfie (the dog) for a walk. Into Belfast (or other cities across the island) for strong coffee and eggs Benedict whilst jotting down a to-do list.

More emails and tweaking a few presentations to send out. Mid morning, I’ll usually have a few meetings or phone calls with colleagues, bars or wholesalers. By that point, the afternoon’s plan has likely already changed and I’m arranging something to do with an upcoming event, sourcing or setting up events kit at a venue.

If there’s no event on that day, evenings revolve around another walk with Alfie and dinner with Serena in between the inevitable recheck of my todo lists and emails.

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I try to focus events across the country into bursts; so I may run a similar plan in Cork, Dublin and Belfast in consecutive days, clocking up the miles in our Dead Man’s Fingers-branded Ford Mustang.

I’m well used to the drive now, and it certainly helps that the evenings usually involve some great food and even better cocktails in the best bars.

WHAT FOUR PEOPLE WOULD YOU INVITE TO A DINNER PARTY? Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

ENTERTAINMENT

WHO WOULD PLAY ME IN A MOVIE? Jason Segal

FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Suits FAVOURITE FILM: Grand Budapest Hotel ALBUM CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: Soundtrack from the movie Drive.

FAVOURITE BAND: The White Stripes LAST BOOK READ: The Dead Rabbit’s From Barley to Blarney. Kind of cheating as it’s essentially a photo book of beautiful Irish bars.

FAVOURITE CELEBRITY: Ryan Reynolds

SOCIAL

FAVOURITE FOOD: Mexican or Thai

ONE ITEM YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT? Sadly it’s currently my phone(s).

WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB? Cliché answer: I love my job. I worked hard to get here.

FAVOURITE QUOTE? It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE? Friends, family and Instagram.

MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I’VE LEARNT? Work hard and treat others well, not for karma or getting anything back, just because it’s nice to be nice.

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