April/May H&R Times

APRIL/MAY ’18

€3.65

T H E B U S I N E S S P U B L I C AT I O N F O R T H E H OT E L A N D R E S TAU R A N T I N D U S T R Y

Iveagh Garden Hotel Dublin’s Newest Hotel

Great National Hotels, GDPR Time to Panic ?

Gender Pay Mind the Gap...?

The Ritz

Attention to detail

www.hotelandrestauranttimes.ie

culinary innovation nnovation centre

festival @ gibson lane

Bunzl McLaughlin proudly hosted their first ever Culinary Innovation Festival at their Gibson Lane showroom, based in Dublin. A fantastic week, thoroughly enjoyed by all those who attended each day..

DAY ONE: modern cooking concepts FEATURED:

Rational Cook Live: Working with Rational Cook Live we offered the chance to witness first hand, the power and versatility of Rational’s signature oven range.

Sous Vide Cookery School: As sous vide and water bath cooking grows in popularity with Michelin star chefs, our Sous Video Cookery school dispersed expert advice and techniques onto you.

DAY two:

hotel

s & re

s tau r

FEATURED: cocktail trends

ants

- Profit In Cocktails: We looked into the profits in cocktails, and why they are a must have for your business.

- Current Trends: Keeping up to date with current trends.

- Presentation: Presentation is key, so we made your drinks perfect with beautiful glassware.

- Social Media: How the use of social media can boost your drinks.

three MSK V.I.P culinary event DAY three: FEATURED:

Vicky Endersen, Development Chef at MSK Day Three covered an introduction to Molecular Gastronomy, a new technique used to create wonderful and innovative dishes and one of the fastest growing trends in the restaurant trade.

Within the demonstration we covered the safe use and handling of liquid nitrogen, as well as an in depth understanding and practical insight into the subject of Molecular Gastronomy, demonstrating how new techniques and products can be used to create new dishes, and enhance any existing menu.

MISSED OUT? Look Out For Our

cont

SON LANE! AUTUMN INNOVATION FESTIVAL @ GIB More details to be released on due course.

want to visit gibson lane?

If you would like to visit the culinary innovation Centre for a consultation, to use the facilities or for trade associated purposes please email:

gibsonlane@bunzl.ie

bars & cocktails

LOCATION:

We are situated at Unit 26, Point Village,East Wall Road, Dublin 1 (behind The Gibson Hotel) Eircode: D01 X2P2

www.bunzlmclaughlin.com

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P. 18

COVER: Iveagh Garden Hotel

Contents

P. 24 P. 31

Editorial 4 News

5

Appointments 10 Quality Assurance Misfiring for Public

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Gender Pay

12

Great National Hotels & Resorts

14

Take 3 Women

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Fáilte Interview

18

Bookassist

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Tourism Ireland

Clayton Hotel

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Fáilte Industry News

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Silver Service

Iveagh Garden Hotel

P. 35

28 30

31

Georgina Campbell Awards

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IFSA

38

Staff Shortage

40

Post-crash Hotel Scene

P. 42

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Java 44 Knorr Student Chef of the Year

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Chef Network

48

The Ritz

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ITIC 53 Travels with a disability

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Hotel & Restaurant Times, Ireland’s longest established trade publication, is circulated on subscription to Chief Executives, Directors and Proprietors of Hotels and Restaurants in Ireland along with Architects, Interior Designers and Suppliers to the Hotel and Restaurant Industry.

Managing Editor: Cyril McAree (01-6285447, cyril@hotelandrestauranttimes.ie) Contributors: Pavel Barter, Dr Des O’Mahony, Susan Clarke, Holly Lenny, Val Cox, Chef Network, Tourism Ireland, Frank Corr, Conor Power, Fáilte Ireland, Lorraine Courtney, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, Conor Kenny, IFSA, Sarah Gallagher, Marilyn Bright.

Graphic Design: Tara Mccormack Printing: Turners of Longford

ALL CONTENTS OF THE MAGAZINE ARE COPYRIGHT OF HOTEL & RESTAURANT TIMES. H&R HOUSE, CARTON COURT, MAYNOOTH, CO.KILDARE TEL/FAX: 01 6285447 EMAIL: editorial@hotelandrestauranttimes.ie WEB: www.hotelandrestauranttimes.ie

All paper used in the production of this magazine comes from certifiably sustainable forestry.

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editorial

Time for Action Tourism figures continue to show impressive performance across the island. According to the latest CSO reports, there was a 7% increase in tourist numbers for the first quarter of 2018.

The British market is still causing concern, with Brexit and a falling currency impacting travel.

But European markets are showing continued and sustained growth, which will hopefully offset the downturn from Britain. Germany has increased 30%. Italy and Spain have shown respective increases of 18% and 5%. North America also showed continued growth, with a 13% increase from the same period in 2017.

Coupled with an increase air and ferry access, these statistics bode well for the season. However the industry must not become complacent. According to a recent Fáilte Ireland visitor attitude survey, room rates (particularly in Dublin) are concerning inbound tour operators. In recent findings, perception among tourists of value for money has fallen by around 10%. This should be ignored at the industry’s peril.

editorial

Gender pay disparity in the industry is an ongoing problem. It appears the difference in the pay gap, in favour of men, is around 14%. According to recent CSO reports, this gap appears to be widening. If the industry wants to attract the best personnel, it must address this glaring inequality. While women appear to dominate sales and marketing positions, there is a disappointing lack of women in senior management roles. The Hilton group seem to be addressing this imbalance. Hopefully other groups and hoteliers will follow their lead.

Staff shortages continue to cause concern. With almost full employment in the country, attracting people to work in hospitality is becoming increasingly difficult. The issue of unsociable work hours and conditions must be addressed. The French, for example, encourage and attract people into the sector at a much earlier age: candidates start in college at around 15 years old! The French consider hospitality as a serious career, whereas in Ireland our educators consider it a stopgap: “work in hotel /restaurant until you get a real job”.

Hospitality is incorrectly considered a menial job, with no real prospects, among some educators. But training and developing staff is critical to the industry. We often hear about millions being spent on the aesthetics of property, only discover a lacklustre approach to up-skilling and training. Investment in staff pays dividends, long after the paint gloss fades.

With continued growth in tourism numbers it is no surprise to hear about the emergence of new hotels. The recent opening of the Iveagh Hotel and Gardens, in Dublin is testament to this. A lot of reinvestment is also taking place. Dunloe Hotel in Beaufort Kerry, for example, has seen €18m of recent refurbishments. The hotel now has a fabulous new and contemporary look in its bar, restaurant, reception and lounge spaces, along with enhancement of their gardens. Under the guidance of Jason Clifford GM, this property is set to make its mark in the region. When it comes to understanding hospitality, the Kerry crowd have it in their DNA. A visit to Dunloe Hotel & Gardens reinforces that belief.

Cyril McAree editor

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news

NEWS If you’re Abbey and you know it Abbey travel is celebrating 40 years of business this year. The group began trading in 1978 and has since become one of the leading destination management companies in Ireland and the UK. “Our 40 years in business has been a wonderful and satisfying journey,” said co-founder Brian McColgan. “We love this industry and enjoy the work we do.”

The Force is strong in Irish tourism

Out of the past and into the future

Barbara Gamlen, Lucasfilm; Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin; Alison Fisker, Lucasfilm; Siobhan McManamy, Tourism Ireland’s Director of Markets; and Robert O’Driscoll, Consul General of Ireland to Western USA, in the Lucasfilm studios in San Francisco. Griffin was in California as part of the “Promote Ireland” programme. His schedule included a meeting with Lucasfilm executives in San Francisco, when he thanked them for filming the two most recent Star Wars films in Ireland.

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D., visited the Blasket Island Visitor Centre, Kerry, to see how a €1.69m grant support from Fáilte Ireland will transform the site. He was joined

by Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Product Development Orla Carroll and OPW Chairman Maurice Buckley and Cllr Cosai Fitzgerald.

Fáilte Ireland, in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW), has announced a €4.3m investment in four heritage sites along the Wild Atlantic Way. Alongside the Blasket Centre, investment is planned for Céide Fields in Mayo, Inis Mór in the Aran Islands, Galway, and Carrowmore in Sligo.

Glory days for Shannon students Government urged to match tourism industry’s ambition Four students representing Shannon College of Hotel Management were selected as the outright winners of the 33rd Irish Hospitality Institute (IHI) National Hospitality Business Management Game 2018 at the Clayton Hotel, Galway.

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has announced a new 8-year strategy for tourism following a 12 month consultation with the sector. Tourism: An Industry Strategy for Growth to 2025, claims the existing national tourism policy is “out-dated and overtaken by events such as Brexit”. The ITIC Strategy estimates that earnings from overseas tourism can increase by 65% to €8.1 billion annually by 2025 if the right policies and investment strategies are adapted and pursued.

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news

Canada spirit Irish celebrity chef Clodagh McKenna and Dana Welch, Tourism Ireland, following Clodagh’s appearance on Your Morning breakfast TV show on CTV in Canada.

Spring in their step Sligo Food Trail’s Taste of Spring Feast took place in April, bringing together the following chefs for a gastronomic extravaganza at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa: Joe Shannon (Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa); Marcin Szczodrowski (Eala Bhán Restaurant); Lee Mastin (The Draft House Gastro Pub); Eithna O’Sullivan (Eithna’s

By The Sea); Alan Fitzmaurice (The Glasshouse); Joe McGlynn (Hooked).

iNua’s growth spurts iNua Hospitality, one of the largest regional hotel groups in Ireland, has purchased Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Sligo. The acquisition means the company now owns seven regional hotels in Kerry, Westmeath, Kilkenny, Cork, Limerick, Monaghan and Sligo, employing 750 people.

Let’s Toque about seafood Something Sweet for Temple Street Chefs from some of Ireland’s leading restaurants descended on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way to learn about the provenance of Ireland’s seafood. The sold-out event was organised by Euro-Toques Ireland, in collaboration with Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

Pictured are: Pascal Marinot, head chef, Delphi Lodge; Manuela Spinelli, Secretary, Euro-Toques; Ulrich Hoeche, Lecturer Culinary Arts GMIT; Kate Kennedy, owner, Killary Fjord Shellfish; Graham Neville, Commissioner General Euro-Toques.

The Alex, the Davenport and the Stephen’s Green, along with the Mont Clare hotels, baked up a storm again this year for the Great Irish Bake for Temple Street Children’s Hospital. The staff prepared pastries, cakes and desserts. Hotel and support office staff were involved in the event.

The charity provides funds to purchase critical medical equipment such as CT and MRI scanners.

Showing Brits the Way Around 300 billboard ads are highlighting the Wild Atlantic Way in key roadside and city centre locations across Britain. Pictured are: Siobhan McManamy and Judith Cassidy, Tourism Ireland; and Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin, at one of the billboards in London.

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news

New luxury hotel springs up in Dublin The four star Iveagh Garden Hotel at 7274 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2 celebrated its official opening on in April. Special guest Jim McGuinness, All-Ireland winning former Donegal manager, joined Brian and Barney McGill to mark the completion of the latest addition to McGill’s portfolio, which includes neighbouring Harcourt Hotel and Harrington Hall.

Shannon Springs comes up smelling of roses

Barney McGill, Brian McGill, Jim McGuinness.

Chef Erne’s his keep Mark Winter, Sous Chef at Lough Erne Resort, has won Northern Ireland Young Chef of the Year’ at IFEX Belfast 2018, Northern Ireland’s food, drink, retail and hospitality event. Pictured is: Michael Deane, Michelin-starred chef and previous winner of NI Chef of the Year at IFEX; Kiera Campbell, Sales Director, Henderson Foodservice; Mark Winter, 2018 Winner; and Sean Owens, Salon Director, IFEX.

The Old Lodge Gastro Pub at Clare’s Shannon Springs Hotel has been awarded an AA Rosette for high standards of food. “This AA Award is a credit to our head chef, Anthony Walsh and his team,” said John Gavin of the Shannon Springs Hotel.

Winging it to Canada Dana Welch, Tourism Ireland; Virgilio Russi, Air Canada; Jim Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland to Canada; and Declan Power, Shannon Airport, at the Tourism Ireland event in Toronto to highlight the new Air Canada flight between Toronto and Shannon.

Giving France a chance Ten culinary students - 5 from France and 5 from Ireland - were selected to take part in the 2018 finale of Dairy Chef. This competition was organised in a partnership between the Embassy of France in Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the National Dairy Council (NDC) and the French Dairy Council (Cniel). The Winning pair were Pierre-Louis Delacroix from Université de Cergy-Pontoise and Derek McClelland from Waterford Institute of Technology.

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news

Ireland’s Viking story Two Irish cities celebrated their Viking past over Easter: Dublin with the Dublinia Viking Fest and Waterford with its first ever Viking Festival.

Tourism Ireland’s latest video, Ireland’s Viking Story, was created to give potential visitors a flavour of both events. Pictured is Reginald’s Tower in Waterford.

British golf writers drop by ‘fore’ a visit British golf journalists at the Slieve Russell Golf Club, with Ciaran Cahill, Slieve Russell Hotel Golf & Country Club (back, centre).

U.S. companies step up for Irish tourism Gavin Tollman, CEO of Trafalgar, one of world largest travel companies, recently visited Ireland to hear about Fáilte Ireland’s tourism brands, the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Dublin. Pictured are: Gavin Tollman, CEO of Trafalgar; Rita Kelly, VIP Marketing Trafalgar; Catherine Reilly, Brendan Vacations; Whitney Ramirez, VIP Sales Trafalgar; Derek Dolan, Fáilte Ireland; Melisa Da Silva, president Trafalgar USA; and Paul Keeley, Director of Commercial Development, Fáilte Ireland.

Marker Hotel turns five The five-star Marker Hotel recently celebrated its fifth birthday. Operated

by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the Marker Hotel has in excess of €21.5m turnover and has seen a revenue increase of 60%. Over the last five years The Marker has invested €2.5m throughout the hotel. Pictured is Charlie Sheil, General Manager.

Breakfast club Chefs showcase Irish food in New York Nox Hotel, situated a mile from Eyre Square in Galway City Centre, has received a Highly Commended at the 2018 Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards.

Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School; Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland; and Noel McMeel, Lough Erne Resort, at the St Patrick’s event in New York, organised by Tourism Ireland for food and travel journalists and travel trade.

Galway makes headlines An article about Galway featured in a recent edition of New!, a popular British magazine, profiling Galway’s gastronomy to its 171,000 readers. “It’s an excellent way of showcasing the city to a large audience of potential British holidaymakers and reminding people why Galway was named European Region of Gastronomy for 2018,” said Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain.

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news

Ro International media feel the Force in Kerry A group of over 25 leading entertainment and lifestyle media were hosted by Fáilte Ireland and brought in the footsteps of Luke Skywalker to see how the force was awakened as they visited Star Wars film locations in Kerry.

Lough Derg Blueway opens for business

Asparagus season at InterContinental Dublin

The Lough Derg Blueway has been launched at a special ceremony in Killaloe, Co Clare. A Blueway is a multi-activity recreational trail on or alongside lakes, canals and rivers with access to canoe and bike hire, maps and trail information. www.BluewaysIreland.org

Home-grown Irish asparagus is the plat du jour on a special seasonal menu at the five-star InterContinental Dublin. The special asparagus menu will be available May 4 – 31 in Seasons Restaurant and the Lobby Lounge at InterContinental Dublin, with dishes starting from €13.00.

Avvio dines out on tech award Just Ask for Letterkenny eaterie

Hotel technology expert Avvio has won an international award for its contribution to cutting edge technology in the hospitality industry. Avvio was catapulted into the limelight last year after launching Allora, the world’s first booking engine powered by artificial intelligence.

Lemon Tree Restaurant, Letterkenny, has been awarded Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for April, for showing transparency in the sourcing of the food on their menus.

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appointments

Keeping food safe Kevin Roantree has been appointed Director of Corporate Affairs at The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). Kevin joins the FSAI from the Health Research Board (HRB) where he was Director of Corporate Operations.

Down to business for Hastings Hotels Hastings Hotels has appointed Patricia Murtagh as the Business Development Manager for the Europa Hotel and Grand Central Hotel.

iNua bolsters Cork team iNua Hospitality is adding four new appointments to its Cork-based senior management team: Brenda Murphy, Group Director of Sales, Marketing & Yield; Joanna Hannick, Group Sales and Marketing Manager; Deirdre Buckley, Director of Human Resources and Training; and Eugene Harrington, Group Financial Controller. The expansion of the team follows the group’s recent acquisition of the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Co. Sligo.

Pictured (l-r) are: Brenda Murphy; Deirdre Buckley; Noel Creedon, iNua founder and CEO; Eugene Harrington; Joanna Hannick; Nicole Canty, Executive Assistant; Paul Fitzgerald, Chief Financial Officer; and Sean O’Driscoll, Chief Operating Officer.

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Centre of excellence The directors of Hastings Hotels have announced that Stephen Meldrum will become General Manager of the new Grand Central Hotel in Belfast. Mr Meldrum joined Hastings Hotels in 2002 as restaurant manager of Ballygally Castle before working his way to become the hotel’s general manager. He has since held the role of general manager at the Everglades Hotel, the 5-star Culloden Estate & Spa and is currently at the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa.

New management for Limerick five star The 5-Star Adare Manor has announced the appointment of Brendan O’Connor as Resident Manager. Adare Manor recently reopened after an extensive restoration, refurbishment and expansion programme. As Resident Manager, Brendan becomes deputy to Paul Heery, General Manager.

New GM for landmark hotel JP Kavanagh has stepped into the shoes of General Manager at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. Kavanagh began his hospitality career in 1993 with a hotel position at The Connaught Hotel in London.

His career includes stints as GM of The Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh, and GM of the Kensington Hotel London, and the Westbury Dublin.

His last position was as General Manager of The Belmond Grand Hibernian in Dublin.

artisan produce

Quality Assurance Misfiring

multinational operations than to smaller companies who are, arguably, producing the better quality food according to time-honoured traditions.

A case in point was when Seán Kelly found himself in hot water over the notice he had displayed in his shop, which stated clearly that his food was from the abattoir down the road, with details including herd number and the name of the farmer. When an inspector saw the notice, she pointed out to him that it didn’t comply as it “didn’t indicate the country of source of the meat”.

As far as he was concerned, the source of the meat couldn’t be expressed in clearer terms but it took another serious of consultations and/or meetings with solicitors and the inspector’s supervisor before the matter could be put to bed.

What is more galling for small-time producers is when they find that the same level of inspection doesn’t apply to larger companies. Another small producer gave the example of how they had been paying in cash every week for a regular supplier. The amount being paid was €45 per week.

That particular supplier – a trusted supplier of old – didn’t figure on the normal list of payees, even though the payment was duly accounted for in their own accounts in the form of a receipt they printed for their records. An FSAI inspector stopped the delivery van one day and spent a considerable amount of time searching the van thoroughly until they had found the receipt.

“Can you imagine the same level of inspection being applied to a large meat producer?” the manufacturer asks rhetorically.

Down in West Cork, another highly-regarded medium-sized artisan food producer is Fingal Ferguson of Gubbeen, who produce ham, cheese and a variety of other food products for an increasingly discerning market.

Ferguson is quite philosophical in his acceptance of the growing role of the inspector, as well as the lengthening list of items that need to be ticked off: “I think that regulations are always going to be increasing by their very nature… there’s no reason why they wouldn’t because it starts with someone getting, say, food poisoned and then a new rule being introduced to prevent that particular circumstance happening again. Then something else happens and there’s another rule added to the list and so on… So, there’s no way that there will ever be a backward step when it comes to regulations. The scenario where someone in charge says ‘Let’s just do away with that whole list of regulations because we’ve too many’, that simply won’t happen in the future.”

What he does advocate, however, is to ask the question of how we can encourage artisan food producers where possible: “I think that we don’t have as much support as we’d like to have for someone who wants to start up making food. There is no support at the moment for making better food or ethically better food and I think that is something that needs to be addressed.”

Perhaps therein lies the problem. If we want to create a culture of better food, then for the sake of maintaining quality in our hotel and catering sector, we had better find a mechanism at governmental level for supporting better food; in other words, ensuring that good food is rewarded to the detriment of poor quality food production, and not the other way around.

for General Public

There has never been as much emphasis on the quality of the Irish national food offer. From a tourism and catering point of view, the appetite for good quality food coming from the best of Irish producers is growing day by day: so much so, that there is clear recognition of its value in the product mix of Irish tourism in many of the marketing initiatives from Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.

The Food Tourism Strategy from last year was keen to take advantage of this momentum by rolling out plans that would ensure that our “food in tourism” was presented at its best and that tourists got the authentic experience when visiting Ireland, with the longterm objective of building Ireland as a food tourism destination.

But while the consumers and tourists in Ireland and demanding good quality food from producers who know their stuff with, perhaps the wisdom of generations of knowledge, the authentic experience of Irish food is in danger of dying. When it comes to legislation, the charge is that it is not a level playing field, favouring the large-scale producer to the detriment of the smaller one.

“There’s absolutely no doubt about it in my mind,” says Seán Kelly of Kelly’s Butchers in Newport, Co Mayo, “that the playing field is nowhere near level.” His is a family company that has been producing artisanal food since long before people started using such a word in this country. “There is no derogation given to the small-time producer. You have to have your facility at the same standard as people who are producing tonnes and tonnes of food every week.”

This means, he says, that the larger companies can absorb the huge costs involved much more easily because their volumes mean that the impact on the price of each unit of food they sell is vastly more diluted than in the case of the artisan producer.

Wade Murphy of the 1826 Restaurant in Adare says that overly-zealous regulation is a constant gripe from smaller producers: “All I ever hear (from producers) is how legislation makes it tougher on the smaller guy – how legislation and red tape make it very hard to survive and use traditional production methods while legislation seems to be supporting the mass producer.”

On a point of practicality, he says that he would “love to be curing my own meats and making my own charcuterie and things like that but it would be nigh-on impossible for me to do it.”

No food producer is against regulation and all agree that it’s a good thing but when it comes to food regulation, most of the laws apply to larger

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Gender Pay

Mind the Gap ...!

Although we are seeing more and more women rise to the top, the hospitality industry is still dominated by the male gender.

To get to the top in hospitality, you need endless patience and great energy. You have to get on well with people and stand your ground - and that’s not always easy, so you have to believe in yourself. Being a woman seems to make it harder.

Statistics back this up. On average, women in Ireland are paid 14% less than men, the latest data from the CSO shows, indicating that pay differences are widening rather than narrowing here.

No official figures exist for the Irish hotel and catering industry but some UK hospitality companies recently revealed their gender pay gap and it’s likely a reflection of the Irish situation. These UK companies are among the first of 530 companies to release the data, which must be published by all UK organisations with 250 or more employees by this summer.

The five red-AA-star 394-bedroom Royal Garden hotel and five red-AA-star 250-bedroom Dorchester hotels, both in London, reported that the mean hourly pay rate for women is 16% and 15% lower than men’s, respectively.

A report published by the Dorchester says the main reason behind the gap was the higher representation of women in junior roles with men occupying the more senior leadership roles.

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The Dorchester said: “This is our first year reporting our gender pay gap and we know that we need to further explore the numbers and identify what actions are required to ensure that we make real progress to close the pay gap that is evident in our industry.”

One of the main issues causing gender disparity are the long and unsociable hours of work that are not suitable for balancing work with family life. Mary Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel and Spa in Adare is one exception to this. Mary had no formal hotel training. Her story is one of success against gender odds and she went on to become the first woman president of the Irish Hotels Federation.

Mary started out doing B&B in a four-bedroom bungalow, to supplement her family’s farm income. Always a savvy businesswoman, she had added another four bedrooms before long, and evening meals too.

When eventually she went to borrow money to apply for a hotel license, she hit a barrier in the form of a bank manager who told her to go home and rear her children instead of being out looking for a loan.

“Our American business collapsed, so we opted for a hotel. My bank manager said, ‘My dear woman you have four children.

Isn’t it more in your line to be rearing them.’ That was the attitude back in the 1970s but my ambition drove me on. In 1991 I built 20 bedrooms and now we’re up at 92.”

“It so often falls to the mother to play the mother role work part-time or not take promotions. This makes the hospitality industry difficult for women given the commitment, especially if her partner is working long hours too. You’d be expected to work 60 or 70 hours a week as a general manager in a hotel and most of your business is by night,” she says.

Gender Pay

Mary Fitzgerald of Adare’s Woodlands

She thinks women ideally suited to the industry though and when they enter it they all try to excel. “When a woman is doing a job they’re trying to prove that they can do it better and work to their best ability. Women make wonderful managers.”

While sexism isn’t a problem exclusive to the hospitality industry, it is an industry within which the problem has grown deep roots through being nurtured by those within it, whether intentionally or through fear, complacency or ignorance. It’s been so male dominated for so long.

Charlotte Druckman’s book Skirt Steak: Women Chefs On Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen, is an indepth, behind-the-scenes tell-all about women chefs’ lives behind the line. It’s about the rough banter that makes a kitchen feel like home, the head chefs who take sex jokes too far, and working so hard to stand out – not as woman chef – but as a chef.

These are extreme stories but not too far from life in Irish hotel kitchens Karolina* is a chef in a busy hotel restaurant and has adapted to cope in a male dominated space. “I’m antifeminist when I’m there in the kitchen, because you almost don’t want to be a girl,” she says. “So if the lads make sexist jokes, I’m laughing loudest. I don’t have the luxury of being upset. That idea - of being ‘as tough as the lads’ – is probably a bit toxic because it puts women on a lower rung of the ladder and demands that if they want to be seen with respect, they man up.”

She says that things are changing though and what was acceptable ten years ago isn’t anymore.

Deirdre McGlone is the owner of Harvey’s Point in Donegal and says that traditionally entry to hotel management schools was broadly half male, half female, but following graduation, more males went on to general management positions.

“Females followed a path towards sales and marketing or HR. Or left the industry entirely in some cases. I would love to see more women in managerial roles in our industry. I believe that women have excellent leadership and communication skills, they are creative and of course agile in multitasking.”

In order to encourage more women to pursue a career in this industry, Deirdre says that we need to work at improving the perception that hours are long and unsociable and that there is pressure, stress and lack of work/life balance.

“In the early years at Harvey’s Point, I mistakenly thought that the more hours I worked, that made me a better manager. I have learned to delegate, to empower my team. I have learned that by being healthy and happy, I can work smarter and produce better results.”

“It is encouraging to see that women are becoming more confident and more ambitious in business.It is in all our interests that we support and encourage women to rise to the top of the hospitality industry,” she says.

This is a modernising profession though with more employers working to create teams and nurture talent, give people the time to have relationships outside work and offer support within it.

Take Hilton hotels. Hilton has an approximately 60% minority workforce, 50% of which are female. In addition, nearly 30% of those employees are in management positions, with 40% of them being women. The Hilton Management Development Program (HHMDP) also selects women and minority employees with proven skill sets and trains them for management positions through a rigorous 18-week programme.

“At Hilton, we strive every day to prove that diversity works - it creates an enhanced atmosphere for our employees, and a broader mix of suppliers who can provide goods and services for our hotels - which in turn, cultivates a more well-rounded experience for our customers,” says president and CEO of the group Stephen Bollenbach.

That might not be industry-wide yet, but it is on the upswing as a generational shift slowly takes place. Hopefully before too long, the point about gender balances in the hospitality industry will no longer need to be made.

Deirdre MaGlone of Harvey’s Point

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Great National Hotels and Resorts

GDPR:

Time to Panic?

By Aimee Olley, Data Protection Officer, Great National Aimee Olley

The deadline for hotels to comply with the new General Data Protection Regulation is fastapproaching. By the time this article is published, it will have already landed at our doors. So, should you be panicking? Aimee Olley, Data Protection Officer for Great National Hotels and Resorts provides some timely advice.

In short, the answer is no, or at least, not yet.

The likelihood is that you’ve already started the GDPR journey or are in the logistical nightmare of getting your data infrastructure, policies, related procedures and training boots laced up and polished, to an EU best-datapractice shine.

If it is of any comfort, many organisations from tech firms to consultants, public bodies and governments have put on record that they aren’t sure they’ll make the May 25th deadline. The Belgian Commissioner for data protection has said that even the Belgian Data Protection Authority will not be 100% compliant with the GDPR by the deadline.

Commissioner DeBeukelaere also emphasised that the EU will need the legal system to help define aspects of the GDPR and so “compliance” will be a moving target for some time. He advised that a “period of three or four years will be necessary to assess the success or failure of the GDPR” and called the two-year implementation period “a really very short period of time”.

At Great National Hotels and Resorts, we took an early lead in the hospitality field. We started assessing our existing practices and procedures around data, refining our policies and training staff as early as last Summer 2017, whilst also providing initial supports for our hotel members and partners.

We’re maintaining a pragmatic approach to this as we look set to be fully compliant within the required deadline. Our view is that compliance will continue to evolve as the realities of this legislation become more apparent.

A pro-active ethos on this issue is both professional and prudent. By taking our responsibilities as an industry toward protecting personal data in line with best

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practice, we serve our customers’ best interests and ultimately the interests of our respective businesses.

Looking deeper at the new legal framework, very little has actually changed from the data protection legislation that already governs hotels. You will find that the positive steps in PCI compliance and IT-security that you’ve likely already made will possibly mean that only minor tweaks will be necessary to your existing practices, but perhaps with some more attention paid to documenting the processes that you already have put in place.

So, what has actually changed?

Under the GDPR, the previous Eight Rules of Data Protection have been amended to Seven Principles, in essence what’s contained within them is similar, but they have been revised and condensed.

Take Subject Access Requests for starters: This was already in place under the 1988 Data Protection Act. What has changed is the timeframe - from forty days to one calendar month - and the ending of the €6.35 (£5.00) fee. The removal of the charge is contentious. It wasn’t excessive, but it did have a purpose. It allowed businesses to add a further level of protection because it helped verify identities.

Without this extra safeguard companies will have to be even more careful about who they release data to under a written request for access.

Stringent checks should be made to establish the identity of the applicant as without such identification processes there is a potential for this change to cause the very kind of data breaches we are supposed to be protecting against. Beware bogus Subject Access Requests ...

The potential financial impact of improper practices around the processing, storage and retention of personal-data has changed for companies in two main ways. Firstly, the sanctions that can be imposed by the Data Protection Commissioner have increased up to a whopping €20m or 4% of your annual turnover (whichever is greater) for tier one data breaches.

Great National Hotels and Resorts

Secondly, changes have also been made in the personal litigation arena. An individual (data subject) could always sue under existing acts for material harm. With the GDPR, this also allows for legal action to be brought privately for non-material harm as well. The rights of the individual have been expanded in a few ways. The conditions around consent have been strengthened, meaning that companies can no longer disguise consent for joining a marketing database in a long list of unintelligible T&Cs or make marketing an ‘opt-out’ condition.

Consent must be given clearly and unambiguously with terms provided in plain language rather than complex legalese. It also must be as easy to subsequently opt-out as it was to opt-in to the marketing. The first principle of the GDPR is of key importance here.

Changes have also been made regarding breach notification and the right to be forgotten. The GDPR also introduces the concept of data portability for all the personal data concerning an individual.

and include provision for data privacy in all aspects of their operations around personal data processing.

Attitudes to managing data have changed drastically in a short space of time, from ‘How can you get more data and use it to benefit your company? Big data is the key to Success!’ to ‘Big data is far too much trouble!’. Take the recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica debacle as a case in point.

Arguably the biggest alteration to the data privacy regulatory landscape comes with the extended jurisdiction of the GDPR.

Whereas the prior legislation governed business operating within the domestic territory, the new framework expands the protective horizons to include all companies processing personal data of any data subject residing in the European Union, regardless of the location of the company. Non-EU businesses will have to appoint a representative in the EU if they are processing the data of EU citizens.

The GDPR will not supersede existing legislative requirements in most cases. Some instances where hoteliers will have to draw up some seemingly contradictory personal practices are around fulfilling health, safety and insurance obligations along with Section 10 of the Immigration Act, and various employment laws.

It’s worth getting legal advice on all of your policies and third-party processing agreements to ensure they are covering the myriad of legislation you need to consider before signing-off on them.

The GDPR introduces privacy by design as a legal requirement. At its core, it ensures that companies consider

GDPR questions?

The way forward is somewhere in between: recognizing data as a business asset if managed correctly but as a business liability if mistreated.

The final word on GDPR to IHI President Matt Muller: “There’s an old saying that ‘you should never waste a good crisis’ and with this in mind, my view is that this is an opportunity for hotels to lead the way in how client data is managed both prudently and professionally, and in doing so, hotels will end up strengthening guest relations whilst building brand equity.”

That’s a ‘win’ by any definition.

Please contact Aimee Olley, Data Protection Officer for Great National Hotels and Resorts at dpo@greatnationalhotels.com

Matt Muller

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15

Take 3 Women

The Women Leading the Way in the Hospitality Industry In what is a male dominated sector, women are beginning to rise through the ranks, taking senior management positions throughout the hospitality sector. We spoke to three of these successful women who are more than holding their own in the hospitality world.

Alanna Feeney is the Restaurant Manager at Olivetto’s Restaurant at Haddington House Hotel in Dun Laoghaire. With a background in marketing, she worked with Nick Munier in Avenue, initially in a marketing position, before moving into the General Manager role. She then provided consultancy to Marcels, before joining Haddington House.

Feeney admits that working in the hospitality sector is challenging due to the long hours required for the job, and recognises that in order to progress, you have to work hard.

“To move up the ladder, if you want to progress, you do have to put in the hours. It requires dedication, you have to earn your stripes. You need to cut out a social life, and your work colleagues become your life, so it’s important to try to find a balancing act. I’m still juggling acts; there are still things I’d love to go to but I can’t, but that’s the sacrifice that you make, particularly if you want the restaurant to be elevated.”

Feeney admits that one of the reasons she was drawn to her current role in Haddington House was that she recognised a business which is very progressive towards women in the workplace. “The vast majority of the management roles are held by women, which is very unusual. Haddington House

appreciates the value of having women in the business from the point of view that most have the ability to multitask, and women bring a fresh new dynamic point of view to a male dominated industry.”

As a mother of two boys, Feeney welcomes Haddington House’s progressive attitude towards parenting. “It’s taken into account; I still have to work long hours, but there is some balance, such as having the same set days off every week, so that I can plan days together, which is rare to find. They look after you, so that there is loyalty and progression. It’s a very positive approach; if you put in the dedication, you reap the efforts.”

Feeney believes that having women in senior positions is beneficial for businesses, saying that “employers need to realise that we offer something different to our male counterparts.” However, she firmly believes that work life balance has to evolve in the hospitality sector. “If you want your employees to stay, you have to look after them, whether they’re male or female. The working conditions in the hospitality sector have to change, regardless of gender. Things are getting better, slowly but surely. “ Emer Corridan is the General Manager of the Cahernane House Hotel in Kilarney. She trained in Cathal Brugha Street in hotel management. She worked in hotels in Ireland, the US and Wales, before joining the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney in 1999. Having spent 17 years with the hotel, she held a variety of positions, ranging from front office management to conferencing and banqueting, before joining the Cahernane House Hotel in 2016 as General Manager.

Throughout her career in the hotel industry, Corridan has never encountered any issues as a woman. “I worked with male general managers all the way up, though there teams were mostly women, and never had any issues. The general manager at the Great Southern, Conor Hennigan, was a great mentor to me.”

Corridan recognises that working in hospitality can be challenging: “Hotels never close, so it’s a 24/7 job. It consumes your and I think it’s difficult to get away from it and have a personal life; it’s all tied up with the industry.”

However, she is passionate about her job, and would have no hesitation in encouraging any young person to work in the hospitality sector: “It’s a great career, you have to work hard but you have to work hard at any job that you want. I would encouraging them to go and try it.”

While Corridan hasn’t experienced any discrimination in the industry, she recognises that, at senior level, there are more men than women occupying senior level positions. Accompanied by three other general managers from hotels in Killarney, all of whom were female, Corridan recently attended a recent national executive meeting of the IHF. “There were around 25 men in the room and very few women, and it did strike me that there’s an imbalance here”.

Corridan credits the Prem Group, owners of the Cahernane House Hotel, as having a lot of women in the ranks, with many holding senior positions.

However, she doesn’t view her job in terms of male or female, saying “I see no difference between men and women. It’s about getting the right staff, training the right people, getting your message across to people, seeing your vision. There are always challenges in the industry, but these are universal challenges, rather than specifically because of being a woman.”

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Take 3 Women

Joanna Doyle is the Group Sales and Marketing Manager for the Prem Group, which operates fifty hotels in Ireland, UK and continental Europe.

Like Emer Corridan, Doyle studied at Cathal Brugha Street, and has been with the company for over 20 years, progressing through the ranks, having held roles including duty manager, general manager and e-commerce manager, before being promoted to her current position last year.

Like Corridan, Doyle hasn’t experienced any issues during her career as a result of her gender. “Being a woman hasn’t impacted on me personally or professionally.

I’ve been with the same company for so long, and the Prem Group is all about equality and the skills of the person rather than their gender. Lots of the key members of the team here are women, so there’s a good, positive balance.

Gender wouldn’t come into it.”

Like Feeney, Doyle agrees that having a family is something that can be very difficult for some women, and it can change employer’s perception of them. As a mother of three young children, she feels this has never been a problem with the senior team, but admits that having a family can be challenging. “I didn’t have children until I was based in Prem Group’s HQ and was working more regular hours”, she explains.

She continued: “I would imagine it would be difficult to juggle. The nature of the hotel industry makes it difficult for women – and men – when you have young children. I don’t think it’s something which is specific to gender; any parents doesn’t like to be away from their kids.”

However, she would recommend to her children that they enter the industry if they are interested. “There’s a huge focus on the academic side for kids now, and a lot of parents view the hospitality business as not the best option for their kids, with long working hours and not great pay. I don’t think the industry has a very good name, it’s not getting pushed. I think it’s a fantastic first step for kids. You get to deal with different personalities, and it helps with life skills.”

Doyle feels that there are a lot of progression opportunities in the industry, irrespective of gender, and in the Prem Group she sees that progression was done through merit. Nothing stood in your career path, as long as you were displaying a willingness to learn and grow. “It’s something that we shout about at Prem Group, there are lots of opportunities for progression and professional development.”

She believes the industry is changing.

“I used to go to IHF Council Meetings, and it used to be the ‘old boys’, with not much room for people coming with new opinions and ideas. They are now retired, and the people there now are my counterparts from college who have come from a different background. I would see hotels where the General Manager was Mr this or Mrs that, and this is on the way out. The industry is moving with the times.”

While all three women recognise that their chosen career in senior management is challenging, all three have shown that it’s no longer a man’s world, and women can, and are, enjoying successful careers at the top level of the hospitality industry.

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17

fáilte interview

Fáilte Ireland’s latest tourism brand Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands was launched on the 12th of April last.

The arrival of this latest new branded region marks the fourth piece of a jigsaw puzzle of Ireland that is based on clearly identifiable brands that are designed to drive visitor growth to Ireland and to help enrich the vocabulary of visitors to as to what they really want; something more to give them to latch onto beyond the shamrock and the pint of stout.

Following on the launch of the wildly successful Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East, this region’s geographical zone is smaller than the other two (the fourth being Northern Ireland) and stretches in a widening corridor that runs from Limerick in the south up to South Donegal at its northern extremity.

The main thrust of Hidden Heartlands is to encourage people to get active in nature and explore the region’s natural assets. An immediate developmental focal point will be the pair of tourism Master Plans for the River Shannon and the Beara Breifne Way. One of the characteristics of this latest round of branding has been that brands are based along entirely new lines that don’t follow those of traditional regions provinces or counties.

Coming up with a map that won’t run into controversy along the way was, therefore, a challenge in itself. Were there any areas left out that should have been included according to some or was it a difficult job trying to decide just where the boundaries should lie?

Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Commercial Development There’s no doubt that this marketing-driven re-drawing of territories is in vogue and is proving successful. You can see it in operation in any number of countries. One example is the branding of “Sud de France” in the world’s leading tourism destination. Traditionally, all tourism promotion was based around cities, departments and regions but now the new regions spring from a concept based on visitors’ minds and/or identifiable needs of visitors. With all this branding on top of branding, is there a risk that the visitor will end up being confused by it all? Are we going to see more new branded regions in Ireland, for example or is Hidden Heartlands the final piece of the puzzle?

“At this stage, we’re happy that the jigsaw is complete now. We’re happy now that all areas of the country area covered by one or other of the four branded regions and we don’t see the need for further development of that. Each of them has been researched extensively. They’re offering four quite distinct flavours of Ireland… I think the danger if you try to squeeze others in is that they won’t be sufficiently differentiated.”

“Once you launch these brands and you put any kind of a map out there, there’s always going to be someone who feels that they should be sitting on one side of a boundary line or another,” says Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Commercial Development. “That’s the classic ‘county jersey’ kind of stuff that can exist in a domestic environment… From our perspective, we don’t develop these things lightly – there’s a fair deal of reflection and discussion that takes place around the needs of the visitor, the product that’s available within a given catchment area, etc. We describe them as regional experience brands and the word ‘experience’ is critical because we’ve plotted every product that’s available in Ireland and then completed a cluster analysis and what you find is that each of the regions has a comparative advantage in terms of one form of product over another…

A lot of research was behind the creation of the brand and this involved both consumer research and research of best practice in other countries.

“With this region, we tapped into that notion of getting active in nature, quality time with loved-ones and friends… that kind of thing... In that sense, once you’ve identified those clusters, the product base itself props up the map, so to speak. Then you’re looking for the practicalities of the boundaries such as the key motorways and access roads and water courses, because you’re thinking of visitor migration and how the visitor is going to get around the country.”

At the launch, the €2 million budget was referred to with the hope that “more funding would follow” to help develop the brand and the facilities within its geographical zone. Is it a case, therefore, of building the brand in the hope that the funding will come? A kind of gauntlet thrown down to Government as if to say ‘We’ve done our part, now it’s your turn’?

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“We would have undertaken three or four phases of research across our top five markets (including UK, US, France and Germany).We also did a lot of product auditing in terms of what was on offer on the ground in other countries, benchmarking the proposition against international versions, so we looked at Hidden Heartlands versus The Norfolk Broads or Caledonian Canals. It was about looking at whether or not our product had a fair chance of standing up against others in its competitive set and whether there were any important lessons to be learned from that.

“The really encouraging thing that came from that research was the authenticity of what we had to offer and that it is very much hitting a sweet spot in terms of a growing consumer demand for this notion of getting active in nature.”

“The €2 million is enough to make a strong start and obviously, we’re going to be pitching for more resources in the annual estimates costs for 2019 and at

fáilte interview the launch, we called out two key projects which we’re going to trigger immediately – namely the development of Master Plans for the Shannon and for the Beara-Breifne Way. We would see that those two Master Plans will highlight for us some of the key capital aspects we will pitch for under the National Development Plan over the next number of years.”

Lough Derg Blueway, The Lookout, Portroe, Co. Tipperary

As that funding trickles or flows towards the Hidden Heartlands, just how will the spoils be divvied up? Will the criteria favour established clusters such as Carrick-on-Shannon or will the emphasis be on bringing to life the hidden corners of beauty where tourists are as rare as corncrakes?

“We have said consistently that we want to see economic growth in every part of the country and we want to see experience brands working for every county in Ireland, so those parts of the country that have a strong and balanced asset-base in terms of accommodation, activities and attractions, they’re always going to be better placed to get the dividends in the early days but our job as a Development Agency is to make sure that we spread that benefit as far and wide as possible. We want tourism to be an economic engine in every part of the country – a 365 day industry that’s not just a summer break.”

In the area of developing international markets, one of the initiatives made over the last few years was in organising a tourist visa deal with the UK in relation to tourists coming from India and China – two of the most important growth markets in world tourism.

With two new direct routes from China about to begin this summer, has all that work been undone by Brexit?

Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands-Launch “It’s something that we’re very focussed on but we’d be confident that it’s something too important not to find a resolution for, but the direct responsibility is elsewhere... with a couple of key Government departments and our colleagues in Tourism Ireland: What we’re doing is coming in behind it with a ‘China Ready Programme’.”

All this kind of activity begs the question of Fáilte Ireland’s evolving role. Branding, developing brands, deep-level marketing activity… where does this leave them in terms of looking after their more traditional roles such as ensuring that those who work in the industry are trained to a sufficient level?

“A major focus of Fáilte Ireland has to be on training but training that makes a real difference to our tourism businesses and sets them apart from our international competitors in terms of quality and expertise. Last year, for example, we provided training to over 3,500 tourism businesses throughout the country and this year that number should be exceeded. In recent weeks we have seen the first graduates of our “China Ready Programme” who are now prepared for the growth in the number of Chinese visitors expected to our shores when the first direct flights from China touch down in early summer. In addition, the Accredited Service Excellence Programme trains front-line staff across all sectors of a tourism business to maximise their potential in customer relationships and satisfaction. What we are working towards is for the Irish tourism industry is to be renowned for ‘best in class’ customer service and great visitor experiences and with that reputation comes the added benefits for the entire industry of business growth, enhanced seasonality and regionality and continued increases in visitor numbers and spend.”

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19

Bookassist

Owning Your Hotel’s Online Real Estate

By Ciarán Rowe and Claire Sawier, with Des O’Mahony

The Continuing Importance Of Search

Your hotel’s online traffic and online bookings come from a broad variety of sources today. None of those sources is more important than search. Aggregated data from hundreds of Bookassist partner hotels across Ireland and Europe over the past 12 months show that Google was responsible for 72.5% of overall traffic to those clients when you add Google pay per click (PPC), Google organic search and Google meta search (see Figure 1).

areas of the first page. Search engine optimisation (SEO), PPC, Google My Business and metasearch are all separate areas that must be continually optimised to present an enticing storefront for potential customers. And just like any store front, the windows need to be appropriately dressed and targeting to the customer.

Hoteliers actually have a lot of control over the presentation of their brand on the SERP but disappointingly many allow the weeds to grow and the page goes unnurtured and overgrown by unwanted competitors. So what can you do to win at the online equivalent of the Chelsea Flower Show?

Knowing The SERP #1 PPC Advertising For Your Brand Name

Firstly it is important to understand the key areas of the Google SERP to see why and how they can be influenced for maximum visibility. It is interesting to note that 34% of searches on Google do not result in a click – this is because Google has either answered the query directly on the page, or because the user was not satisfied with the results and so entered another query.

Figure 1 Bookassist data showing Google services delivering 72.5% of overall traffic to hotels in the past 12 months.

Google continues to rank far ahead of all other search engines in market share terms. This is particularly true when it comes to mobile where its dominance of search volume currently exceeds 90% due to its ownership of the Android platform and its status as default search on Apple’s iOS. With Google processing over 40,000 search queries every second on average, it’s virtually impossible for your business to succeed online without prioritising Google in your online strategy.

Just think of what could be achieved if you could own your very own real estate on Google’s search engine results page (SERP). Well actually you already do have a foothold - although there is a massive performance gap between brands that dominate the whole SERP area and those who just own a small corner. In a perfect online world, when someone searches for your brand on Google, the results page would be heavily dominated by you, the brand owner, with perfect messaging that reels in the customers. It’s not that easy to do, but those that do get it right reap large economic benefits.

The continuing cost of tackling the issue can well be outweighed by the ongoing benefits if you get this right.

The Successful Multi-pronged Approach

Presence on the first page of Google’s SERP is the holy grail for brand owners and marketeers. However it is not enough - you need to be present and strong across all

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Figure 2 Google Pay Per Click Ads are indicated by the “Ad” label. Rich ad extensions and site links can be created to maximise impact.

Starting at the top of the page, the easiest area to control is the section with PPC or paid ads, which can be identified by the small green text box which says ‘Ad’ (see Figure 2).

In order to maximize visibility in this area it is strongly advised to use a Google Premier Partner like Bookassist that has experience in creating and optimizing campaigns for hotels. Your agency should ensure that the full complement of ad extensions and sitelinks are used to maximize the footprint on the page and provide rich information, and to ensure the best position to get maximum click-through. The devil is in the detail here and significant skill is needed for research and optimisation.

Many hoteliers query the value of running brand name ads at all. But there are significant implications of not doing so. In conjunction with one of our partner hotels we ran an experiment to see what impact turning off brand ads would have on other areas of Google search. As is demonstrated in Figure 3 below, there was a significant drop in OVERALL Google traffic when the brand ads

Bookassist stopped, with a recovery as soon as the ads were switched back on. Our conclusion was that while PPC ads will divert some users away for clicking on organic listings, removing the ads will result in an overall traffic drop as users click on alternative ads.

Figure 3 Bookassist data shows that not running brand advertising campaigns can also damage your non-campaign traffic as users engage with and focus more on competitor ads.

Knowing The SERP #2 Organic Listings

Continuing down the SERP to the organic results listing beneath the PPC ads, it is important that this area too is managed by an agency experienced in SEO. Technical areas such as meta tags and descriptions need to be expertly crafted to send the best possible message to Google but also to attract users and encourage them to click through to your site. And of course you need to consider multilingual approaches also for your target markets which may differ in approach and not be simply translations of the main language.

Data for Google organic traffic in March from Advanced Web Ranking shows that, internationally, the first listing in the organic results page receives a 36% click through rate (CTR) on desktop and 28.5% CTR on mobile with a rapid drop off as we move down the SERP (see Figure 4). So it is critical to focus on how to rank first for your brand name.

Looking at a well-structured example in Figure 5, we see the various areas that can mostly be optimized directly by the property owner.

If you don’t already own the information being displayed about your property, the first step is to claim the business using Google My Business at the address business.google.com. The Google My Business interface allows you to manage photos, reviews, description, questions and much more.

When logged in to your Google My Business account, you can upload official property photos and review user photos in order to flag any that are unsuitable. It is important to note that the knowledge graph will appear for searchers whether you engage with it or not, and in the absence of owner-supplied information, Google will rely on general users and third party websites for content.

The next key area to check is the map, to ensure that the location is correct, and following that, to check that the name, address and phone number match exactly with the details on your website.

The Book a Room button and Check Availability facility are powered

by Google Hotel Ads. Google’s metasearch service that operates on a cost per click model. Again if you are not there, the user will likely click on a third party to check rates and complete a booking. Use of this area requires partnership with a metasearch provider such as Bookassist that has a certified Figure 5 connection to the Google Hotel Ads A well-structured Knowledge Graph can bring platform. significant click throughs and additional business.

The Hotels details section allows you to create a well written and informative description of your property but unfortunately Google frequently ignores this description and pulls one together from various sources across the web. Despite this drawback it is well worthwhile managing your description and taking the time to regularly update your amenities to ensure that they are 100% accurate, as having incorrect facilities listed can lead to customer dissatisfaction on arrival or possibly mean missing out on a booking when customers don’t see a facility that they require.

The final two sections require regular monitoring and feedback – firstly the customer reviews should be treated in the same way as other important review sites, with frequent responses from the owner or other responsible for both good and bad reviews. Finally the questions and answers section is a good opportunity to engage with customers.

These questions are typically answered by Google users, so it is important that the official response is given for accuracy, but also to start a conversation with customers.

Figure 4 Advanced Web Ranking data shows the importance of owning the first position in organic search.

Knowing The SERP #3 The Knowledge Graph The third key area of the results page appears on the right hand side and is referred to as the Knowledge Graph by Google. The objective of this section is to answer as many queries as possible in one area and to encourage the user to click through to a booking facility powered by Google Hotel ads – Google’s metasearch advertising platform.

Bottom Line

You may not know it, but you already have a SERP for your hotel. The question is who really owns that real estate, you or your competitors?

It’s time to move your page’s real estate from a side alleyway to the main street and tap into customer demand.

Ciarán Rowe is Head of Digital Marketing Operations, Claire Sawier is Head of Marketing, and Dr Des O’Mahony is CEO & Founder at Bookassist (www.bookassist.com), the multi-award-winning technology and digital strategy partner for hotels worldwide.

Bookassist is The Direct Booking Expert™ and is a Google Premium Partner.

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tourism ireland

Tourism Minister reviews impact of “Wonders of the Wild Atlantic Way” campaign Around 300 eye-catching outdoor ads have been highlighting the Wild Atlantic Way in key roadside and city centre locations across Britain. The ads feature strong and iconic images of various locations along the Wild Atlantic Way and the key message is the quick and easy access from Britain to those spectacular locations in under two hours. It’s all part of Tourism Ireland’s “Wonders of the Wild Atlantic Way” campaign – in cities in Britain with direct flights to the West of Ireland, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin visited London recently, where he met with the Tourism Ireland team to view the impact of the campaign. He was fully briefed on the organisation’s promotional programme for 2018, including this €1.35 million Wild Atlantic Way campaign, which will reach at least 10 million potential holidaymakers. Minister Griffin is pictured with Siobhan McManamy and Judith Cassidy, both Tourism Ireland, at one of the outdoor ads in London.

Promoting new Cathay Pacific flights in Australia Cathay Pacific will launch its new flight from Hong Kong to Dublin in June. Tourism Ireland in Sydney has teamed up with Cathay Pacific, rolling out a campaign to highlight this new flight option for Australian holidaymakers wishing to visit Ireland in 2018 and 2019. The campaign includes online advertising on popular websites, articles on the popular Traveller.com.au site, as well as extensive social activity – promoting a good value fare on the new service to Dublin from Australia, via Hong Kong. The campaign is also highlighting our unique culture and beautiful scenery, as well as the warm Irish welcome. With flights four times per week and morning arrivals, the message for Australian holidaymakers is “Wake up Fresh in Ireland”.

Visioning for tourism in a digital world Tourism Ireland hosted a ‘Future Tourism’ conference, looking at the drivers and impact of technology changes on tourism. With around 200 senior travel professionals from across the island of Ireland in attendance, the aim of the conference was to create an understanding among people working in the tourism sector about the impact of emerging technologies on their businesses.

It also examined how to take full advantage of new technologies to grow their business. Discussions centred on the nature and drivers of technological change – including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, accelerated computing, data and MarTech, as well as changes in consumer behaviour – and outlined the scale of the opportunities and risks these present.

A panel of expert speakers highlighted the scale of change under way and how it relates to tourism. Pictured at the conference are keynote speaker Gert Leonhard; Joan O’Shaughnessy, Chairman of Tourism Ireland; and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.

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tourism ireland

Highlighting new Air Canada flight from Toronto to Shannon An event to highlight Air Canada’s new, direct flight from Toronto to Shannon took place recently in downtown Toronto. The event, organised by Tourism Ireland, was attended by around 100 leading Canadian travel journalists and travel agents, as well as senior representatives of Air Canada and Shannon Airport. The four-times weekly flight begins in June. Pictured at the event are Dana Welch, Tourism Ireland; Virgilio Russi, Air Canada; HE Jim Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland to Canada; and Declan Power, Shannon Airport.

Golf promotion is ‘hole in one’ for tourism – reaching 7.7 million American households As the 82nd US Masters got under way in Augusta recently, Tourism Ireland launched a new golf campaign in the United States. The campaign included a 30-second ad which aired to an estimated 6.5 million households on the hugely popular NBC Golf Channel. And, a further 1.2 million people saw messages about golf in Ireland online, on Golfchannel.com. The TV ad will also air in the US later this year, around other Major championships and around relevant TV shows. Tourism Ireland is also promoting our superb golf courses on Ireland.com and through social media, right throughout the year. Key messages include the fact that Ballyliffin is home to the 2018 Irish Open and that Royal Portrush will host The Open in 2019.

Cork goes underground in Paris metro!

Ads highlighting Cork have been running in the metro stations of Paris – part of a Tourism Ireland campaign in conjunction with Aer Lingus and Cork Airport, to promote flights from Paris to Cork and to grow French tourist numbers to the South of Ireland this year. The ads have been running on around 137 screens in the metro stations across the French capital, reaching more than 10 million people. The campaign also includes online advertising on popular websites – highlighting Cork Airport as an important gateway to both the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East.

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23

Clayton Hotel

A Stand-Alone Italian Success Story

By Holly Lenny

Mastering the Italian cuisine in its original form is often a recipe for disaster, if the technique is not directly passed down from your Italian ‘Nonna’ (Grandmother). The international popularity of these household dietary staples from pastas to pizzas has lead to many large franchises presenting these dishes with one missing ingredient, authenticity. Nevertheless, The Italian Kitchen in Swords, county Dublin, appears to be one restaurant that is getting it right; delivering a taste of Italy that is the closest thing from hopping on a budget airline flight to Rome.

Attached to the Clayton Hotel at Dublin Airport, it was previously Bewley’s Hotel before hotel operator giant; Dalata purchased the group’s portfolio.

The Italian Kitchen is a stand-alone establishment that is killing two birds with the one stone; appealing to their internal hotel market and the surrounding Fingal area of up to 300,000 inhabitants. This current business model that is very prevalent in countries around the Middle East, moves away from a more traditional approach that a hotel only supplies for their staying guests.

Des McCann is the General Manager of the Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport, a newly refurbished hotel that is set to have 608 bedrooms, 15 meeting rooms, a ballroom for up to 300 guests, brassiere restaurant, Playwright bar and just short of 2,000 car park spaces. After moving from the Ballsbridge Hotel, this new venture allowed Des to explore fresh opportunities for an additional food outlet; something out-of-the-box and unique. “I just thought to hell with it, let’s do something a little different!” The invigorating addition of The Italian Kitchen was a concept cooked up by Des himself, an avid fan of the Italian cuisine, but also a man with an eye for utilizing wasted space. After a little market research at other 4* hotels in Dublin and Dublin Airport, he quickly realised there was a gap in the market. “The majority of people love Italian food and a lot of our summer business is families; the kids love pizza. I thought an Italian was it! On the south side there is Milano’s, Jamie Oliver’s but on the north side there is really nothing.”

With everyone onboard with the new venture, Des was given the green light to make The Italian Kitchen a reality. From there he spend some

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Clayton Hotel

time in London doing extensive research; visiting other restaurants and exploring numerous interior designs that would best suit the new project in Dublin. “I wanted something for both families and corporate that could come midweek. Our interior is black and white and doesn’t necessarily shout and scream Italian, but that is deliberate. It gives it a classical feel,” Des explains. With 152 seats in the restaurant there is often the fear of an establishment developing into a canteen once you go over roughly 95 covers. Although it was in London that Des discovered the genius idea of creating specific zones to convey comprehensive context in the overall layout of the restaurant. To achieve these zones they installed black marble tops with black lights and opposite white marble tops with white lights, along with a high table to split it up. Sometimes there is a stigma attached to restaurants within a hotel or even a stand-alone eatery beside a hotel and this is something Des can honestly acknowledge, but discovered a simple solution to. “We have created an internal and external entrance, which means the external guests don’t even come near the hotel lobby. I look at The Italian Kitchen as a restaurant on its own, totally separate from the hotel restaurant and bar.”

Once the interior design was finalised, it was time to search for the right team members who could bring the place to life. Gina Bokin, the Restaurant Manager had an abundance of experience to bring to the table, especially with her keen interest in the beverage department. Gina’s popular signature cocktail that she apparently swears by is an

Amaretto Sour – a concoction of Amaretto, bourbon and sugar syrup. General Manager, Des is very enthusiastic of Gina and her expertise. “She has a sharp eye for customer focus and has brought in a new culture of staying on top of the trends.

She has done little things that have made a big impact.”

As for food, Head Chef, Alan Brady was the man responsible for creating the very much authentic menu that promises to deliver healthy options with impeccable taste. In total there are around 35 to 40 dishes on the menu from a range of traditional antipastos, delectable fresh pastas, a selection of wood fired pizzas, fresh fish and meats and even a variety of popular Italian desserts. To ensure there is an option for everyone, Alan created six dishes that would appeal to the Irish palette, yet still correlate to the general theme, such as a fillet of beef in a spicy tomato sauce. Eating in accordance to the season is gospel for the Mediterranean diet and incorporating this into The Italian Kitchen’s menu is an important reflection of this belief. From the beginning of May a new menu will be crafted to include salads and seasonal dishes.

General Manager, Des McCann reiterates the importance of good quality ingredients, which is why he partnered with Italicatessen, a family run business that imports Italy’s top quality ingredients for the Irish market. The process of perfecting their signature pizza style was one that produced nearly 1,000 pizzas before they found the perfect balance.

The final result was not too thin and not too thick, but the Goldilocks principle that created a middle-of-the-road rustic style pizza base. Investing in a wood-burning stove is something Des reveals to be as a phenomenal piece of equipment. “ It can cook up to eight pizzas at a time in two minutes with beautiful wood aromas. It’s a big hit with

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Clayton Hotel

families and small kids who can come up and watch their pizza being cooked in the open kitchen. It’s a bit of theatre and hotels out there just aren’t doing it. Family is very important to the Italian culture and the restaurant reflects that.”

The explosion of the ‘foodie’ culture that has developed over the past five years has given many consumers an upsurge of appreciation for high quality food. Therefore price isn’t necessarily the dominant component and due to this analysis, The Italian Kitchen has a slightly higher price point in comparison to their competitors. “Good quality Italian ingredients are being used. If I was to knock €3 off the pizza, yeah I could do, but the impact on the quality would suffer. Customers don’t mind paying that extra bit, if they know the quality is excellent. The pizzas range between €13 to €16,” Des candidly explains.

Harvesting consumer data appears to be a globally topical subject in 2018, however General Manager, Des believes it can be a beneficial tool when implemented to genuinely improve a customer’s experience and deliver that ‘wow’ factor. After investing in software technology, The Italian Kitchen has the ability to log specific wines or dishes that returning customers frequently order. This is the ‘cherry on top’ that Restaurant Manager, Gina Bokin believes is a vital component that creates exemplary customer service. Des too concurs that this new system creates a connection, a sense of loyalty and an individualised element. “With the 150 covers we had last night, we knew 25 of the customers were repeat customers, which meant 25 of them didn’t even have to ask for their wine. We just confirm with them

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whether that is the wine they would like that evening. From a customer’s point of view, they want to feel like it’s their restaurant and their business is valued. That is the essence of what The Italian Kitchen is all about.”

The nonchalant restaurant environment in The Italian Kitchen reflects an equally laid-back working environment for the 18 members of staff. According to Des, he believes that creating a fun and relaxed working ambiance is paramount, despite the restaurant displaying an air of sophistication. “ We don’t have name tags, all the staff wear an open-collared shirt. It is that relaxed atmosphere that we wanted to go with.” Between the hotel refurbishments and The Italian Kitchen, there has been a total investment €30 Million creating around 400 jobs for the surrounding community.

With this large injection of capital into the business, investing in efficient and effective staff is just as crucial to the overall aesthetics. “A piece of paper with your CV shouldn’t determine whether you are a good fit or not,” Des firmly states. He will meet with walk-ins looking for a job and have a brief conversation to gage what they have to offer in terms of people skills. Additionally, he encouraged all current staff members to undertake a course that wasn’t relevant to hospitality to get their head out of the hotel and have everyone engaged, which lead many to choose a course on emotional intelligence.

With the incredibly positive response to The Italian Kitchen, Des reveals there are plans in the pipeline to expand the brand, which will be next seen in the Maldron Hotel Shandon Cork City by the end of 2018. However, he adds that not every hotel will have its own stand-alone Italian Kitchen, only locations with feasible promise. The new 90-seat restaurant in Cork “is a nod and a testament to how successful it has been in Dublin,” Des affirms. “ In Cork the location is beside a very busy retail street and The Italian Kitchen will have it’s own external entrance too. The test of that is will the customer feel like they are in a restaurant? So far, it has been so successful because they feel like they are in a restaurant rather than a

Clayton Hotel

hotel.” Dalata CEO, Pat McCann is a strong believer in the decentralised model of employment, which means that general managers are responsible for running their own business within the group. With this core value, Des will rely on each general manager who will take on an Italian Kitchen restaurant to run it in his or her own way. “There is no control book, you have to put your own twist on it. For example, the menu that works here in Clayton Dublin might not work in Cork. Pricing and wines will change, so it is all open to interpretation. When I did research about the Jamie Oliver’s franchise, I discovered that when you take it on, that’s what you get; a box and you don’t really step outside that box. I believe that you have to have the ability to change.”

The current success and potential opportunity for growth is a clear testimony that the proof is in the pudding of The Italian Kitchen brand. Innovation through the Dalata mindset, an excellent vision and an open-minded approach are all the key ingredients to ensure a healthy and sustainable business model in the food and beverage industry. “We look at each of these aspects as businesses on their own. We don’t say ‘Oh the restaurant is struggling, but it is covered by the room rate.’ We don’t take that approach because that restaurant has to stand on its own two feet. That’s what makes it successful,” Des concludes.

As for The Italian Kitchen in Dublin the next step is to expand the external market, which is currently responsible for 9% of the business. Although there has been no official advertising for a takeaway option, there has been an average of 15-18 takeaways per night with people calling in their order to collect. Des sees this as a very positive insight and a new market to be explored. “ The main objective in the beginning was to perfect the evening time and go from there, rather than be something to everybody and do nothing right. I don’t believe in that at all.” The sales team is now focused on selling a unique package that includes The Italian Kitchen, rather than traditional hotel rooms. Approaching the corporate market has proven to be a huge success. Weekdays between Monday and Thursday have allowed the hotel and The Italian Kitchen to benefit in business. “ For example yesterday there was a corporate gathering – they had their meeting in the hotel, lunch and then finished up in the Italian. However, previously they would have gone to a restaurant in Malahide. We have created the full package,” Des happily reports.

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fáilte industry news

Major Investment in Heritage Sites

An investment of €4.3 million in four key heritage sites along the Wild Atlantic Way was announced recently by Fáilte Ireland, in partnership with the Office of Public Works (OPW). The four heritage sites to benefit from this investment are the Blasket Island Visitor Centre in Kerry, Céide Fields in Mayo, Inis Mór in the Aran Islands, Galway and Carrowmore in Sligo.

The investment forms part of Fáilte Ireland’s strategic partnership with the OPW and will significantly enhance the visitor experience and views at key locations, with new exhibitions and major upgrades. Fáilte Ireland is providing up to 75% of the funding for the projects from its Capital Grants budget, with the remainder of the funding being provided by the OPW.

Fanad Lighthouse Centre Officially Opened

A new visitor reception centre at Fanad Lighthouse in Co. Donegal was officially opened recently by the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin and Government Chief Whip and Minister for the Irish language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, Joe McHugh.

Alongside funding from the Special EU Programmes Body, Irish Lights, Donegal County Council and Údarás na Gaeltachta, Fáilte Ireland invested €470k in the development of a new visitor centre and car park. The new reception centre is also home to a permanent exhibition to highlight the stories of Fanad Head.

The opening ties in with Fáilte Ireland’s ongoing plans to develop tourism in Donegal, complementing recent investment in visitor facilities at Malin Head and a proposed Visitor Experience Development Plan for the Inishowen area.

Golf Ireland Convention 2018

Killarney recently hosted 35 of the world’s top international golf tour operators for Fáilte Ireland’s 2018 Golf Ireland Convention, a showcase of the country’s top-class golfing experiences.

The convention, organised in partnership with Tourism Ireland and IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), is a forum for key overseas golf operators to meet directly with more than 60 Irish golf industry members and to negotiate overseas business for 2018 and 2019.

Golf tourism is an extremely lucrative sector for Ireland with golfers being amongst the highest yielding visitors to Ireland. Over 200,000 overseas visitors play golf during their visit to Ireland every year, contributing almost €270 million to the economy and driving over 1.7 million bed nights right across the country.

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fáilte industry news

Another Successful Outing for Ireland’s Most Influential Travel Trade Event

Top international tourism buyers, representing tens of thousands of possible customers, gathered recently to attend Meitheal 2018, Ireland’s most important annual travel trade event. More than 360 Irish tourism businesses from across the country attended to exhibit their offerings.

Meitheal is held annually each spring and organised by Fáilte Ireland, in association with Tourism Ireland to provide a platform for Irish tourism operators to win new contracts and customers for next season and beyond. This year’s event involved: • 302 top overseas tour operators from 23 countries, including delegates from Iceland, Japan and Qatar attending for the very first time; • 12,000 face to face meetings programmed; • Familiarisation tours for international operators - visiting Dublin, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way.

Amanda O’Reilly, Killashee House Hotel, Naas with Gloria Cuttica, Interopa, UK

Elaine Gormley, Shandon Hotel & Spa, Joan Crawford, Fáilte Ireland, Carolynne Harrison, Shandon Hotel & Spa, Donegal and Miriam Kennedy, Fáilte Ireland.

Brendan Byrne and Nevin Cody, Shenanigans The Kilkenny City Walk with Jenny De Saulles, Head of Ireland’s Ancient East at Fáilte Ireland

Liam Campbell and Ciara Scully, Fáilte Ireland with Simon O’Connor, MoLI Museum of Literature Ireland

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Silver Service

Silver Service Etiquette

- more important than ever

Silver service etiquette may be something that is seen as out-dated and unfashionable, but the truth is that it’s something that’s more important than ever.

That’s according to Orla Brosnan, CEO of the Etiquette School of Ireland, a leading provider of professional training solutions. Brosnan, herself a Certified Social Etiquette Consultant, provides silver service etiquette training through ‘hands-on’ Silver Service training workshops for the hospitality sector.

“The simple fact of the matter is that you could have the most wonderful restaurant ever, but the entire organisation will still live or die based on the level of service being provided. In addition to the food itself, the service staff is still perhaps the single most important element of any restaurant’s success”, explains Brosnan.

“This is why our Silver Service Training Workshops are essential. They go well beyond the standard of training that allows you to be a waiter, but instead give you the skills and experience necessary to be a waiter worth remembering, and this is what will have your patrons coming back for more”.

The fine dining sector, which suffered during the recession, has seen a resurgence, most recently with the arrival of Glovers Alley by Andy McFadden, in the space previously occupied by Thorntons in Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Hotel. The renowned London restaurant The Ivy is also due to open in the capital later this year.

The popularity of fine dining means that having staff trained at the highest level is more important than ever, according to Brosnan. “It’s not good enough for a waiter simply to take an order and bring the food to the table.

They should be knowledgeable about what they’re serving, know their menu inside out, and work as a team player with the kitchen. They need to be able to sell - with confidence - the full dining experience the restaurant has to offer.

Training at the workshops is provided by Orla Brosnan, along with Denis Kelly, a wellknown face in the industry, who has over forty years’ experience in high class catering, including as Maitre D at Kings Inns, Dublin Castle and Farmleigh House. Training can take place on-site, or in a five star hotel location.

Denis Kelly is passionate about standards in silver service etiquette: “Many people don’t realise just how important the quality of service provided is to the overall restaurant

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experience. Yes, the food is a major component – but staff well versed in the best service styles with the tips and skills to match is an integral part of the greater whole”.

The workshops cover a comprehensive list of topics, ranging from customer relations, greeting guests and sales techniques, to traditional etiquette training in silver service, plate service and table setting. Areas include how to deal with glassware on the table for the duration of the meal; serving vegetables; desserts including chocolate or glaceed fruits; the art of clearing the table before pudding is served, and crumbing the table. On completion, each participant is awarded with a certificate outlining exactly what has been covered on the course.

So how can silver service training be of benefit? Denis Kelly explains that “training in a practical environment, alongside an experienced trainer, allows you to practice the skills and ask specific questions about the etiquette around specific areas that are relevant to your job.”

Having worked in the fine dining sector for over forty years, Kelly firmly believes that professional silver service training is more important than ever: “There is still a tremendous appreciation and demand for a silver service experience in fine dining establishments from customers in my experience, and it’s important that this is exactly what they get. Well trained, professional front-of-house staff are essential, and that’s something that won’t change.”

The ESI Silver Service training workshops cost €250 per head, with special rates available for groups of 5 or more.

For information on the Etiquette School of Ireland silver service training workshops, visit www. etiquetteschoolofireland.com.

Iveagh Garden Hotel

Welcome to the

IVEAGH GARDEN HOTEL Dublin’s newest hotel, the four-star Iveagh Garden Hotel has opened on Harcourt Street, Dublin 2. Designed for the professional sector, this primely located hotel offers luxury accommodation with 152 bedrooms ranging from deluxe to premium suites with balconies over-looking the historic Iveagh Gardens. A spacious ground floor bar and bistro, Elle’s, provides a stylish social space for guests and local executives to relax. Serving a concise seasonal menu designed by head chef Darren O’Brien, dishes feature the highest quality local Irish produce. Downstairs At The Iveagh is a versatile function room that accommodates up to 300 standing, ideal for corporate events, weddings and social occasions.

Located at 72-74 Harcourt Street, the existing four storey buildings comprising of 56,000 square feet have been completely renovated with two new floors added with the support of architects DMOD and McGill Construction. Sensitive to its position on a renowned Georgian street, design group JDDG (John Duffy Design Group) has retained the classic and original character of the building while creating a stunning contemporary experience.

The Georgian facade has been carefully restored and the interior features a blend of modern styling with original features.

John Duffy, whose design group JDDG is renowned in the hospitality industry was entrusted with the design of the new Iveagh Garden hotel. He was delighted to work again with Brian McGill and the brief was to deliver a 4 star hotel of 150 guest rooms along with public spaces which offer every comfort to the guest.

This hotel, located as it is a few metres from St Stephens Green has to be the ultimate desirable location, enhanced by the charm and character of the Iveagh Gardens to the rear. The conversion of the original building provided JDDG a unique opportunity for an extravagant remodelling of the interior and the result is a stunning contemporary experience, a significant addition to the hotel stock in Dublin 2. Two new floors were added to the pre-existing building with the original Georgian façade being retained.

Sensitivity to its situation in a Georgian street required delivery of a stylish classic concept.

Apart from the provision of a substantial number of hotel bedrooms, the creation of contemporary bars and bistro was critical in attracting business from the local Dublin 2 area. Inside, the foyer boasts elegant heights with the original tall Georgian windows onto

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Iveagh Garden

Harcourt St, with coffered ceilings, modern chandeliers and large- patterned vibrant glossy porcelain floor tile, the reception has black marble with brass sheeting set behind clear acrylic rods. The furniture is mid- century style – deep sofas and seating in luscious vibrant velvet, tables with marble and brass framing.

The main bar of the hotel leads from the reception through a massive ebony-stained timber screen of tall double doors into the two-tired bar- bistro area, part of which is crowned by an impressive tall rooflight. There is a further large rooflight over a wall of ochre brick which leads to the external terrace of planting, tiered awnings and hard landscaping. The extensive bar and back- bar consist of a bar-front of vivid emerald green marble inlaid with a patterned brass design with timber and marble top. The back-bar has a deep ebony cornice with mirror, glass and brass inlay, with open and illuminated textured glass cabinet display. This large bar-bistro has a two- fold function transitioning harmoniously from breakfast to lunch and dinner and the open kitchen lends an informal vibe. This is a flexible space with split-level ceilings the higher of which has an interesting and funky design.

The Iveagh Garden offers accommodation at four levels, city-pod rooms, standard rooms, Georgian rooms and suites, some of which overlook the magnificent threehundred-year-old Iveagh Gardens which are open to the public. The Georgian guest- rooms are located at first floor level overlooking Harcourt Street with the original magnificent tall windows affording tons of natural light.

Luxurious upholstered headboards and an eclectic mix of furniture create a attractive mix of new and old.

However, this renovation was as focused on technology as it was on design. How to best to use technology to enhance the guest experience was the project undertaken by MJ Technologies at the Iveagh Garden Hotel. In consultation with the owners, MJ Technologies partnered with Samsung Ireland to install the best hospitality management technology - the LYNK REACH 4.0 - making it one of the first hotels in Europe to install

the system in its bedrooms. Allowing customised onscreen content, each bedroom now benefits from convenient communication options while it allows efficient room management seamlessly integrated into the hotel’s property management system.

State-of-the-art Samsung mirror screens in the public areas combine to act as an attractive reflective mirror in standby mode, to promote the hotels facilities and offerings in signage mode and in TV mode allows sporting and other events to be televised. Complementing these technologies, the audiovisual infrastructure is integrated into the I.T. network, giving a further dimension of flexibility and control.

Innovation has been central to this project and Iveagh Garden Hotel is the first and only hotel in Europe to develop a unique low energy system that creates the lowest carbon footprint possible.

The revolutionary system uses natural energy that is harvested on site, with an underground river that flows 50 metres below the hotel acting as an energy reserve for cooling and heating the hotel without burning fuel. The development team lead by Brian McGill and his son Barney set a target to create the lowest carbon footprint possible for the Iveagh Garden when compared to any hotel in Europe despite the building being 40 years old. This decision would require removing the refurbished heating and plumbing system from the building which ran on fossil fuel and replace it with a system to use natural energy and smart concepts. A costly decision, but in the words of the owner ‘you cannot put a value on nature, it’s the most important asset we have, and I want to use it’

Established in 2009, MJ Technologies is Ireland’s leading audiovisual solutions provider. Run by James Mullally, an IT professional with 20 years of industry experience along with an expert team of designers and technical staff, the company installs a wide range of AV and technology solutions from video conferencing, digital signage, interactive hospitality systems, meeting room design.

Working across the hospitality, pharmaceutical , education and corporate sectors, MJ Technologies tailor-make solutions for each client looking to upgrade existing infrastructure or seeking a complete turnkey finish for new projects. Previous clients include Lidl Ireland, the Iveagh Garden Hotel ,Radisson Blu Royal Dublin , Mespil Hotel . We operate nationwide and handle maintenance and training also.

In partnership with leading brands including Samsung, Yamaha, Crestron , Extron, Polycom, Cisco and Sennheiser.

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Iveagh Garden Hotel

www.gdc-interiors.com + 353 (0) 1 8660700 sales@gdc-interiors.com

StoreAll, Cork Road, Waterford www.mjtechnologies.ie info@mjtechnologies.ie mobile: +353868720201

HARDWARE ¨ NETWORKING ¨ SOFTWARE ¨ SUPPORT ¨ HOSPITALITY Quin Road Business Park, Ennis, Co. Clare, V95 TWC1 • Email: info@tierneys.ie • Tel: 065 682 8281 •

www.tierneys.ie H&RT APRIL/MAY 2018

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Iveagh Garden The entire heating, cooling and hot water systems were removed from the building and a development plan agreed that would raise the bar on every existing standard that is energy related. While this plan would add millions to the renovation cost natural energy at zero cost would repay the loan. The government energy agency SEAI got behind the initiative offering financial support on the precondition of performance testing when operational so that the system could become a flagship for new development. To insure nothing gets wasted the energy transport network through the building is engineered to zero thermal loss allowing the pipework system act as storage in a unique design strategy.

The road to creating this low energy hotel began with rigorous testing on site which was boosted by the discovery of a massive energy reserve in the form of an underground river. This discovery was inspirational in determining the mechanical design for the thermal energy system required for cooling and heating the building capable of using natural energy reserve.

When the process of heating and cooling begins the system simply swaps energy from areas where there is too much to areas that require heat through an energy management system designed specially to eliminate wasting energy without compromising on comfort. This means there are no emissions or harmful pollution created on site, only a small amount of energy is required to pump natural energy that already exists, and the standby system is only being used during servicing.

power lighting to enhance the desired result. The entire building envelope has been sealed and insulated and existing glazing replaced to modern conformity with ventilation continuously monitored to insure clean fresh air for comfort living and energy exchange to prevent waste

The Iveagh Garden hotel electrical design minimizes electrical power consumption on all equipment that requires energy, lighting systems inside and outside were designed using LED low

So far, the response to the design and innovation at The Iveagh Garden Hotel has been whole-heartedly approving and we for our part wish all involved every success in the future. But don’t take our word for it, go and see for yourself, it won’t disappoint!

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Georgina Campbell Awards

It’s shaping up to be a great year for Irish hospitality and with accommodation bookings well up everywhere and eating out for breakfast and brunch now hugely popular - especially in cities - the quality of The Irish Breakfast is playing a new part in showcasing the stellar standards of our food and hospitality industries.

Acknowledging the role of this modest meal in creating some of Ireland’s most memorable food and hospitality experiences, some of the nation’s leading businesses and personalities have again received due recognition for their unstinting efforts at the second annual Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards in Association with Fáilte Ireland, which took place at the InterContinental Hotel, Dublin, on 22nd March 2018 and are also supported by RTE lyric fm.

4* Hotel: Gregans Castle Hotel

The coveted Irish Breakfast Awards were presented in each of the Fáilte Ireland accommodation categories and others, including Visitor Attraction and Brunch and, very importantly - in Breakfast Foods categories, ranging from Breakfast Meats and Dairy, to Cereals, Preserves and Irish Bread.

In addition, the results of the first in a series of important annual Irish Breakfast Surveys conducted by Georgina Campbell in association with Fáilte Ireland were announced on the day. As part of an effort to increase the overall quality of breakfast on offer to visitors nationally, a baseline survey was conducted with accommodation providers to determine quality baseline and increasing practises with which to measure improvements over time.

Topline findings include: • Ireland’s two big tourism brands account for 71.9% of responses (Wild Atlantic Way, 45.9%; Ireland’s Ancient East, 26.0%), suggesting strongly that the Fáilte Ireland food tourism strategy is growing industry awareness of the value of offering a quality locallyfocused breakfast. A high proportion of breakfast

THE 2nd Georgina Campbell IRISH BREAKFAST AWARDS

From Five Star Hotel to B&B or Visitor Attraction - It’s The Irish Breakfast At Its Best

in association with Fáilte Ireland - Winners revealed!

5* Hotel: Ashford Castle

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Georgina Campbell Awards

Guesthouse: Hanora’s Cottage

Country House: Longueville House

B&B: Archways B&B

menus reflect their tourist region - 62.3% have at least three options and, of those, about half have five or more options that tell their local food story.

• A good breakfast is either ‘a key selling point’ (34.2%) and/or ‘a point of pride’ (over 65%) • Sample menu descriptions provided include a lot of producer name checking and descriptions like ‘free range’, ‘organic’, ‘local’, ‘homegrown’ and ‘homemade.’ Over two thirds of respondents (62.3%) said the traditional Irish Breakfast is highly rated (imparts ‘the holiday feeling’, ‘visitors enjoy the novelty’), with almost all (88.4%) conveying the traditional and/or local Irish food story through items on their breakfast menu – and over a third (33.6%) saying that over 75% of their breakfast ingredients are sourced locally (within 25km), and a similar number use produce from their own farm or garden.

“While there is plenty of work to be done over the coming three years to ensure a consistently high standard of breakfast across the board in Ireland, this survey indicates an infectious enthusiasm for engagement which will no doubt inspire others to up their game – and perhaps be among the award winners next year” Georgina commented

Darina Allen - who offers Breakfast and Brunch courses at Ballymaloe Cookery School - was the keynote speaker; Darina shared some of her invaluable insights into The Irish Breakfast, and how to make it a special experience, while Tara Kerry, Hospitality Manager at Fáilte Ireland explained their vision for the Irish Breakfast experience to become a highlight of a visit anywhere in Ireland.

Speaking about the Awards, Paul Keeley, Director of Commercial Development at Fáilte Ireland said: “They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it’s certainly becoming a very important part of the visitor experience. We are delighted to partner with Georgina Campbell’s Irish Breakfast Awards to promote the authentic taste of Ireland that a quality Irish breakfast can provide to visitors.

As part of Fáilte Ireland’s recently launched Food & Drink Strategy 2018-2023, we have highlighted the importance that food experiences play in determining overall visitor satisfaction. Quality experiences are now a major contributor to increasing holiday satisfaction, creating positive memories and driving positive word of mouth. Amongst those deciding on a holiday location, the expectation of good food is nearly as important as hospitality and today’s Awards are another important step forward in promoting the very best of Irish cuisine.”

So what’s different about these Awards? A lot, according to Georgina Campbell: “Aside from shining a spotlight on the meal that can only be described as the Cinderella of the Irish culinary scene, these are the only Awards [with the exception of the Euro-Toques Food Awards, which are nominated by member chefs] where the main aim is to link the best Irish food producers with those who

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Welcome Standard: Currarevagh House

Georgina Campbell Awards prepare and serve food to the public. How often have you had a wonderful dinner in a hotel, only to be disappointed by breakfast? Our winners can inspire others to up their game and ultimately, we hope, lead to everyone being able to enjoy an authentic breakfast experience that reflects the locality.” Explaining the key role of the Irish Breakfast Foods categories, Georgina added, “Whether it’s a nine-course Tasting Menu in a top restaurant or a homely breakfast in a B&B, quality ingredients are the foundation of any good meal. These Awards recognise the quality Irish Breakfast Foods that can lift this simple meal into an expression of the local land - and seascape - and we want to see more of them on Irish breakfast menus.”

Georgina also paid tribute to the Galway - West of Ireland European Region of Gastronomy 2018 designation, saying, “This recognition is very well deserved - and, as shown by our Awards today, standards of food and hospitality are exceptionally high in this stunningly beautiful region.”

Regarding the selection process, Ms Campbell said “Georgina Campbell’s Ireland’s rigorous programme of anonymous assessment visits continues all year and the resulting reports are then fed through to the respected independent website, Ireland-guide.com. Award winners are nominated solely by the assessment team - and the wealth of information gathered is also the foundation of our printed guides, of which the latest is the recently published Georgina Campbell’s Ireland, The Best of the Best.”

Brunch: Firehouse Bakery & Café

Visitor Attraction: The Crawford Gallery Café

“Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards 2018” - In Association with Fáilte Ireland - WINNERS 5* HOTEL

Winner: Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo Highly Commended: Hayfield Manor, Cork Highly Commended: The Marker Hotel, Dublin

4* HOTEL

Winner: Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare Highly Commended:Harvey’s Point, Lough Eske, Co Donegal Highly Commended: Beech Hill Country House Hotel, Derry, Co Londonderry

3* HOTEL

Winner: Greenhills Hotel Conference & Leisure Centre, Limerick Highly Commended: Schull Harbour Hotel, Schull, Co Cork Highly Commended: Nox Hotel Galway, Galway

COUNTRY HOUSE

Winner: Longueville House, Mallow, Co Cork Highly Commended: Carrig Country House & Restaurant, Killorglin, Co Kerry Highly Commended: Whitepark House, Ballycastle, Co Antrim

GUESTHOUSE

BRUNCH

B&B

IRISH BREAKFAST FOOD AWARDS

Winner: Hanora’s Cottage Country Guesthouse & Restaurant, Ballymacarbry, Co Waterford Highly Commended: Butler House, Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny Highly Commended: The Olde Post Inn, Cloverhill, Co Cavan

Winner: Archways B&B, Rosslare, Co Wexford Highly Commended: Coill Dara House B&B, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo Highly Commended: Castle Murray House, Dunkineely, Co Donegal

WELCOME STANDARD

(includes Historic Houses) Winner: Currarevagh House Oughterard, Co Galway Highly Commended: Rowan Tree Café Bar, Ennis, Co Clare Highly Commended: Ghan House, Carlingford, Co Louth

Winner: Firehouse Bakery& Café, Delgany, Co Wicklow Highly Commended: Ely Bar & Brasserie, IFSC, Dublin 1 Highly Commended: Gather Restaurant, Tuam, Co Galway

Meats: Kelly’s of Newport Artisan Butchers, Newport, Co Mayo Fish: Connemara Smokehouse, Ballyconneely, Co Galway Cereals: The Foods of Athenry, Athenry, Co Galway Dairy: Cuinneog Irish Farmhouse Country Butter & Natural Buttermilk, Ballina, Co Mayo Preserves: G’s Gourmet Jams, Abbeyleix, Co Laois

IRISH BREAD AWARD

Aherne’s Seafood Restaurant & Accommodation, Youghal, Co Cork

VISITOR ATTRACTION

Winner: The Crawford Gallery Café, Cork Highly Commended: The Garden Café @ Avoca, Ashford, Co Wicklow Highly Commended: Glenarm Castle Walled Garden Tea Room, Glenarm, Co Antrim

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IFSA news

Chef Network,

Ireland’s chef community which was launched with the support of IFSA two years ago and now has almost 3500 member chefs, is delighted to welcome Dalata Hotel Group as the network’s first group member and a community partner.

Dalata chefs will benefit from their own dedicated community on chefnetwork.ie where share ideas or discuss topics of interest, and receive communications from the management team, as well as being part of the wider chef community. Dalata is also a member of the Chef Network Skillnet and is backing Chef Network as a sponsor because of it supports the network’s objectives to promote the career, improve retention in the industry and up-skills chefs.

Dalata Group Development Chef Darina Brennan, who is a member of the Chef Network Advisory Council and Chef Network Skillnet Steering group commented: “At Dalata we believe education and training is the best way to achieve consistency, motivation and employee satisfaction and morale. Creating greater connection and collaboration between chefs can inspire and encourage them.

This partnership between Chef Network and Dalata gives our chefs the chance to make these connections and to upskill and train. Personal and professional development is key to the future of our industry, and I believe we must promote this industry as the fantastic career choice that it is – in Chef Network we are very focussed on these objectives and Dalata Hotel Group is delighted to contribute to achieving them”.

Ireland’s largest Foodservice event Catex 2019 Running for more than half a century, CATEX is Ireland’s definitive foods service event, gathering over 250 suppliers, and stakeholders at the RDS every two years to meet, inspire, entertain and do business with over 11,500 top hospitality operations and foodservice buyers. To book a stand and learn more about the opportunities available to you contact Margaret Andreucetti on +86 814 0544 or email sales@ eventhaus.ie for further information.

MAK Group – STEAM To CLEAN Limerick company MAK Group has enjoyed superb success with its steam cleaner.

This unique machine can steam at 160 degrees but also vacum at the same time.

Under the banner “STEAM To CLEAN” this machine has been really well received in Hotels, Supermarkets, Health Spa’s and Nursing homes. Steam is the eco way to clean but more importantly all germs are killed. The steam cleaner produced by Novaltec in Italy can clean all floor sufaces, walls, stainless, pipe work, cold rooms and much more. It clean can clean and vacuum at the same time leaving the floor dry and safe to walk on.

If your serious about cleaning then take advantage of a free demo at your hotel, supermarket or factory.

Hotels around Ireland and UK have seen what the MAK “STEAM TO CLEAN” can do. For speed of cleaning, degreasing of all surfaces call MAK Group Ltd on 061 - 513051 or check us on line at WWW. STEAMTOCLEAN.IE

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Pictured from Dalata Hotel Group are; Darina Brennan, Group Executive Chef and Tony McGuigan, Group Food and Beverage Manager with Clayton Cardiff Lane chefs Radovan Manakand Jean Zimmer, along with Ruth Hegarty, Head of Community for Chef Network

Emer Water taps into future Emer Water, part of the REL GROUP have become the proud distributors of BRITA filtration systems in Ireland.

Having operated in the refrigeration and dispense service industry for over 60 years, they recognised that the future of water is now.

“The demand for filtered water in the HoReCa industries is rising as end consumers are more concerned with eco-friendly solutions. Our systems offer a new approach to bottled water which those in the hospitality industry will benefit from not only in terms of meeting these customer demands but also through reducing their carbon footprint, reducing costs and creating a new stream for revenue” says Emer Water’s CEO Liam Byrne.

Emer Water offer superior taps and bottlers which dispense unlimited mains-fed filtered chilled still, sparkling and even hot water; filters for the improvement of water for applications and premium quality branded glass bottles.

“The bottler has been hugely beneficial to us, it saves a lot of space, it’s user friendly and looks great behind the bar...the support has also been fantastic “ says Carlow restauranteur Jason Brennan from ‘Lennons@VISUAL’.

These systems are available from Emer Water Ltd now.

Emer Water Ltd. +353 (0) 19121660 www.emer.ie emer@emer.ie

IFSA news Bunzl McLaughlin

On 23rd-26th April 2018 were proud to host there first ever Culinary Innovation Festival, at our Innovation Centre at Gibson Lane. Over the course of the week, we focused specifically on new innovation and current trends within the culinary industry.

On the first day, we were delighted to welcome along Rational and Sous Vide to help us look into Modern Cooking concepts. This fantastic day helped demonstrate new cooking techniques with the top equipment, along with dispersing expert advice to all in attendance.

As the focus shifted to cocktails and the impact cocktail trends can have on your business, and prospect of profitability so high, the success of this day two was only to be expected. We were proud to host a fantastic cocktail

At Excellence we are very proud of the great service we provide to the Irish Catering Industry and also of the portfolio of products we have to offer. We have been involved in the catering and hospitality industry in Ireland for over 40 years, during that time we have built our business offering quality choice and value with all of the brands that we supply.

Enjoying such market-leading brands as Schwartz, Heinz, Philadelphia, Kenco, Maxwell House and our own-brand offering, Newforge, we offer a one-stop shop when supplying products to the foodservice industry. We are continually investing in our operations to ensure we maintain our service levels and we talk directly to our customers, the people that use the product therefore establishing key relationships with chefs up and down the country.

What we can offer are products that offer fantastic taste, quality and value; for a fraction of the cost of assembling from scratch, offering a larger mark up for the customer. Flavour profile is very important to our customers and using one of the many quality Schwartz, or Newforge products ensures you only need to use a little to get a lot of flavour! Our customers understand that our products go a long way in helping to deliver consistency and quality on a plate time after time.

We source our range of products worldwide from our global manufacturing partners, all of whom hold premium BRC and IFSaccredited manufacturing standards, with approved HACCP systems, ensuring the highest quality and standards are accessible to our customers.

We have achieved one of the most highly recognised industry accreditations of quality management, ISO 9001 and more recently BRC for Storage & Distribution. This provides a framework of globally recognised principles of quality management and shows that we are continually striving to improve our customer service on every level.

Excel Recruitment

has been Ireland’s leading retail and hospitality recruitment agencies for over 15 years. Our commitment to both our clients and our candidates has cemented our position as our client’s go-to for all their recruitment needs. Our dedicated Hospitality team provide permanent and temporary staffing solutions, for some of the biggest and most prestigious hotels, restaurants and venues around the country. Our client’s nationwide know our Events team can be counted on to provide the highest calibre of staff, including Chefs of all Levels. Bartenders, Wait Staff, Catering Staff, Kitchen Porters and more, often at a moment’s notice.

The key to our success is our team of expert consultants who each possess extensive, hands-on experience within the industry they recruit for. Their expert knowledge, unparalleled networking abilities and commitment all align perfectly with our company motto ‘Placing Great People with Great Companies’. For more information on how Excel Recruitment can help with your permanent and temporary recruitment needs or if you want to make a move, please call 01-8148747, visit our website www.excelrecruitment.com or email shane@excelrecruitment.com

evening in junction with Chai Rum, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those involved. Alongside the help of Federico and Ciaran from Catch Events we where able to look into these top trends, while Paul Utterson from Artis was also there to discuss the importance of glassware and allowing for the durability a busy bar would require.

Day three saw us joined by Vicky Endersen, developmental chef at MSK. This practical V.I.P Culinary event allowed us to provide an introduction to Molecular Gastronomy, a new technique used to create wonderful innovative dishes.

Throughout the week a big interest was also shown in the new ranges available from Steelite, Churchill and Villeroy & Boch, all of which can be seen within our Innovation Centre.

Chef to Waiter Communication The Wireless Waiter system is a simple, bulletproof piece of technology that improves efficiency and productivity at a low entry cost. A simple button can hail for service via a vibrating watch that tells the service provider who is calling and what service they require.

The single most common application of the system is a chef-to-waiter model which allows the kitchen staff to alert the waiting staff that the food order is ready for presentation.

In many hotel and restaurant buildings the kitchen is situated inconveniently. So presenting the food at its freshly-prepared best is a challenge when the kitchen can’t contact a waiter or other staff.

Of course the other major application is in meeting rooms, where staff that are dedicated to serving the business clients can be deployed on other tasks while waiting for that call and can be contacted without involving reception.

And last but not least, the customer, who can call for service from areas like the lobby and tucked-away locations which can be expensive to service throughout the day. The Wireless Waiter gets you ancillary sales that otherwise slip away.

For info see www.wireless-solutions.ie and call 01 8441100 or mail info@ wireless-solutions.ie

Flahavan’s 4KG Porridge Oats tubs help busy kitchens meet food

storage hygiene standards.

At Flahavan’s we understand the increasing pressures kitchens are under to meet exacting health and safety standards. Guidelines advise that dry ambient foods need to be decanted from bags into sealed plastic containers in order to ensure optimum health and safety standards.

It was with this in mind that Flahavan’s developed a bespoke 4KG tub of consumers’ favourite porridge oats for the foodservice market. These tubs are certified food grade quality, resealable and stackable for guaranteed food safety, freshness and ease of storage in a busy kitchen.

Our bespoke foodservice porridge oats tub will deliver all the high quality and natural creamy goodness expected from Ireland’s favourite porridge, and also includes a measuring cup to ensure perfect porridge every time.

Each tub will provide 100 x 40g servings.

Flahavan’s porridge oats have been sustainably grown and milled in Co. Waterford for over 230 years. Creating our unique, naturally creamy taste starts with sourcing the finest quality oats within a 60 mile radius of the family mill in Kilmacthomas. Our unique, time-proven milling methods gently retain natural flavour, giving our oats their rich texture, toasted aroma and distinctive naturally creamy Flahavan’s taste.

Flahavan’s Foodservice range is available from all major foodservice suppliers nationwide.

Enquiries to Shane O’Hanrahan Foodservice Business Development Manager Email: sohanrahan@flahavans.com | Mobile: 087 254 3297

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DESPERATELY Seeking Staff

Like the return of the swallows, early days of the tourist season seem to augur well, with bustling cafes, busy booking desks and a proliferation of tour buses on city streets and country roads. Yet like the serene swan madly paddling beneath the water, hoteliers and caterers struggle to maintain standards while desperately seeking staff to fill key positions.

Shortage of trained chefs and kitchen staff has been a critical issue for some years but operators like John Brennan of the Park Hotel in Kenmare report that staffing has grown increasingly difficult and now extends across all areas. “There’s a huge influx of tourists with 15 direct flights arriving every day in the high season and many businesses are finding it difficult to maintain staffing levels, much less increase them.”

The Restaurants Association of Ireland estimates that the industry needs at least 7000-8000 chefs and 84 per cent of restaurants identify shortage of chefs as a major problem. Earlier this year RAI chief executive Adrian Cummins was quoted as saying that Irish training colleges are producing 1800 new chefs each year but the industry needs at least 5000 annually. In an attempt to address the shortage, the RAI engaged recruitment agency Global Force to bring in 100 chefs from Italy and it is hoped to increase the intake to 500 from Italy this year.

In the past, the government barred hiring chefs from outside the EU, with the exception of

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by Marilyn Bright

Staff Shortage

specialist chefs for ethnic restaurants. Following lobbying from industry sources, restrictions have been eased in recent weeks with work permits allowed for hotel and restaurant workers from non-EU countries. Requirements state that jobs must be advertised for at least two weeks before applying for an employment permit for an eligible candidate. In addition, executive chefs, head chefs and sous chefs must have five years experience at that level and the number of permits is limited to two per establishment.

Work permits are only part of the problem according to Ewan Plenderleith, general manager of the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin’s Ballsbridge. “Staff accommodation is a massive issue in Dublin. Workers can be attracted by higher wages than are general in many countries, but arrive only to find there is no affordable housing. Where hotels may have provided staff accommodation in the past, that property has become too valuable and has long since been sold for apartments.”

John Brennan points out that this problem is no longer limited just to Dublin, but is replicated down the West coast as well. “With increasing numbers of visitors, Air B&B has taken traditional rental properties off the market as owners opt for more profitable short-term lets in the country’s most attractive areas.”

At the Park Hotel, they by-pass recruitment agencies and look for staff through social media and networking. It’s an approach taken by many in the industry, including Patricia Roberts, owner-manager of No.1 Pery Square in Limerick. “Agencies aren’t so effective now,” she finds.

“They’re all working from the same pool of workers”

Staff Shortage

Patricia relies on a combination of on-line marketing, social media and word of mouth.

Local newspapers can be effective too, in winkling out staff looking for part time work -- often older experienced workers who can usefully relieve pressure on full time staff.

She has found it helps to keep good team members by being able to be flexible with hours, weekends off and scheduling during school holidays.

Overlooking the seashore at Liscannor, Denis Vaughan of Vaughan’s Anchor Inn considers himself lucky to be fully staffed as the season kicks off. Staying open year round while others around him close for the season is a major factor in retaining the kitchen brigade of 12 and a total of 50 staff. The addition of a purpose built crab processing unit has meant there is continuity of employment through the year.

At the five star Lough Erne Resort, executive chef Noel McMeel oversees a brigade of 39 serving six catering units ranging from fine dining to casual, bar and functions. In demand as judge for many young chef competitions, Noel keeps an eye out for promising local talent. “We get a lot of c.v.’s “ he says, “but sending application forms and waiting for returns can mean a four or five week delay. Now we simply ask likely candidates to come in for a trial and you’ll know quickly if they’ll be an addition to the team.”

In Clare, Aidan and Kate McGrath crowned a tenth year at the Wild Honey Inn with a Michelin star. He admits the remote location and seasonality of business has been a challenge and after finding himself solo in the kitchen had to re-think a sustainable way of carrying on. As the one time bar grew in popularity, the no- reservation policy had to be abandoned and bookings taken. Pressure on the kitchen was relieved by eliminating daytime food. Dinner service is now 5 -9 p.m., five days a week, giving the McGraths and their staff Sundays and Mondays off. “You have to avoid burn-out,” Aidan says, “and though we close for the winter, we keep key staff on retainer so we have a core team to open as the season starts.”

Although the Michelin publicity has triggered an avalanche of applications, Aidan is one of a number of restaurateurs and hoteliers who consider the closure of CERT a huge loss. The training facility was initially transferred to Fáilte Ireland but the function now lies solely with the training colleges. The RAI has recommended the reconstitution of CERT to address shortages in the hospitality industry by producing more graduates and attracting a broad scope of young people to rewarding carers.

“

There’s a huge influx of tourists with 15 direct flights arriving every day in the high season and many businesses are finding it difficult to maintain staffing levels, much less increase them.

”

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Recovery

‘All Changed – Changed Utterly’ Frank Corr looks at the post-crash hotel scene W.B.Yeats put it like this: ‘All changed-changed utterly.

A Terrible Beauty is born.’

He was writing a century ago about the Easter Rising, but his words might well be attributable to the fortunes of the Irish hotel sector since the ‘Crash of 2018’.

The devastation afflicted on Irish hotels in the period 2008-2010 is now largely consigned to history, although scores of hotels whose business models were devastated at the time, continue to struggle with overhanging debt.

A much changed sector has emerged with some of the high-flying hoteliers of the early 20th century removed from the industry and new, ambitious, well-funded investors now controlling their assets and looking to future expansion.

Many of the victims of the Crash were companies which emerged during the Nineties and Noughties. During this time, a whole bunch of new hotels began to appear on the map of Ireland. Chuck Feeney opened his Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick and Michael Smurfit created the K Club. New hotel openings in 1993 included Lee Kidney’s Mespil, the Portmarnock Hotel, the O’Callaghan Davenport, Jurys Inn Christchurch , the Grafton Plaza , Temple Bar Hotel and the Adams Trinity Hotel Dawson Street.

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The Dublin hotel building boom continued in 1996 when more than 1,000 new bedrooms came on stream at Bewleys Airport Hotel, Jurys Inn at IFSC, the Mespil, Davenport, Herbert Park and the new boutique Hibernian Hotel off Baggot Street. The most significant newcomer of 1996 was Tom Moran from Athea, Co. Limerick, who began to seriously develop his Red Cow site on Dublin’s Naas Road by building a 130 bedroom hotel with a 130-seater restaurant, a bar for 350 customers, a night club, cabaret room and a 720-seater conference centre. This son of a publican and undertaker liked to think ‘big’ and over the next decade he would acquire the Bewleys Hotel chain developed by Bernard Allen. He sold his hotels to Dalata in 2014, and still retains the Red Cow Moran Hotel which he has recently expanded.

The industry became aware of another influential newcomer in 2001, when Jim Mansfield opened his City West Hotel off Dublin’s Naas Road.

The hotel was notable for its enormous banquet hall which could accommodate up to 1,500 diners. Eventually the enterprise went into receivership and is now under new ownership and operated by Tetrarch Hospitality.

Just a year before the crash, Bernard McNamara offered the Doyles €288m. for The Burlington- an offer even they could not refuse. That investment evaporated however and the hotel was sold out of receivership in 2013 to US venture capital Blackstone for €67m. and re-branded as a Hilton Double Tree hotel. It was sold on to the German asset manager Dekabank in 2016 for €182m and is now a Clayton with

Recovery Dalata as the operator. Blackstone also owns the Conrad and three Hilton hotels in Dublin.

Yet another entrepreneur stepped onto the hotel stage as the final year of the Millennium opened. Sean Quinn built a very large hotel in a very empty corner of County Cavan. The Slieve Russell Hotel was set on 300 acres of which 50 acres are lakes and it included two golf courses, spa and conference centre. He added a second hotel, the Hillgrove, alongside his offices in Cavan and went on to buy several others including Buswells in Dublin.

Most of these hotels are now controlled by IBRC. Hotels were still being opened in the mid Noughties. Edward Holdings launched a new collection which included the ‘G’ in Galway (with interior design by milliner Phillip Treacy) and the ‘D’ in Drogheda and then acquired Great Southern Hotels in Galway (now ‘The Meyrick’) and Killarney, selling on the Killarney hotel shortly afterwards to local investors.

In 2006, just two years before the crash, 13 new hotels opened in Dublin alone including Days at Dublin Airport, the Plaza at Tyrrelstown, a Best Western at Sheldon Park Clondalkin and the boutique Dylan hotel off Baggot Street.

The following year saw the opening of Menolly’s Castleknock Hotel, Treasury Holding’s Ritz Carlton at Powerscourt, the Ice House in Ballina and Lisloughrey House Cong, The Twelve at Barna, Galway, the Radisson in Golden Lane, the Comfort Inn Granby Row, the Hilton Kilmainham, the Marriott Ashbourne and the Sheraton Athlone.

The first signs that the hotel sector was in severe difficulties emerged late in 2008 when a number of applications for examinership or receivership came before the Courts. The sudden change of fortune was caused by a catastrophic banking situation. Irish banks had increased their overseas borrowings from €15bn to €100bn between 2004 and 2008 and a significant slice of this money was advanced to hotel developers. The hotel market became oversupplied and as profits dried up, some hotels encountered difficulty in servicing their loans.

Struggling with the fall-out of the debt crisis, the Government established the National Assets Management Corporation (NAMA) to bring some order into debt management. NAMA bought up the debts of developers and financial institutions at a discount and took control of the assets, including many hotels. It would take some time before NAMA could assess the value of its hotel assets and find the right market conditions for sales. In the meantime it appointed hotel management companies to run the operations.

By January 2011, 82 hotels were under the control of NAMA, many of which were managed by specialist companies.

The hotels sector began to show signs of recovery late in 2011 thanks in large part to a number of pro-tourism policies by the Government. At this time, interest in acquiring Irish hotels increased among overseas investors who recognised value when they saw it. The sale of prime Irish hotels also appealed to local investors, notably Tetrarch Capital, which emerged from Brehon Capital Partners. Its hospitality investments include the new Marker Hotel at Grand Canal Dock (acquired in 2011), the Ritz Carlton which it re-named the Powerscourt Hotel and Mount Juliet which it bought from the Killeen Group for €15m. Tetrarch also owns Citywest hotel in Saggart, Mount Wolseley in Tullow, Co, Carlow, Killashee House near Naas and the Clonmel Park Hotel. It recently added Jacob’s Inn hostel in Dublin.

Irish-American billionaire John Malone in partnership with John Lally has become a major investor in Irish hotels. Their MHL Group now includes the Westin, Intercontinental (formerly Four Seasons) and Trinity hotels in Dublin, the Strand in Limerick and Gleno Abbey in Galway. The fast-growing Press Up Group headed by Paddy McKillen Jnr. has acquired the Clarence and Deane Hotels in Dublin. The PREM Group, headed by Jim Murphy, has also been in acquisition mode adding the Osprey in Naas, Tulfarris House in Wicklow, and the Cahernane Killarney’s to its hotel portfolio. Inua Hospility, headed by Noel Creedon , has also seen rapid growth acquiring Radisson Blu hotels in Athlone,Limerick and Cork, the Hibernian and Muckross Park hotels in Killarney.

In 2012, Pat McDonagh, founder and owner of Supermacs entered the hotel sector with the purchase of the Castletroy Park hotel in Limerick. Since then he has also acquired the Loughrea Park, Charleville Park and Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise and these hotels are now trading under his Só Hotels brand.

And then there is Dalata Hotel Group plc, Ireland’s largest hotelier and creator of Maldron and Clayton, two of the industry’s leading hotel brands.

Pat McCann and a group of investors began by buying ten hotel properties, including several Choice hotels, from developer Paddy Kelly for €46.5m and launched the new Maldron brand. The timing could not have been worse. The economic crash which followed in 2008 resulted in a rapid decline in all property values, including hotels. Dalata won contracts from banks and receivers to manage distressed hotel businesses and over the following years restored many of these to the stage where they could be rescued or sold to new owners.

As the economy recovered, Dalata launched the Clayton brand and embarked on a programme of expansion which included the acquisition of the Moran hotels. It went public in 2014 and obtained full Irish and UK Stock Exchange listings in 2016. Today Dalata operates 38 hotels with a total of more than 7,500 rooms, in Ireland and the UK. The past decade has seen more hotels change hands than at any point in the history of the industry.

It remains to be seen how the new owners will fare in a postBrexit Ireland.

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declaring the Java Republic

Java

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In 1999, a ‘Java Republic’ was declared. This a rebellion against the state of coffee in Ireland. It was decided that enough was enough. It was time to put an end to unethically sourced beans, lowquality roasting and inferior blends.

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In the last twenty years, Java Republic has gone from strength to strength. Today it is a fiercely independent, Irish-owned company offering Ireland’s most exceptional coffee and an incredible selection of 46 organic teas.

Our People

These are the people that make it all happen: experts, passionate and conscientious.

Every day Java Republic works to deliver the best coffee & tea on the planet. It starts with the experts who source the best beans from the best farmers. It takes in the dedicated crew who receive the green beans at the warehouse door – and those who will pack and deliver the finished product. It includes the experienced artisans who hand-roast each bean varietal, and the service and training expertise to make sure you serve it perfectly. Finally, the Java Republic team includes people who know how to make a great foodservice business even better – not just with coffee and tea, but with a truly memorable experience.

Respect the People

Every Republic, at its core, is founded on freedom, respect and equality. From the first beans we ordered, we’ve worked hard to bring the benefits of our success to the people who grow Java Republic’s coffee beans. Java Republic also supports the communities that enjoy its coffee here in Ireland.

Java Republic is passionate about our environment and sustainability. It created the world’s first, purpose-built, carbon neutral roastery. It also spends real money to buy carbon credits from developing countries.

Java Republic has a simple name for this philosophy: Coffee with a Conscience

Meet the People

Java Republic is built from the ground up to be open and transparent. Literally. Its unique Roastery has floor-to-ceiling glass walls so every stage of our process is visible. That makes its commitment to quality visible to all.

Experience Java Republic for yourself

If you’re in the business of serving coffee and tea, then you need to come to visit Java Republic’s Roastery. Not only can Java Republic help you find the roast and blend that best suits your customers tastes, our staff can also show you the potential of a truly engaging coffee and tea experience.

Java Republic’s Roastery in Ballycoolin features a unique café that is open to the public – where you can see Java Republic’s coffee being roasted through a two-story high glass wall. Java Republic’s also compliment this with its Molesworth Street café in Dublin city centre. These two venues aren’t a statement of intent – Java Republic want to help grow your business, not to compete with it. Java Republic’s two flagship cafés act as living research labs and product development hubs. They allow Java Republic to demonstrate best coffee preparation practices, test product innovations and to gather consumer insights – which it then shares with its clients.

Java

Serving the entire island of Ireland

No matter where your business is based, Java Republic makes it their business to be nearby.

Java Republic’s nationwide network of service and distribution teams allows us to guarantee the consistency and quality of the Java Republic experience anywhere in the country. These are the people who will tailor-make your Java Republic service – and they have been selected as carefully as our coffee. They are smart, capable and passionate about what they do. They are also industry experts with years of experience, and spotless track records in responsiveness and reliability. They will take the time to sit down with you to work through every detail of your business before they design a solution for you. They will train you and your people thoroughly and service your machines regularly.

Java Republic finds sustainable solution to disposable coffee cups Premier food service provides customers with compostable cups Java Republic, Ireland’s premier food service partner, is leading the way in terms of sustainability by providing customers with compostable coffee cups that are 100% biodegradable.

Managing Director of Java Republic, Grace O’Shaughnessy, said: “Sustainability has always been at the core of what we do at Java Republic. We are delighted to be leading the way in tackling the issue of waste caused by regular disposable coffee cups. Java Republic’s compostable cups are a concrete solution to Ireland’s waste problem as they can be organically recycled. This means we provide a closed loop system from growing the crop to bringing it back to nature again by creating compost that can be used on Irish land.”

Java Republic’s compostible cups can be disposed into the commercial & domestic food waste bins to be organically recycled in under 90 days. This process creates compost which can be spread onto local agricultural farm land benefiting and improving soil crops in Ireland.

Java Republic is encouraging customers of its Ballycoolin and Molesworth Street cafés to return their branded compostable cups so they can be disposed of in a sustainable manner.

Purple is the new Green Java Republic has always considered the environment, this cup and lid is 100% bio degradable and brown bin compliant. Java Republic coffee is hand roasted in the world’s first, purpose built carbon neutral Roastery in Dublin and its people bring unparalleled experience, knowledge and dedication to every aspect of the coffee business.

While others may claim to use eco-friendly cups, Java Republic, is leading the march toward a truly greener, more environmentally responsible coffee community.

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Knorr

IT Tallaght Student takes National

Student Chef Prize The future is bright for Ireland’s culinary and hospitality industry Jade Ainscough, representing Institute of Technology Tallaght, has been crowned the KNORR Student Chef of the Year 2018, after an intense two hour cook off that took place in Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Jade successfully fought off the challenge of six other young chefs to claim the top prize with her two dishes.

The theme of this year’s competition was a ‘Contemporary Take on Traditional Pub Dishes’, celebrating Ireland’s first Michelin starred pub, Wild Honey Inn in County Clare. The students had to prepare, cook and present a vegetarian starter and a main course celebrating sustainable Irish seafood, while against the clock.

Jade impressed the judges with a starter of ‘Grilled purple broccoli in harissa butter, mixed radish salad, millet croquette and parmesan shavings’.

She created a ‘Fillet of seabass, spring vegetable stew, blanket of white wine jelly and coral crisp’ for her main course.

Overall winner Jade shared her inspiration behind each dish, “For my dishes I researched many typical Irish pub dishes, many of which consist of quick and easy food. I wanted to carry over many of the same characteristics while adding a new twist.

“For the starter, I created a nutritional dish, that doesn’t compromise on taste. With my fish dish I decided to use

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seabass as it’s a great fish to work with, absorbs flavour easily and is different to what’s normally served in typical pub dishes.

“The dishes took the quick and easy idea, with salt and vinegar and fried elements, but equally are healthy and packed full of flavour, mimicking the classic ‘pub grub’ style,” she added.

Completing the top three were Glenn McCourt representing Dundalk Institute of Technology and Stephen Deasy, Limerick Institute of Technology.

Glenn created a starter comprising ‘Mushroom tortellini, roast hazelnut and artichoke veloute’ and a main of ‘Carlingford Turbot with Ballymakenny potatoes, cauliflower and curry, a contemporary take on traditional fish and chips’.

Stephen’s starter consisted of a ‘St Tola’s goat’s cheese mousse fish with complementary flavours of apple, rhubarb and onion chutney, served with brioche crumb, smoked foam and pepper isomalt.’ His main titled, ‘Man of Aran Chowder’, incorporated local ingredients from Stephen’s home county of Clare and was inspired by his grandfather, one of the first to operate ferries from Dodin to the Aran Islands.

Speaking about the competition, Unilever Food Solutions Business Development Chef Mark McCarthy said, “The student chefs are coming through college at an interesting time in the hospitality sector and the talent demonstrated in the competition proves our future kitchens are in safe culinary hands.

“The entrants year on year are testament to the Irish food industry and

Knorr education centres. They are the very reason why KNORR Student Chef of the Year prevails as one of the country’s top culinary competitions.”

This year’s competition was judged by a panel comprising Mark McCarthy and special guest judge Aidan McGrath, chef patron of Wild Honey Inn, Ireland’s first Michelin starred pub. Joining the panel also were Corinna Hardgrave, food and wine writer and Michael McNamara, Chef Lecturer, Dundalk Institute of Technology.

As well as the KNORR Student Chef of the Year title, the winner has a unique Wild Atlantic Way tour and will dine in Galway’s Michelin starred restaurants, Anair and Loam. The tour concludes in County Clare with a visit to Wild Honey Inn, Ireland’s first Michelin starred pub in the heart of the Burren region, owned and run by prominent chef and competition judge, Aidan McGrath.

KNORR

Student Chef of the Year 2018 finalists: Jade Ainscough, Institute of Technology Tallaght (1st place) Glenn McCourt, Dundalk Institute of Technology (2nd place) Stephen Deasy, Limerick Institute of Technology (3rd place) Karolina Malaczewska, Athlone Institute of Technology Rourke Griffin, Letterkenny Institute of Technology Kerys McCreesh, Southern Regional College Hanna Mathe, Waterford Institute of Technology

For more information: ufs.com/knorrstudentchef

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Industry

KITCHEN CULTURE

Meet the chefs & teams of Ireland’s professional kitchens, with Chef Network The Chef Network community brings together almost 3,500 member chefs across Ireland. In a new Hotel & Restaurant Times regular column we will meet some of those members and hear from them what inspires and motivates them, their career challenges and opportunities, and how they believe we can improve the industry.

In this edition, we meet Michelle Crehan, Chef/Proprietor of The Kitchen at Galway Museum

“As soon as I put that uniform on I knew, I was so happy, this is where I wanted to be” Why did you become a Chef?

I had been a journalist, then I was a stay at home Mum of three for a number of years. I knew that if I was going to be leaving my kids to go out to work I needed to do something I really loved.

I had always had a huge interest in food and a real love of cooking. My family were getting dishes like slow cooked lamb shank with Moroccan spices, homemade dumplings. I spent huge time on meals and cooking was always a pleasure for me. I was always the one cooking for family gatherings.

My sister-in-law is involved with a theatre company here in Galway. They had an event coming up and the caterers let them down late in the day. She asked me if I would cater for the event. That was my first foray into professional catering; cooking for big numbers, presenting all of the food on big platters…it completely lit a fire under me and it gave me the confidence to think that maybe I could do it professionally.

What was your path to where you are today?

You can only learn so much from books. I had huge passion but I wanted to get some training. I applied for the Total Immersion programme at GMIT. I planned on lying to them in the interview, I was going to tell them I had experience in a professional kitchen. In the end I came clean and told them I had none but promised to get some before the course.

Obviously my passion and commitment came across because I was accepted. GMIT were so supportive of me and still are.

When I started in GMIT, as soon as I put that uniform on I knew, I was so happy, this is where I wanted to be.

Then Jess Murphy [of Kai restaurant in Galway], who was with Bar 8 at the time, was looking for someone for baking and I got the job. I was lucky; the fact that I had children was

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recognised and I was able to fit my work with my personal life, working weekday shifts from 8am-3pm. But after a while I saw that the chefs who worked Saturdays were getting the adrenaline buzz of a busy service and I wanted that too!

The lease came up for the café at the Museum and it was offered to me.

I was blind going into it. It was like a crime of passion. We opened up with myself in the kitchen, one person front of house and a part-time kitchen porter. We had 6 or 7 dishes on the menu, everything prepared entirely from scratch. I had a 2-ring cooker, I rented the furniture from the previous owner, my mother went to IKEA to buy the plates. It was insane. I was lucky I had great support, lots from our neighbouring businesses and others in the industry in Galway.

What is the most important ingredient in your success to date?

We have such a fantastic team – and it one of the main reasons that I love coming to work. Somehow we are managing to attract great people. I have an amazing head chef, Gavin, who has been with me for 5 years and another chef, Louise, who is about to go on maternity leave but has been with me for 6 years. We have such an incredible team, many of whom have come through GMIT. We are a day-time café and I do worry sometimes about keeping the chefs stimulated, but our daily changing specials keep them interested and they all have scope to input into the menu and try out new things. It is so important to truly work as a team. We are all in it to win it! Everyone has an input, front of house and chefs; they all have the chance to input creatively. We have one front of house person who made all these beautiful paper flowers to decorate the restaurant – the staff are really into the business, they are invested in it.

We really do try to have a mix of different kinds of people and we have huge diversity on our team. We have staff that come from lots of countries and backgrounds, and they all contribute new things and particular skills to our food and our business. We currently have slightly more women than men in our kitchen, generally it is about half in half across the restaurant. Funnily enough, having people who are so different actually leads to less conflict. It is important to be truly openminded – all we ask is that you be a team player.

Industry

Have you seen a negative side to the industry?

Before GMIT I got a job in a local hotel doing breakfast and baking and general prep. This was the first and really only time I saw the bad side of professional kitchens.

Sadly the whole culture of that kitchen was affected by a head chef who was jaded, tired and sick of the job to the point where he had no respect for the food, the customer, or the staff. One chef who wanted to get me a bit more involved was told to “keep her peeling onions”.

It is so important that we are all committed to creating a learning environment in our kitchens. If I had gone in there as a 20-year old I probably would have left and never gone back to the industry, but because I was more mature and focussed on what I wanted, I stuck with it.

“Treat everyone with equal respect and it will filter down” How can chefs create a positive culture in their kitchen?

Treat the head chef the same way you treat the kitchen porter. Treat your supplier as you would a customer. Treat everyone with equal respect and it will filter down.

Michelle pictured during Galway Food Festival with participants of the Slowfood “My Granny’s Recipe” competition

I am surrounded by amazing young people, who are full of energy and creativity, they all bring something to the party…and everyone of them needs to feel valued.

BEING A CHEF….

The most rewarding thing I’ve done is… being involved with community and arts events. During the Galway Food Festival we collaborate with Slowfood on the ‘My Granny’s recipe’ competition where children make a dish based on a recipe from their grandmother and write a piece about it.

The biggest challenge is…staying on top of costs You want to have decent ingredients, but people are only willing to pay so much for their lunch. And you want to pay your staff well; my accountant keeps telling me my staff costs are too high, but I argue that this is a service industry, the staff are key.

I have learned that…

Having a good accountant is really important. I had the passion and sheer stubbornness to make it happen but made a lot of financial mistakes. You really have to keep on top of that stuff.

What I love most is…the delight of when someone takes their first bite of something delicious. When we have new specials on the menu, I can often be seen peeking out of the kitchen to watch people’s reactions.

What makes me most proud is…that this is where lots of chefs around the city come to eat.

The most difficult thing I have had to face is…. resolving conflicts between staff members. You have to try and diffuse situations, but conflicts do arise. My advice is to nip it in the bud, don’t let things stew. Try to get the staff members the chance to sort things out. But if it can’t be resolved, sometimes ultimately someone has to go, and that is really hard.

You need to be both passionate and level-headed, and they are sometimes at odds. I nearly always follow my heart.

Being able to manage people is massive….and never be afraid to hire people who are better at things than you are, these are the people who can push your business forward.

You can create a better workplace by being willing to compromise. Sometimes the best person for the job is the person who is not available 24/7. Being flexible can pay off… you’re not losing out by hiring a woman with kids.

Subsidised Professional Development Training for Chefs

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Join CHEF NETWORK free today at www.chefnetwork.ie to connect, communicate and collaborate with your chef community.

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The Ritz

“The Food Must Match The Room” Conor Kenny in conversation with John Williams MBE, Executive Chef & Ciaran Fahy, CEO, The Ritz, London.

When you sit with creative people it’s often an exciting ride into outer space where brief moments of genius are almost touched but, like all illusions, too often those heady promises of perfection rarely come to pass.

I’m at The Ritz in the heart of London and I’m chatting with John Williams MBE, Executive Chef and Ciaran Fahy, CEO, and a proud Irishman too.

For 112 years, The Ritz London has been the benchmark by which other hotels are measured. The iconic hotel has long been the hotel of choice for Royalty, aristocracy, dignitaries and countless other discerning guests and is the first and only hotel to have received a Royal Warrant from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and, though relevant to guests needs today, it still retains the luxurious Louis XVI style interiors, meticulous service and the exquisite bar and restaurants for which The Ritz name is synonymous.

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John Williams is perhaps one of the most famous names in the world of luxury dining and the son of a Tyneside fisherman.

Ciaran Fahy, a Dubliner, who embraces his London home of 30 years but with a true passion for his hometown.

Though very different, they share a journey that has brought them from humble outlying towns to the centre of London, wealth and luxury and into the role of protecting one of the world’s most famous, revered and iconic hotel brands.

Their mutual respect, patience and chemistry are rare, real and relaxed.

They are also full of fun.

Every Christmas The Ritz is the picture postcard image of what the season is about, it’s a busy time too, very.

Walking through the magnificent ‘below stairs’ and into the kitchens, a chance encounter with John Williams, so calm

The Ritz amongst the madding crowd, led to a chat that left a mark.

“The Ritz isn’t just a famous hotel Conor, it’s also a beautiful hotel with a very beautiful suite of dining rooms. For us, it’s simple, our food must match the room” Later that night, with this thought firmly planted, I asked Ciaran Fahy if the three of us could explore what this means and what it means for guests, hospitality people and those curious to know what upstairs - downstairs really is all about.

It’s Spring and sunlight is flooding the rich new grass of Green Park, the gold leaf, splendour and all the living history that is The Ritz.

Outside, Piccadilly is fighting every inch with people.

Buses and taxis feverishly rushing about their hurried day, horns blowing, it is the centre of the centre of the world.

Inside, looking out, there’s an air of calm and elegance that rises above it all.

Our conversation begins and Williams cuts to the chase; “Joining The Ritz I felt that the food was not value for money at the time. The critics were saying that the dining room was one of the finest in the world but I felt that what they were really saying was that the food did not match the room” There’s a refreshing grounded honesty about everything John Williams says. His staccato sentences rich with wisdom.

“Chefs were coming and going too quickly. They’d choose new crockery because they liked it. They’d create international dishes that didn’t mean anything and they’d often bring recipes strongly influenced by their time abroad.

For me, things simply were not in synch with the room because The Ritz has fundamentals that cannot be tampered with. For example, The Ritz must have silver and fine china. Rustic crockery, no matter how beautiful, just isn’t The Ritz. If it wasn’t going to be authentic, the alternative was to be in a half full restaurant. Nobody wants that” When Ciaran Fahy and John Williams talk, besides their reverential interest in each other, it’s clear they understand a lot more than world leading luxury, service and food, they understand brands but they also innately understand people.

With that, as today’s custodians, it means responsibility and everything at The Ritz is focused on the guest and developing their people.

“Our focus at The Ritz must always be singular - what our guests want and what they want out of their visit too” says Fahy I’m intrigued by the notion of not what guests get but the focus on what they want.

Probing this more, Fahy tells a simple story of retired ladies getting an early morning bus from Swansea to Piccadilly to enjoy the legendary Ritz Afternoon Tea. For the ordinary people we all live amongst, touching The Ritz is as good as embracing it and even staying there. It’s

a moment in time and, whether brief or not, they have been here and an eight hour return bus journey is worthwhile to indulge, enjoy and talk about “Being to London and an afternoon at The Ritz” But any danger of misunderstanding his point is quickly slain with an intense gaze that only comes from deep seated passion: “Although we entertain Royalty, our ethos and belief is to treat everyone like Royalty” The evidence, as you walk around the wonderful mix of aristocracy, wealth and quiet starry eyed celebrations, bears this out.

“

Although we entertain Royalty, our ethos and belief is to treat everyone like Royalty

”

As one of the most easily recognized brands on the planet, there’s enormous responsibility towards protecting the brand and ensuring the ethos, clarity and discretion it demands are easily understood.

Says Fahy; “Today, many hotels are brands created by marketers in isolation.

They theorize about market segments, demographics just a little too much. Let me be clear, The Ritz is simply about authenticity and we know our demographic too, it’s from 1 to 101. This means we represent and must always reflect the very best of British. This means, no matter what, we will not compromise on our produce, our curtains, our beds or our carpet. Everything must be the best in its class, nothing less will do” This is a sentiment many hoteliers will understand but not many will get to deliver but Fahy adds an interesting insight to reinforce his point; “Everybody knows what quality is, you don’t have to be an expert”

John Williams agrees “Our food can be anything as long as it’s superb” Now it would be easy to think that this was Carte Blanche for a freewheeling ambitious Chef but then he adds with a smile “When a young Chef presents me with a new dish, I’m always saying ‘it’s very nice but is it The Ritz?”

You could begin to believe that life downstairs at The Ritz is a regime dominated by a brand and that evolution is anathema to their thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth.

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“Our food can be anything as long as it’s superb”

The Ritz Says Williams “I am surrounded by young guys and girls who have a great desire for knowledge and to learn. That alone keeps me in a job” It’s no surprise, when you dig a little deeper that both Fahy and Williams are those quiet gentlemen who sit on many voluntary boards dedicated to mentoring, teaching and helping those less fortunate. It’s in their DNA. Educating people is an intrinsic part of good leaders. Some talk about it at length but it’s the stories of what their protégés achieve that unwittingly reveals how important this is to both of them.

Says Fahy; “Our culture in the kitchen is to recruit young Chefs, send them into the world to learn and then bring them back, full of new ideas that allow us to keep evolving The Ritz” Williams quickly agrees and adds “Being creative is vital for our future but being creative, on its own, is not enough. It’s about being creative and authentic, this is what we are all about. For example, the role of the farm is already critical for the younger generation of Chefs which, in turn, is a part of the demand today for authenticity” Our upbringing defines us and it’s no different listening to these two natural born leaders.

Though surrounded by wealth, luxury and often the most famous faces on earth, their roots always come through and neither confuse who they are with what they do.

These strong values give both a rare ability to understand what it means to someone to come to The Ritz.

“The Ritz” says Fahy “is a special occasion place” Of course, whilst most occasions are celebratory occasions, special can mean to meet, mourn, remember or reflect.

Great hotels know the difference and that means an essential and deep intuitive understanding of what discretion means.

Williams understands the role of The Ritz in society and for the people they serve. He also understands that iconic brands still need to deliver a profit but for Williams and Fahy, profit is simply an outcome.

Says Williams; “It’s too easy to be intimidated by a hotel like The Ritz, our job is to break that down” Again, Fahy is clear “We never have to worry about the discretion of our guests because one rule is utterly non-negotiable for anyone.

We do not talk about guests. Full stop” It is simple, effective and understood by everyone. As Mark Twain said “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything” It’s an interesting point and one that too many pay lip service too.

Sometimes, luxury hotels can begin to believe

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that arrogance is an appropriate ingredient. It’s not and neither Fahy nor Williams would entertain what might be called ‘arrogance’ because their ethos, upbringing and core leadership values are based firmly on respect. Respect, when real, never countenances arrogance, it’s never even necessary to discuss.

But discretion can have a humorous side too, a point echoed

by Philippe LeBoeuf, (Mandarin Oriental and the former GM at Claridge’s) in Dancing at the Fountain, Oaktree Press.

Says Ciaran Fahy “Some well-known people want the world to know they are there and others don’t but they do like to know you know they are here.

Our view is simple because none of us would like the world peering into our lives with our slippers on” Besides the obvious leadership qualities these two understated men clearly have, what comes through in every story is the origin of every decision because they share strong values etched in their upbringing. ‘The right thing’ isn’t just about the right food, service and décor, it’s also about doing what’s right. It’s a moral obligation that comes with being a temporary custodian of a brand that will outlive us all.

Says Fahy; “Not buying the right champagne is the easy thing to do but even if we saved a few pounds, it’s still not the right thing and at The Ritz, we only do what is right because that’s what authenticity is all about” The photo that accompanies this article gives you a snapshot of life at The Ritz. Throughout my time with these two passionate professionals, we are served the finest tea in the finest china. It’s a fast tour into a privileged world and an intriguing one at that.

Before long, discreet assistants are whispering reminders of other meetings and waiting guests. Still, there’s no rush even if all The Commonwealth Leaders are gathered outside.

Each story sparks another but even the most pleasant of meetings must come to an end.

John Williams sips the last of his tea from the most beautiful cup. He walks away smiling, turns back, says one last goodbye and, ever cheerful adds; “And Yes Conor, really good English tea does taste better in fine china” With that, they were gone but their work, charisma and wisdom will carry on leading, inspiring, teaching and evolving everyone who is lucky enough to touch The Ritz however briefly.

Conor is the Founder of Conor Kenny & Associates (Irish Enterprise Awards 2018 - Best Professional Development Consultancy) an Independent Training, Learning & Professional Development Company for the Hospitality & Service Industries.

He is the Author of 3 books; ‘It’s Who I Am’ - Irish Times Best Books of the Year. (2017) ‘Dancing at the Fountain’ - Irish Examiner Best Books of the Year (2016) ‘Sales Tales – True Stories of How Great Sales Happen’ (2014)

ITIC

Government must match Irish tourism industry’s ambitions Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, CEO, Irish Tourism Industry Confederation

It is often a little acknowledged fact that the country’s largest indigenous industry is the Irish tourism and hospitality sector. It employs a remarkable 230,000 people throughout the country in everything from hotels and restaurants to attractions and aviation that’s 1 in every 10 jobs and it’s the only industry that can develop long-term sustainable jobs in both urban and rural Ireland. It’s a much bigger employer than agriculture or construction and crucially is a thriving export sector with earnings from overseas visitors last year topping €4.9 billion, as 8.9 million tourists came to our shores.

And the most relevant point of all is that Ireland’s tourism sector has much more potential to offer in terms of export earnings, employment and exchequer returns given the right policies and appropriate investment strategies. It is in that context that the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), the umbrella group for Irish tourism business interests, last month produced a strategy and roadmap for the sector to 2025, arguing that the export value of tourism can grow by as much as 65%. In a comprehensive blueprint for the sector - entitled Tourism: An Industry Strategy for Growth to 2025 - with over 50 policy recommendations, borne of 10 months of industrywide consultation, ITIC make the case that tourism’s sustainable growth as an export sector would mean a further 80,000 jobs nationwide and nearly €2 billion to the exchequer in direct tourism related taxes annually. It is now time for the Government to match the Irish tourism industry’s ambitions.

on new hotels, aircraft, ferries, restaurants and visitor attractions.

The new Center Parcs attraction in Longford due to open next year is a prime example; a €233 million investment that will employ 1,000 permanent jobs, no other industry is likely to provide such an economic boost to Ireland’s Midlands. The State too though must play its role - the Government has got much right on tourism taxes with the Vat rate aligned with the European average, but it has been found seriously wanting in terms of investment in tourism. State funding for Irish tourism is actually down 25%, or €40 million, since 2008 and Government support for tourism is a vital enabling factor if the sector is to continue prospering. ITIC’s tourism strategy makes the case that there is a 34 to 1 return for the state on investment in tourism, so it is an economic no-brainer for the Government to commit to overseas marketing of Ireland and, like the shining example of the Wild Atlantic Way, invest in experience development to create new attractors of scale and international appeal.

On behalf of the 20,000 businesses within the Irish tourism industry, ITIC will be reviewing Tourism: An Industry Strategy for Growth to 2025 on a 6 monthly basis to ensure that the policy recommendations within it are being implemented. Industry-led, Government-enabled and Agency-supported, Irish tourism’s future can be bright assuming the sector remains competitive and the State matches the industry’s ambitions.

Irish tourism’s development in recent years has been led by the private sector and in the next 3 years alone tourism businesses will spend at least €2.5 billion

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Disability

Travels with a wheelchair. . .

or any type of Disability!

‘We don’t do enough as an industry to take account of everyone’s needs. We try but we could do more!’ The words there of Aidan Ryan, General Manager of the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. I am on a mission to find out how we treat people who need accessible rooms and accessible bathrooms in the hospitality industry and I have found the good, the bad and the very bad!

The Royal Marine has excellent facilities with four dedicated bedrooms, roll-in showers and lower beds but the best thing for me is the attitude of the staff. I have seen at first hand how they go out of their way to make sure that someone with a disability is given as much assistance as they need. The Royal Marine is a very old building ‘and we are aware of the constraints of that but we see ourselves as being very accessible’, says Aidan, ‘but we don’t classify people. We should be treating everyone the same.’

Interestingly, the hotel was chosen as the venue for a visually impaired group of tennis players coming from abroad to participate in the Blind Tennis World Championships. Aidan and his staff had met with their representatives to learn how best to orientate them, setting aside bedrooms close together and a special area for breakfast. ‘It was a new experience for the hotel and we trained our staff to assist in orientating the visitors so they could find their way around the hotel easily.’ Aidan believes that the way forward for the hospitality industry lies in training.

Most of the problems I have encountered are in the restaurant category. One well known restaurant had blocked the accessible bathroom with deliveries, three others were using the area for extra storage which meant wheelchairs couldn’t gain entry. And, despite the building regulations which provide for access for people with a disability, older buildings are hedging their bets.

On one visit with a wheelchair, the proprietor said the guest would have to go down an alley around the back of the building and enter through the kitchen! Not good enough! But move on and the kindness of the staff in Mao in Stillorgan was balanced by an excellent bathroom with plenty of space and even a bowl of fresh flowers!

The positive attitude of the staff is also evident in Renvyle House Hotel in Connemara where the General Manager Ronnie Counihan showed me their accessible rooms and also their new suites which have been built with extra wide walk-in showers which would be suitable for many people needing accessibility. But I was also impressed by the dining staff’s assistance in finding the best table for a wheelchair and in bringing the luggage in and out. There is telepathy going on here, they seem to know what you need before you’ve even thought of it yourself!

But enjoying trips away and meals out is the preserve of everyone and access to the building and an accessible bathroom are essentials. At the beginning of May ‘Changing Places’ launched their campaign for the installation of bathrooms that can cater for all levels of disability and which includen a height adjustable adult-

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sized changing bench, a ceiling track hoist and adequate space for the disabled person and up to two assistants. These bathrooms have already proved lifechanging in the UK which now has 850 of them. Here in Ireland we have seven so far, including Aras an Uachtarain, Trinity College, Dublin, Dublin Airport, The Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick and IKEA in Dublin.

Bridget Boyle is the Regional Access Officer with the Irish Wheelchair Association. She herself has been a wheelchair user for over forty years so she is the real expert in the area of accessibility. ‘Things are improving’, she says, ‘but as the relevant building regulations only came into force in 2012 and construction is only really starting again now, we’ve a lot of ground to make up!’

Bridget says there’s a lot of common sense involved in providing accessibility, ‘even clearing a path to the bathroom so that it’s open for a wheelchair to pass through and not giving in to the temptation to use the bathroom as another storage area for the business’. She has since instances where the bathroom is used for stacking chairs. But its not just the installation of these bathrooms that’s important, ‘it’s also the follow-up, the maintenance, the upkeep.’

There is no doubt that providing the necessities of life for everyone helps to maintain dignity and opens up a whole new vista in terms of outings and travel. And this has now extended to travelling beyond Ireland where tour operators are seeing an increase in people with a disability booking holidays abroad. John Galligan, CEO of John Galligan Travel, is particularly interested in catering for the needs of those with a disability. ‘Standards vary enormously’, he says, ‘you really have to know where you are sending people! For example one Spanish hotel which was offering accessible rooms had the shower inside the bath!’ John sees mobility as a challenge and says he was delighted recently when one of his clients enjoyed a trip on the Rocky Mountain trip. The age of the facility matters too, for example older lifts won’t take motorised wheelchairs whereas newer builds have ramps and wet rooms.

But on the plus side, John says there have been dramatic improvements in many ways. ‘The airports are good. Coach access varies, in the US they provide lifts at the side of the coach.

John also points out that with so many older people travelling that there are increasing accessibility problems. ‘Even if they don’t need assistance in their day to day lives, travelling through the airports can be a big challenge, just to get to the plane.’ John has also had fourteen wheelchair users enjoy a cruise. ‘It’s all about planning and knowing your hotels and your cruise ships. Some are better than others, the newer ships are excellent but you have to make sure that someone with a disability is getting as much out of their holiday as everyone else!’

And some final words of advice from Bridget. ‘We need to review the development of new buildings and the renovation of older ones. We need to move away from this ‘one size fits all’ mentality. Legislation is fine but we need a lot more monitoring.’ And on the subject of booking engines for hotels: ‘There should be an option to choose an accessible room, at the moment there’s no relevant button and you have to ring the hotel direct to make a booking.’

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