The Northern Ireland Tourist Board unveiled its new strategy document, Tourism in Northern Ireland – strategic framework for action 2004- 2007, at the recent Hospitality Exchange conference in the Belfast. The strategy centres on three key objectives – attracting visitors, enhancing business and communicating effectively - underpinned by 10 action programmes covering all aspects of the tourism sector.

Northern Ireland Economy Minister Ian Pearson commended the strategy, describing it as a “practical and deliverable framework for action”, and commenting that he wants to raise international perceptions of the province in order to attract visitors who could expect the high standards of service they are used to receiving elsewhere

The Ryder Cup, which Ireland will host in 2006, will be held at the K Club, Co. Kildare from Friday to Sunday, 22nd-24th September. The dates were announced recently by The European Tour at a Fáilte Ireland/The European Tour reception in Dublin.

Ryder Cup Limited estimates that 40,000 people will attend on each of the three days. Tickets are expected to go on sale in Ireland during the final months of 2004. Sky Sports has secured exclusive live television rights. It is perceived as such an important event that the GAA has kindly agreed that it will re-schedule the All-Ireland Football final at Croke Park to avoid a clash of dates with the golf event.

At the Fáilte Ireland reception, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue TD, said the hosting of the Ryder Cup brings great benefits to Ireland in terms of increased tourism and national prestige. He added: "We place a high value on the contribution that golf tourism is making to the tourist industry and the economy. We now have an annual figure of some 200,000 golf tourists generating revenue of nearly €200 million".

The Minister said it was Government policy to attract top international sporting events to Ireland. "The International Sports Tourism Initiative, co-ordinated by Fáilte Ireland, on behalf of the Government, has assisted the process of bringing to Ireland many prestigious events, in a variety of sports. In addition to the European Tour events, the American Express World Golf Championship which was held at Mount Juliet in 2002, is coming again to the same venue next year'', he said.

The Minister formally thanked everyone who has been assisting The European Tour in their preparations for the event, including the Irish Hotels Federation, Fáilte Ireland, Kildare County Council and An Gardá Síochána.

The online masters course in Hospitality Management from Hibernia College has now been running for two semesters with the third about to start. It has attracted great interest from hospitality professionals from Ireland north and south. The course is now being put forward for further accreditation to the Hospitality and Catering International Management Association in Britain. This will broaden the student profile for future classes and further "internationalise" the Masters programme and the participants international network. The course is becoming well recognised with many international hotel groups enquiring as to placement availability.

The next course starts on the 3rd of February 2004 and applications, which can be filled in on line, must be in before the closing date of January 16th. Further information may be found at www.hiberniacollege.net

User friendly and affordable human resources systems can offer many benefits to hotels. Melandjon Ltd, are providers of such human resource management systems (HRMANTOOL) and etraining systems, which it has installed in several industries around the country including the hospitality sector. Some of the features its system offers are: employee details, holidays, absence, reviews, salary and employment history, disciplinary details, exit interviews, rostering, uniforms, staff houses. Most recently it now offers links to the IHF’s Quality Employer Programme documents and also comes with several aspects of the QEP included in order to enhance each hotel’s ability to conform to QEP.

The system is designed to be simple to use and open ended for future growth and allows multiple users with no limit on the number of employees. Further information is available on the service from John at (045) 449877 email: melandjon1@esatclear.ie

Kellys Resort Hotel, Rosslare has revealed plans for 16 extra bedrooms and a spa, which it is estimated will create approximately 20 jobs in the local area. Taking advantage of its seaside location, the spa will have a sea-water pool, seaweed baths and a mudroom. It will also provide facilities offering reiki and Thai massage as well as a wide range of treatments. The spa development and new bedrooms follow the recent €1 million redevelopment of the hotel’s Beaches Restaurant which has recently been awarded the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence.

Pictured is owner Bill Kelly with a model of the new development.

Dublin Tourism’s Dublin Tourism Enterprise Awards have awaded Jurys Doyle Hotel Group the Accommodation Award for their Jury’s Inn concept. Commenting on the award, Mr Niall Geoghegan, Marketing and Sales Director, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group said: “We are obviously thrilled to receive this award and recognition amongst such a distinguished group of finalists. The award is also a great testament to the staff that work in both the Dublin properties.”

The Jurys Inns concept currently incorporates twelve properties across Ireland and the UK accounting for 31% of the Group’s turnover each year. The concept was introduced to the market in 1997 and has grown steadily in its appeal for budget-style accommodation in city centre locations.

Pictured at the Awards are Chairman of Dublin Tourism, Michael Flood and Niall Geoghegan, Marketing and Sales Director, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group.

Deirdre O’Riordan and Rosie O’Connor became the inaugural graduates of the management training programme at the Merrion Hotel. Following three years of practical experience in all aspects of the Merrion's operation, in conjunction with their studies at DIT Cathal Brugha Street, they both graduated with a Diploma in Hospitality Management.

Pictured (l-r) is: Deirdre O’Riordan and Rosie O’Connor.

The Gate Lodge Spa at Kinnitty Castle Demesne was recently officially opened by Louis Osbourne (Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne's son) who will be holding his wedding at the Castle next New Years Eve. A range of beauty treatments at the Gate Lodge Spa include outdoor hot-tub, exotic body wrap, hydrotherapy baths, Carita hot stone massage, saunas and steam room. Exclusive products that will be used at the spa include Yonka, Decleor Paris, MAC, Carmel Duffy Colour Me Beautiful and Massor.

Pictured is Louis Osbourne with his fiancé Louise Lennon at Kinnitty Castle.

Two members of staff at the Regency Hotel Group who have worked with the group for a total of 57 years were recently honoured. Bridget Murphy has spent 31 years with the group and is currently working as a senior kitchen assistant at the North Star Hotel and Sean Flanigan has been working as a bar man for 26 years and is also working in the North Star. In recognition of their contribution over the years the group presented each of them with a Waterford Crystal vase at a special ceremony last month.

Pictured is Sean Flanigan with Bridget Murphy.

Noel Collins, head chef at the Quality Hotel & Leisure Centre, Clonakilty, West Cork has been named Choice Hotels Ireland Head Chef of the Year, 2003. The award was recently announced at a special function at the Clarion Hotel Limerick. Noel, a native of Rossmore, Clonakilty has been with the hotel for nearly three years. The hotel is currently redeveloping, with work being carried out on its bar and the popular Lannigans Steakhouse.

Pictured is Noel Collins, Choice Hotels Head Chef of the Year 2003.

Le Meridien Shelbourne have appointed Anne Marie Whelan as Director of Sales & Marketing. Anne Marie was formally General Manager of the Glenview Hotel, Wicklow. Her experience is based in both operations and Sales & Marketing. Ms Whelan spent 7 years in the UK before returning to Ireland to work in the Conrad, Dublin. Previous hotel chain experience includes Millennium Copthorne Hotels, Swallow Hotels and Cliveden, Berkshire.

Mark O'Sullivan, has been appointed General Manager at the Bracken Court Hotel. Mark has recently returned from the United States where he was Director of Outlets at the Hyatt Regency Columbus, Ohio. Mark, a graduate of the Shannon College of Hotel Management, has worked for Inter-Continental Hotels in the UK, Jurys Doyle in Ireland and Mount Juliet.

Sean Aherne, has been appointed Executive Chef at the Bracken Court Hotel. Sean was previously Head Chef of Slevins Restaurant in Navan and also Sous Chef of the Newgrange Hotel in Navan. Sean started his career in the Conrad Hotel, Dublin and spent a considerable amount of time training in Germany.

George Hook has been appointed General Manager of the Hibernian Hotel, Dublin. After graduating from the College of Catering at Cathal Brugha Street with distinction the Mespil Hotel offered him a post where he stayed for seven years. The Hibernian Hotel has won rosettes from the AA for standard of restaurant and food, the AA Courtesy and Care Award 1999, was voted The Small Luxury Hotel of the Year in 1997 and was rated by Conde Nast Traveller as one of Dublin's five most stylish hotels. There is a refurbishment programme planned and he plans to make changes to better compete at the top end of the market.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s new Chief Executive Ann Westby, looks forward to her role of leading a team of highly skilled professionals to protect public health.

Managing a business is getting tougher these days and it is not just market conditions and costs that are posing problems for managers. New legislation of all kinds continues to crop up with the result that companies have to spend much more of their time ensuring they are compliant. This is especially pertinent for the hospitality sector and anybody involved in the preparation and sale of fresh food.

It’s not the fact that there are regulations – anybody preparing and serving fresh food for consumption could hardly argue with the needs for hygiene and proper temperature controls, and general best practices. Their gripe is more with the vastness and complexity of the regulations that govern food safety.

This is something Ann Westby is conscious of, but the new chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland is unshrinking in her belief that attention to food safety is something we must not compromise on. Coming from a manufacturing background with Nestlé, she fully understands the importance of hygiene and best practices where food is being prepared and served. Her training is in microbiology and not as a lawyer or legislator and so she does empathise with the industry in relation to the complexity of the regulations. “I would much prefer to have seen them written in plain English”, she remarks a bit tongue in cheek. “They are unduly complicated, I fully accept that – but they are nonetheless very necessary”. The FSAI is playing a major role in providing guidelines for industry to help them interpret the legislation, indeed the guidelines on labelling from the FSAI is like a bible in the food manufacturing industry. The regulations are being simplified, she adds, in terms of making them more global, and in trying to create “a more equal playing field”. She accepts there is a perception here that Ireland may be applying food safety regulations more rigorously than some other countries but this is not the case. While they may be simplified this won’t change the laws as to how they apply in any way, she stresses. “Food businesses will have to do things as they are at present in terms of training people, keeping records and so on. There will be no compromise when it comes to protecting the consumer”, she asserts.

Neither does she make excuses for why the FSAI is now pushing HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) compliance for food businesses, and says “we have prosecuted offenders and, yes, we will be taking action against new ones

that come to our attention”. She doesn’t accept that business should view this legislation as an additional cost, arguing that if you are in the food business then it is only “common sense” that you should “identify likely hazard points, control them and record the details.”

Ann Westby is only two months in her new job. She succeeded Dr Patrick Wall who established the Authority five years ago and who has become synonymous with food safety in this country. She believes that her remit is “different” to Dr Wall’s.

“Food safety is not new now – it’s been around for many years”, she explains. “Dr Wall set up the Authority five years ago, put the structures in place and placed food safety on the national agenda. He took food safety to the forefront and to the consumer, but it is no longer quite as sexy as it was because it’s simply not a novel issue anymore.” she notes. “It will be part of my job to make sure that it remains in the public eye.” She sees her remit to take the Authority to the next five years ensuring that it operates in line with the very best practices in business.

Food safety was arguably far from her mind when she took a holiday job with the old Williams & Woods company – Silvermints to brown sauces for those too young to recall the major factory that once stood on Dublin’s Parnell Street - some 30 years ago. She worked in the laboratory and it was there that her interest in microbiology took hold and she began studies at night in Kevin Street. Willwoods, as people liked to call the plant, was eventually absorbed into Nestlé Ireland. When she left to join the FSAI she was technical and corporate affairs manager, with the multinational company.

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