Contd. from page 8

New investments often hinge on the right partner coming along as he explains. “We don’t pretend to know real estate so we’re always looking for strong local partners.”

Cooper says the Powerscourt resort is targeting a mix of business and leisure, domestic and overseas custom when it opens. “Midweek will primarily be a mix of domestic and international group business.” He feels there will be a fair sprinkling of North Americans visiting the resort now that it is “much easier to get to Dublin from the US.”

He feels that weekend trade will see a lot of business coming in from the UK and the Continent. “The strong domestic economy and buoyant business markets attracted us,” he says. “Also, Ireland has done a good job of marketing itself abroad primarily as a destination for leisure pursuits such as fishing, golf and for its scenic beauty and charm. Then there is also the country’s warmth and friendliness,” he adds.

Cooper says the three core values central to Ritz-Carlton’s ethos are consistency, uniqueness and people. “You must get the basics right, whether it is the reservation area, dining, rooms or even parking - consistency is crucial,” he explains. Secondly, all Ritz-Carlton hotels seek to create a unique experience for guests. “We get a lot of wealthy visitors coming to stay, visitors who may have stayed in the George V the night before.”

On recruitment, he says the group’s motto of ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’ has stood the test of time. He’s confident the new hotel will be able to draw sufficient staff from the local community, and he likes to think Ritz-Carlton will be able to create career opportunities in the region.

Cooper does not believe there is a typical Ritz-Carlton customer anymore. “Twenty years ago, yes, but now wealth is much more diverse,” he suggests. “Back then, you could identify a wealthy customer passing through the lobby of the Ritz- Carlton in Boston by the way he was dressed. Now he is as likely to be wearing jeans as he is an Armani suit.”

Cooper is confident about the outlook for tourism over the coming decade and, in relation to Ireland, believes the recent delinking of Shannon is very positive for tourism in Ireland. Right now and for the foreseeable future he says “cross continent” travelling is in vogue. “Not so many people would want to be crossing an ocean at present,” he suggests.

Simon Cooper joined Ritz-Carlton five years ago and has been involved in opening 25 new hotels for the group during that time. He oversees operations, development and strategic positioning of the Ritz-Carlton brand. He is also responsible for the development of Bulgari Hotels, a joint venture between Marriott International and Bulgari S.p.A. He is proud that Ritz-Carlton continues to earn the highest accolades including designation of AAA Five Diamond for 22 hotels.

Cooper began his hospitality career in 1972 and has worked at the highest level for Delta Hotels & Resorts, OMNI Hotels USA and Marriott International. He is a board member of the Canadian Tourism Commission, and, in 2004, was appointed to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Canada Institute Advisory Board. Educated in England, Mr Cooper holds an MBA from the University of Toronto and an honorary fellowship from Ryerson Polytechnic University.

Simon Cooper will address 500 delegates as a keynote speaker at the forthcoming Irish Hotels Federation Annual Conference on Tuesday 7th March 2006. Conference brochure and further details can be found at www.ihf.ie/conference/

During 2005, Irelandhotels.com generated almost 14,000 bookings worth almost €3.2 million. The site received just under 1.2 million unique visitors and achieved increases of 94% in bookings and 95% in revenue over 2004. We hope to further improve on these figures during 2006.

Irelandhotels.com provides information on accommodation in hotels and guesthouses based on entries appearing in the Be Our Guest Guide. In an effort to ensure continued growth in bookings and revenues through 2006, Irelandhotels.com now displays a total of four property photos on each property’s web page.

Zinsay is a leading international supplier of hospitality merchandising services and has sold products in Ireland since 1999. Zinsay has a dedicated 22,000 square foot Irish operations centre at Shannon Airport and supplies furniture, sofas, sofabeds, mattresses, pillows, bedding and industrial white goods. Zinsay’s international presence allows the company to offer excellent value on large orders and to guarantee quality control standards up to five star grading.

For further information contact: Charlie Watkins, Tel: 1850 234 234 email: charlie@zinsay.net, Web: www.zinsay.net

Ormonde Technologies is a leading supplier of coin operated Internet access terminals to the Irish hospitality Industry. The company, which is based in Kilkenny, offers an easy to use SurfBox terminal that allows guests to access the Internet without the need for a Laptop. SurfBox is supplied free of charge to the hotel, and the hotel receives a percentage of the revenue generated.

For further information contact: Thomas Marry, Tel: 086 2208008 email: thomas.marry@surfbox.ie, Web: www.surfbox.ie

Gram is a leading supplier of commercial refrigeration equipment to the retail and leisure industries. Founded in 1901, the UK-based company supplies an extensive range of products including stainless steel under counter cabinets, gastronorm compatible cabinets, display cabinets and refrigerated counters. The majority of the company’s products are covered by free extended parts and labour warranties of two or three years.

For further information contact: Warren Giffen, Tel: +44 484 277 2821

Guest International is the world's leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of guest toiletries and in-room amenities for the hotel and leisure industry. Guest International has been operating for more than 25 years and serves over 21,000 hotels worldwide. Using in-house packaging engineers and graphic designers, the company is famous for creating unique in-room amenity programmes using world renowned brands. Guest will be exhibiting at Showtel 2006 in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on the 6th & 7th of March.

For further information contact: Tel: + 44 118 981 7377 email: sales@guestint.co.uk, Web: www.guestinternational.co.uk

Hugh Jordan is the largest supplier of crockery, furniture, cutlery, glassware, and kitchen and barware utensils and equipment in Ireland. Established in 1949, Hugh Jordan has built a strong reputation as a reliable service provider with a nationwide network of representatives and a commitment to sourcing Irish products that meet the quality standards required by the catering industry.

For further information contact: John Whyte, Tel: 01 6779498 email: john.whyte@hughjordan.com, Web: www.hughjordan.com

New Food Law 
Are You Ready?

The New Year brought with it new EU food hygiene legislation, applicable to over 30,000 food businesses in Ireland, including hoteliers. The new EU food law, which came into force on 1st January 2006, aims to optimise the protection of public health through improving and expanding current legislation.

The new law brings together 17 previous EU Hygiene Directives into five new pieces of legislation which will allow for better understanding. The legislation introduces a 'farm to fork' approach to food safety, by including primary production (farming) in food hygiene legislation for the first time in the majority of cases.

It also puts the legal obligation on food businesses to bear the full responsibility for the safety of food produced. It requires all food business operators, except primary producers, to implement and maintain food safety management procedures which will ensure the production of safe food and help to protect consumer health. The legislation is structured so that it can be applied flexibly in all food businesses regardless of their type or size.

The FSAI has published an information pack containing a range of leaflets to assist the food industry abide by the implications of the new food law. The four leaflets included in the pack include General Food Law; Regulation for Restaurant, Caterers, Retail and Wholesale Operators; Regulation on Microbiological Criteria; and Regulation for Premises Handling Products of Animal Origin.

The leaflets outline in simple terms the legal obligations on food businesses under the law. Copies of the information pack can be obtained by calling the FSAI advice-line on 1890 33 66 77. In addition, the FSAI has created a new section on its website: (www.fsai.ie/legislation/eu_hygie ne_regs/index.asp) that provides further advice and will be continually updated as more information becomes available from the EU and Irish Government Departments.

As we move forward in 2006, the IHF will endeavour to ensure that Irish hotels are well positioned to address the various challenges facing our industry. These challenges come in the form of internal factors, such as the need to create quality experiences for our guests, and to put the correct tourism infrastructure in place; and external factors, such as growing concerns over a potential Avian Flu pandemic. As such, the IHF will rely on the continued support and participation of members as it articulates the concerns and views of our industry.

During 2006, the IHF will reassert the need for reform of local authority funding and will press for an urgent re-examination of Ireland’s high VAT rate of 13.5%, which continues to put our industry at a competitive disadvantage. While encouraging the Government’s plans to address the country’s infrastructural deficit through much needed investment in the area of transport, we will also work closely with our industry partners to ensure Ireland becomes a destination of choice for business visitors and short-break and long-break holidaymakers. We will continue to call for increased funding of marketing initiatives for developing markets while actively engaging with the Government and the various tourism bodies to address the disparity between the country’s regions and urban areas.

Internal factors play an important role in shaping the perception of Ireland as a welcoming and attractive place to visit. It is no longer enough to offer quality accommodation at competitive prices. Irish hotels and guesthouses will need to provide a more complete experience for tourists in order to survive and meet the high expectations of visitors, both domestic and overseas, taking holidays.

This will demand that we look within our organisations and examine how we can be more innovative and creative in delivering an experience that customers will remember. These issues will be addressed at our 2006 Annual Conference entitled ‘Deliver the Xperience’, which will take place in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin from 5th – 7th March

.As we strive to create memorable experiences for our guests, it is important not to underestimate the valuable role played by those working in our industry in shaping and maintaining our reputation for being warm and friendly. It is vital that we create an environment in which workers from abroad enjoy the same rights and protection as Irish workers. The IHF is committed to addressing skills shortages within our industry and will continue to encourage good staff management practices among its members. Over the coming year, the Federation will work to encourage a balanced debate on the contribution of foreign nationals to our economy and will act as a strong advocate of legislative efforts to safeguard the rights of non-nationals working in Ireland.

Although external factors are largely out of our control, we have a responsibility to be mindful of their impact and to be proactive in responding to potential threats, such as economic downturns in source markets. This will involve working closely with state agencies and working collectively as an organisation with tourism authorities to review marketing initiatives for underperforming markets, such as North America. As economies in Asia continue to out-perform those in North America and Europe, 2006 will be a time to turn our attention to longhaul markets and long term prospects, such as the evolving middle class travel markets in China, Korea and India.

I look forward to seeing progress made in meeting head-on the challenges facing our industry and to ensuring that the contribution of our industry to the Irish economy is fully acknowledged in 2006 by Government and policy makers.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the important role played by regional IHF branches in encouraging member support throughout the year. It is this support and commitment that makes our organisation what it is and is so hugely important in giving it a strong voice when lobbying for changes in government policy. I hope to see continued and increased involvement by members at all levels.

Richard Bourke

President

In today’s competitive environment, hoteliers and guesthouse owners are increasingly experiencing a greater shift towards using the Internet and email when conducting daily business activities and communicating with guests. As this trend increases, it is vital to look at the dual threats of viruses and SPAM and how they can affect business performance.

Time and money spent rectifying problems caused by viruses and SPAM can be considerable. In Ireland, viruses and SPAM cost Irish business an estimated €188m annually, and up to 60% of all email received by Irish business can be classified as SPAM.

The email Inbox has become the focal point around which hotels and guesthouses operate, so when a problem occurs, the impact on the business is immediate and could result in lost bookings. With this in mind, eircom recommends that owners using the Internet should install anti-SPAM and anti-virus software as a necessity, particularly for their Inbox.

eircom broadband comes with a built-in firewall as standard, and from as little as €2 extra a month, eircom can also protect a business Inbox from attack 24/7 with its e-mail protector product.

As security issues grow, businesses can choose from an extensive range of security solutions from eircom. From mail server backup and online data backup to advanced firewalls, eircom can ensure that any hotel or guesthouse using eircom broadband has a security solution in place that is right for their business.

Protecting Businesses against SPAM & viruses

Choosing an on-line security solution can be confusing. Below are five questions to assist in determining an appropriate solution:

1. Does the security solution match the size and needs of the hotel/guesthouse?

2. Is it simple to deploy, manage and support?

3. Can it be completely integrated without requiring additional solutions?

4. Is it fully supported 24/7?

5. Can it be updated and patches applied when required?

Further information on eircom’s current offers is available at http://www.eircom.net/business

Those interested in availing of eircom broadband can call 1800 370 037. Terms & Conditions apply. Prices exclude VAT.

eircom broadband is being rolled out on a phased basis, and each query will be individually assessed for availability.