Pictured at the launch of Fáilte Ireland’s National Walking Initiative were (l-r): Conor Hennigan, Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce; John O’Donoghue, TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism; and Fiona Buckley, Fáilte Ireland South West.

John O’Donoghue, TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, recently announced details of Fáilte Ireland’s new National Walking Initiative designed to maximise the potential of Ireland’s excellent walking routes. The initiative, which will take advantage of the increasing interest in walking holidays, will focus on identifying and marketing a countrywide network of looped walks to complement the existing portfolio of linear Waymarked Ways routes.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr O’Donoghue, said, “Walking is the most popular and important form of leisure time physical activity in Ireland today. It is also a very important element to Irish tourism with over 280,000 overseas visitors participating in hill walking or hiking during 2005. We have some of the most spectacular and varied walks in the world located throughout the Irish countryside and Fáilte Ireland’s walking initiative is designed to maximise Ireland’s potential as a walking destination for our domestic and overseas tourists.”

According to Paul Keeley, Marketing Director of Fáilte Ireland, 14 looped walks have been initially identified for promotion to key overseas markets and through a new website, www.walking.ireland.ie, where details and maps of the routes can be downloaded.

The winners of Fáilte Ireland’s 2006 Optimus Awards were recently announced at a ceremony in Farmleigh, Dublin. The programme, which was launched in 2004, is designed to help tourism based businesses strive for excellence and reap rewards in the form of increased competitiveness and profitability.

Among the recipients of this year’s Service Excellence Ireland’s Best Award were Ferrycarrig Hotel, Wexford; Brooks Hotel, Dublin; Buswells Hotel, Dublin; Castleknock Hotel & Country Club, Dublin; Killashee House Hotel, Kildare; Newpark Hotel Kilkenny, Kilkenny and Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin.

Winners of this year’s Mark of Best Practice award included the Mespil Hotel, Dublin; Clarion Hotel, Sligo; Ardilaun House Hotel, Galway; Westport Woods Hotel & Spa, Mayo; Westlodge Hotel, Cork; Harvey’s Point Country Hotel, Donegal; Rathmullan House Hotel, Donegal and Tower Hotel, Waterford.

Pictured at Failte Ireland’s Optimus Awards ceremony were (l-r): Paul Hayden, Dublin Tourism; Aidan Pender, Failte Ireland; Paul Gallagher, Buswells Hotel; Breege O’Donoghue, Optimus Approvals Board, and Emma Allen, Mespil Hotel.

An innovative recruitment solution has been launched to enable jobseekers search and apply for jobs throughout Ireland via their mobile phone. The innovation, which is well suited for the hotel industry, targets ‘Generation Text’ - a demographic spanning teenagers through to the forty-somethings who communicate daily on their mobile phones.

Jobseekers can register and store their MobilCV on their mobile phone and receive weekly job alerts about suitable opportunities in their local area. Jobseekers can access Mobiljob by searching on Vodafone live!, O2 i-mode or by texting the word JOBS to 53321. Jobseekers can also go directly to a particular company’s profile and job adverts by texting the company name to 53321.

With Ireland’s main mobile operators firmly behind the solution, jobseekers will now be able to search for jobs anytime and anywhere in a personalised and confidential manner. The solution will also facilitate employee communications by enabling companies to issue weekly texts about rotas, training sessions and employee activities. The idea behind Mobiljob was developed as it became apparent that traditional media were not always the most effective ways to target the blue collar sector. Indeed John Conroy, Chief Executive, Mobiljob, has used his considerable experience as a hotelier and Chartered FCIPD to create a recruitment solution for the hotel and catering Industry.

Mobiljob was recently unveiled to the Irish HR community at the annual CIPD Conference in Killarney where the feedback was extremely positive. A number of high profile Irish organisations have already integrated the Mobiljob recruitment solution into their existing recruitment model; these include Compass Group, Peter Mark, Spring Grove Services, Sigmar Recruitment and Grafton Recruitment.

Mobiljob is a joint Irish and French initiative and has been very successful in France over the last 12 months in recruiting qualified candidates for the hotel and catering Industry. Commenting on the solution, Philippe Liger, Human Resource Director, Accor Group, said “When I first had a demo of Mobiljob, I thought immediately that it was the best way to reach my target audience easily. Indeed, all of the candidates I met had a mobile phone. The results were astonishing as I received more than 700 CVs after 6 months and in January we received 209 suitable applications!”

A demonstration of Mobiljob is available for recruiters and jobseekers at www.mobiljob.ie. For additional information, please contact John Conroy on 01 2020278 or 087 6020237.

The Court Yard Hotel in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, recently played host to members of the Toulouse Rugby team as part of a charity golf classic in aid of the Meningitis Trust. The players, many of whom play for both France and Toulouse, flew in to join Irish team mate Trevor Brennan who helped organise the charity event at Westmanstown Golf Club.

Pictured at the Court Yard Hotel was Gavin O’Shea, General Manager, being presented with a signed French shirt by members of Toulouse Rugby team.

Pierre Caillet, head chef at Carrig Country House & Restaurant in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, has won the hotly contested Moreau Chablis Fish Dish of the Year competition. Mr Caillet’s dish of ‘Fillet of fresh Atlantic Cod, decorated with Kerry potato scales and served with a chilled vegetable Carrageen Moss Ravioli on a Dingle sea froth flavoured with Moreau Chablis impressed the panel of adjudicators, which included food guru John McKenna and Frank Corr, editor of Hotel & Catering Review.

Prior to joining Carrig Country House, Mr Caillet worked at several top restaurants including the two-star Michelin restaurant Restaurant Jean-Paul Jeunet and one-star Michelin establishment Le Bec Fin Restaurant. To date, Carrig Country House has been awarded several honours including AA Country House of the Year and The Bridgestone Top 100 Places to Stay in Ireland.

Pierre Caillet, Head Chef at Carrig Country House and winner of the Moreau Chablis Fish Dish of the Year 2006.

The Randles Court Hotel, Killarney

The Randles Court Hotel, Killarney, recently celebrated the completion of a multi-million euro extension and face-lift to the premises. Formerly a private home dating back to 1906, the hotel has been tastefully restored to give guests the comfort and elegance of an era long since past. As part of the new development, a wing of 21 deluxe signature guest rooms was added along with a Zen Day Spa, underground car parking and a patio and tiered garden with picturesque views of the Kerry Mountains.

The Crowne Plaza Dublin has seen off over 600 hotels in more than 100 countries to be awarded “The 2005 Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Hotel of the Year.” The award recognises the hotel that achieved the best results in serving owners, customers, employees and their communities. Mary Buckley, General Manager, who attended the awards ceremony at the InterContinental Carlton Cannes, said, “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the 2005 EMEA Hotel of the Year award and are honoured to have been selected from so many hotels. I am very proud of all my colleagues at the hotel; this has been an excellent team effort and one that everyone has contributed to.”

The 4 star Crowne Plaza also walked away with two other awards: the 2005 Torchbearer Award, which is awarded to hotels that gained the top scores in the Guest Satisfaction Score Index, and the 2005 Food & Beverage Excellence Award in recognition of the hotel’s commitment to quality, profitability and concept development within the Food & Beverage area.

Mary Buckley, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Dublin Hotel, receiving the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Hotel of the Year Award from Richard Hartman, Managing Director, InterContinental, EMEA.

COMFORT AT SMITHFIELD

Comfort Inn Smithfield, Dublin

Comfort Inn Smithfield was recently launched in Dublin by Choice Hotels at a cost of €18 million. At just a few minutes walk from the centre of Dublin City, the newly opened flagship faces directly onto the northern end of Smithfield Plaza and is situated behind the magnificent Four Courts within walking distance of the city’s main shopping, entertainment and business districts.

Designed to an extremely high specification, Comfort Inn Smithfield boasts a stunning marble-floored lobby, eyecatching light fixtures and chic framed photographs capturing the highlights of Smithfield and the Four Courts dotted throughout the hotel. The hotel offers 92 stylishly furnished, state-of-the-art guest rooms with modern bathrooms equipped with under floor heating, bath and power shower. The hotel also provides an executive floor with seven spacious Junior Suites, each with a plasma television screen and a private balcony with spectacular city views.

The Days Hotel Kilkenny was recently opened at a cost of €10 million. The 80 bedroom 3 star hotel, which is located just a five minute drive from Kilkenny City centre, boasts a number of spacious meeting rooms which can accommodate up to 60 delegates. All meeting rooms are equipped with stateof- the-art audio visual equipment to facilitate presentations. Commenting on the opening, Jim Murphy, managing director of PREM Group, said, “Kilkenny is a vibrant bustling city which has always been a popular location for both domestic and international tourists and is fast becoming a preferred destination for the business traveller. Days Hotel Kilkenny will offer the business and leisure traveller comfort and convenience at an affordable price.”

Days Hotel, Kilkenny

Brian Fahy has been appointed General Manager ofthe Montenotte Hotel, Cork. Brian has recently returned from the USA where he was General Manager at the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Chicago. Originally from Dublin, he has worked in Ireland, the UK and Europe and previously managed the openings of the Great Southern Hotel Dublin Airport and the Atlantic Coast Hotel in Westport.

Mark Long has been appointed General Manager of the newly opened Comfort Inn Smithfield, Dublin. Previously, Mark worked with the Four Seasons Hotels, Kingsley Hotel and the Killarney Great Southern Hotel, where he was Deputy General Manager. Mark holds a diploma from GMIT in Hotel Management and Business Studies.

Karen Jones has been appointed Director of Sales for Radisson SAS Hotel & Spa, Galway. Karen previously worked as Area Sales Manager with the Corrib Great Southern Hotel, and as Sales Manager with the G Hotel, Galway. Karen holds a degree in Hotel and Catering Management from the University of Central England.

Stephanie Howard has been appointed Personal Assistant to Donal O’Meara, the Secretary/ Treasurer of the IHF. She joins the IHF from a hotel background, having worked in the areas of Conference, Incentive & Group Sales and Event Management. Stephanie is a Hospitality Management Graduate of DIT Cathal Brugha Street and Waterford Institute of Technology.

As the world’s third largest sporting event, the Ryder Cup will provide a unique opportunity to showcase Ireland as an attractive destination to a worldwide TV audience of 800 million viewers. In addition to an estimated contribution of over €130 million to the economy, the event is expected to yield a lucrative dividend going forward for the wider tourism industry.

Michael Davern, Chief Executive, K Club Hotel and Golf Resort, spoke to Innsight about Ireland’s golf product, the marketing opportunities associated with hosting the Ryder Cup and the potential to link golf in with business tourism.

Mr Davern thinks the Ryder Cup may act as a catalyst to revitalise American visitor numbers. “It’s generally assumed that only golfers watch the Ryder Cup. That’s not true of the American public; even non-golfers tune in for this event, which opens up a whole new opportunity for the K Club and the country.”

“This is so big for Ireland. Just consider what you’d have to do and spend to get the type of coverage and exposure the Ryder Cup will generate for the country,” he comments. And it is not just the Americans who will be watching. The event, only eclipsed in sporting TV audience terms by the Word Cup and Olympics, has huge viewer ratings across Scandinavia, Germany, the UK and other countries.

With such a wide and diverse global TV audience, the Ryder Cup will provide an unprecedented opportunity to enhance the brand recognition of Ireland. “It has already been quite significant in the run up to the event,” Mr Davern points out. “It will open up markets this country has never previously considered as a potential source of visitors,” he explains.

“Take China for example. The Chinese are hugely into brands, and research shows that the two Irish brands registering with them are the Ryder Cup at the K Club and the Four Seasons hotel.

This shows that, even before a ball has been driven, the K Club has become synonymous with the Ryder Cup and that also goes for Ireland.”

Mr Davern believes that the K Club is better placed to reap the Ryder Cup dividend than other venues having staged the event in the past. “Other properties tend largely to be just golfing locations. The event is very rarely staged at a 5 star resort property that offers a lot more than just golf.” The breadth and beauty of the 550 acre K Club resort will, he believes, lend itself to wonderful camera shots during coverage of the events; and this can only be positive to Ireland’s image as a holiday and conferencing destination.

The event recently attracted some unwanted publicity when a visiting US golf writer queried why the Ryder Cup was not being staged on a traditional Irish links course. Why this criticism was not raised eight years ago when the K Club got the go ahead from the European Tour is a moot point. Mr Davern says that, while negative publicity is never welcome, he doesn’t think it has had any impact. “We know the K Club is very highly regarded both at home and abroad and is an excellent location. People have to remember too that this is a huge event with massive logistical issues. You can’t just stage it anywhere.”

With preparations now at an advanced stage, Mr Davern is confident the event will be an enormous success. He is delighted with the support received from corporate Ireland and notes the interest and speed at which tickets were taken up. “You can’t get a corporate seat now. The sponsors have also done a tremendous job and have been very supportive. The same goes for the tourism people and the Minister. They are very much behind this project,” he adds.

He adds that the Ryder Cup has been a tremendous focus and a huge event for the K Club, Ireland and Europe. “It’s the third largest sporting event in the world, and it’s coming to our shore! It’s a big responsibility.

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