IHF member Luke Moriarty has received the IHF Seanad nomination. Luke owns and operates the Courtyard Hotel in Leixlip, Co. Kildare and the Bracken Court Hotel in Balbriggan. Under the Moriarty Group, which employs 1,000 people, Luke also owns SuperValu stores in Palmerstown, Balbriggan and Skerries.

In 2000 Luke opened his first hotel, the Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan following his acquisition and complete redevelopment of the old Balbriggan Grand Hotel. The 68 bedroom Bracken Hotel was recently extended and refurbished with the addition of new suites and function rooms. In 2005, Luke developed the 40 bedroom Courtyard Hotel in Leixlip on a completely new greenfield site on the land of the original Guinness Brewery.

Luke Moriarty is a native of Kerry living in Dublin since 1976. He has extensive links to local sporting and community projects, working with clubs on major development projects and ongoing sponsorship. He is currently completing plans with South Dublin County Council for the opening of a community centre in Palmerstown and has served on numerous local fundraising committees. In Balbriggan, Luke is the driving force behind a major sports campus being developed by O’Dwyer’s GAA that will make facilities available to schools and sporting groups in the area.

Luke Moriarty, IHF Seanad nominee.

PREM Group, Ireland’s leading hotel management company, has announced the opening of Days Hotel in Waterford city bringing to 9 the number of Days Hotels in Ireland. Formerly the Bridge Hotel, the 130 bedroom premium three-star hotel has undergone a €5 million refurbishment transforming it into one of Waterford’s most stylish hotels. The Bridge Hotel will now operate as a Days Hotel under license agreement from Wyndham Hotel Group International and will be owned by Jim and Bridget Treacy and managed by Barry Twomey.

The Bridge Hotel joins the increasing number of independent hotels in Ireland taking up international brand franchises providing valuable marketing support to tap into both international as well as domestic tourism markets.

Commenting on the opening of Days Hotel Waterford, Jim Murphy, Managing Director of PREM Group, said, “Waterford city is fast becoming a popular destination for both international and domestic travellers. The city has a lot to offer tourists with its great restaurants and vibrant nightlife. The Days Hotel brand is synonymous with comfort and quality at an affordable price and we are confident that Days Hotel Waterford will be popular with business and leisure travellers alike.”

The new Days Hotel in Waterford, formerly the Bridge Hotel.

Service excellence through people

(Half Day Training Sessions)

The Morgan Hotel, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Thursday 28th June

Morning Session 9am to 12.15pm

Afternoon Session 2pm to 5.15pm

Managing Relationships & Behaviours

(Two-Day Training Sesions)

Day 1 – Tuesday 3rd July

Day 2 – Tuesday 17th July

Day 1 – Tuesday 10th July

Day 2 – Tuesday 31st July

Day 1 – Wednesday 5th September

Day 2 Wednesday 19th September

Day 1 – Tuesday 23rd October

Day 2 - Tuesday 27th November

Day 1 – Wednesday 24th October

Day 2 – Wednesday 28th November

Hotel Partners, Ireland's leading specialist hotel management company, announced it has added the 4 star Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort to its management portfolio.

Colm Deignan, Managing Director, Hotel Partners, stated, "This is a great opportunity for Hotel Partners. We are pleased that the Casey family, who own and have run Rosapenna very successfully for the past 26 years, have entrusted Hotel Partners to take on the management of their much loved hotel into the future.”

Mr. Frank Casey, proprietor of the Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links, commented; ”Hotel Partners has a proven track record of managing excellent hotels and of course expertise in the area of golf resorts. We have great confidence that under their guidance our hotel business, which has always prided itself on quality of service, will continue to thrive and grow.”

The Oriel Spa has opened it doors at the four star Oriel House Hotel Leisure Club & Spa in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. The new Spa has been developed in the original Oriel House which is a listed building that has been restored to ensure the old world charm is retained and complimented by modern characteristics.

The team at the Oriel Spa spent one year sourcing products to provide as wide a range of treatments as possible to meet the requirements of all guests wishing to be refreshed, relaxed or firmed and toned. A Thermal Suite has been developed to offer an indulgent experience for guests with facilities such as a softsauna, steam room and invigorating ice fountain. The Oriel mud chamber is also part of the unique offering. The Oriel Spa offers the highest standards of care and attention, with a total emphasis on ensuring the warmth of Irish hospitality is not lost.

Pictured at the launch of Oriel Spa are (l-r): Tom Butler, President, Ballincollig Enterprise Board; Breda Keane Shortt, General Manager; and Minister Batt O’Keeffe, TD.

The Dunraven Arms was delighted that Padraig Harrington chose to celebrate his historic victory in the Irish Golf Open by dining with them on the night of his win. Padraig’s family and close friends joined him at the Dunraven Arms to toast his success as the first Irish man to win the Irish Golf Open in 25 years.

The Dunraven Arms also hosted both Padraig’s family, his caddy Ronan Flood and his family for the duration of the Open Tournament. Proprietor Louis Murphy looks forward to welcoming them all back next year when Padraig returns to retain his title. The Irish Golf Open will be held in Adare Manor for the next two years.

Irish Open Winner Padraig Harrington with Mr Louis Murphy, Proprietor, Dunraven Arms Hotel, Adare, Co. Limerick.

Pictured are Souad Kabous; Ismail Ebrahim Haidar; Martina Hannigan, Sales Manager, the d hotel; Rory Scott, General Manager; Samer Abu Hawwach; Nawaf Younes; Jacqueline Campbell, Managing Director, Tourism Ireland; Hassan Al Mir; Howaida Mousa; and Ibrahim Menhem, GSA in Dubai.

The d Hotel Drogheda recently hosted a lunch for a group of Middle East Journalists who came to Ireland for the first time. The event was organised in conjunction with Failte Ireland and was lead by Ms Jacqueline Campbell, Tourism Ireland’s representative in Dubai. Commenting on the visit Rory Scott, General Manager, d Hotel, said, “We were delighted to welcome them to Drogheda and to the d for lunch and to present them each with a souvenir book on the history of Drogheda which they were most impressed with. With the opening up of direct flights from Dublin to Dubai with Aer Lingus, we look forward to welcoming more Middle Eastern guests to Ireland and to the d in Drogheda in the near future.”

The renowned Schoolhouse Bar and Restaurant has recently been awarded Ireland’s Gastro Pub of the Year by Jacobs Creek Reserve in association with TV3’s Ireland AM. Following its success in the regional finals as Dublin City Centre Gastro Pub of the Year, Ireland AM gave the public the opportunity to text vote for their favourite restaurant and the Schoolhouse Bar came out on top. Schoolhouse chef Kevin Arundel cooked and presented his signature dish of “Seared scallops, black pudding, spiced apple puree and roasting juices” on Ireland AM.

The Schoolhouse Bar and Restaurant is famed for its unique atmosphere, exquisite surroundings and array of gastro delights. As well as being a favourite among local residents and businesses the Schoolhouse also caters for intimate weddings, corporate groups, family occasions and sporting events.

J.W. Marriott, Chairman, Marriott International, and John Sweeney, Marriott Johnstown House Hotel.

The Marriott Johnstown House Hotel, Spa & Residences in Enfield was recently visited by Mr. J.W. Marroitt Jr as part of a worldwide tour he undertook to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Marriott Internationals. During his trip, Mr. Marriott hosted a reception at the Shelbourne Renaissance Hotel in Dublin attended by all Marriott Ireland associates.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Marriott International which is now a leading lodging company with nearly 2,900 lodging properties in the United States and 68 other countries and territories. The corporation has approximately 151,000 employees. J.W. Marriott is the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International with a leadership that has spanned more than 50 years.

The Gresham Metropole won the Best City Hotel Award at the recent 2007 Green Fáilte Awards. The Green Fáilte Scheme is a collaboration between the IHF Cork Branch, Cork Chamber of Commerce and other business interests in the locality to endeavour to bring environmental awareness into the hospitality sector.

The annual awards were held in Jurys Hotel Cork along with a seminar on Sustaining Business at which Thys Vogels from the IHF Cork Branch delivered a case study presentation on the Gresham Metropole entitled ‘Greening the Business.’

Pictured are (l-r): Minister Batt O'Keeffe, TD; Thys Vogels, General Manager, Gresham Metropole Hotel; and Conor Healy, Chief Executive, Cork Chamber of Commerce.

Pictured are (l-r): Jennie McKeown, General Manager, Ariel House; Dermot McKeown; Charlie McCreevy, EU Commissioner; and Susie McKeown.

EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy formally launched the reopening of the newly refurbished Ariel House on Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4. Ariel House comprises three listed mansions built in 1850 which have been delicately restored to their former glory to house a four star guesthouse.

Ariel House began trading as a guesthouse in 1961 and is one of Ireland’s first and finest Grade A Guesthouses. The property has thirty-seven rooms, all ensuite. Twenty rooms have been completely renovated with the remaining seventeen to be refurbished over the coming months. The refurbishment programme began in December 2006 and took six months to complete. During this period the property remained open for business to accommodate regular guests.

Gerry Moore has been appointed the board of directors of the Sligo Park Hotel. Gerry has been General Manager of the hotel since 2002, during which time the hotel has undergone an extensive refurbishment programme. Gerry holds a Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management from GMIT and a Masters in Hospitality Management from Dublin College of Catering, Cathal Brugha Street.

Madeline Riley has been appointed Director of Sales at the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Dublin. Madeline previously worked as Director of Sales with the Hilton Hotel Group. Madeline was involved in the opening of the Hilton Dublin Airport Hotel as well as being a trainer for new Hilton sales recruits based in Ireland.

Ladonna Tallon has been appointed Sales and Marketing Manager at the City North Hotel in Gormanston, Co. Meath. Ladonna joins from the Capital Hotel Group in Dublin where she was Sales and Marketing Manager for over six years. Prior to that, Ladonna was Sales and Marketing Manager at the Newgrange Hotel in Navan during its initial years of operation.

Marie Keating has been appointed Brand Sales Manager for Comfort Inns in Ireland. Marie will be responsible for corporate and leisure business for the four existing Comfort Inns and the new Comfort Inn Granby Row opening this August. Prior to this, Marie worked as Corporate Sales Manager for Quality Hotels & Comfort Inns. She holds a Degree in Sales and Marketing from DIT and a Diploma in Hotel and Marketing Management from Athlone RTC.

When Aer Arann operated its first commercial flight in 1970, its ambition was to provide a reliable, value for money air service to 1,000 islanders located in Inishmore. Since then, Aer Arann has become something of an Irish business icon and now operates over 600 flights per week with passenger numbers reaching 1.1 million in 2006.

Padraig O’Ceidigh, Chairman of Aer Arann, spoke to Innsight about the outlook for domestic and international travel and tourism, the implications of the Open Skies agreement and the challenges associated with marketing Ireland’s regional destinations.

It’s probably a bit of an understatement to say that Padraig O Ceidigh is an optimist. Had he not been, then it’s fair to reason that Aer Arann would not today be the successful regional airline it has become.

The airline will this year carry some 1.2 million passengers compared with just 10,000 when he bought into the business in the mid 1990s. Employment has soared from just 8 to 400 people, while Aer Arann now flies 40 routes linking Irish cities to the regions, into the UK and the North of France.

It’s a success story that has won Mr O’Ceidigh an ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award and the company the ‘Palme D’Or’ European regional airline accolade for sustained excellence last year.

“Everybody likes to win awards as recognition of achievement but we didn’t set out building Aer Arann so that we could fill a trophy cabinet,” he explains. “We want to be the best regional airline in the world, and these awards are just a step on that journey, by no means the destination.”

Mr O’Ceidigh and Aer Arann’s mantra is that “we are only as good as our last flight.” He thinks there are lots of positives right now in his business and in Irish tourism generally. Take the Open Skies agreement, for instance. He reckons “this is one of the most important things that have happened for Irish tourism in more than 20 years.”

He believes it is “hugely significant” for tourism in Ireland in that it will open up new markets out of North America. He sees considerable spin off benefits for Aer Arann too, even though the airline is not directly affected.

“I believe more and more Americans, and tourists generally, are going to seek to broaden their holiday horizons when they come here. This is where we come in, offering them the choice to visit the regions easily and without fuss,” he suggests.

Mr O’Ceidigh says this won’t happen overnight. “We aren’t going to see Americans popping up in every pub in Ireland today or next week. It’ll happen over the next five to ten years but we’ll notice the difference.”

Indeed, he’s very upbeat about the outlook for Irish tourism despite the signs that the economy is slowing down a bit. “I believe tourism will continue to grow strongly and will be worth perhaps €11 billion to the economy in five years’ time, as compared to circa €7.5 billion today.”

He also believes that there is a strong future for regional tourism and that the bias that budget travel and lifestyle changes have bestowed on urban areas at the expense of the regions will begin to lessen. “What Fáilte Ireland has done in restructuring the regions is working,” he comments.

“Regional tourism had fallen behind because there wasn’t a clear strategy. In fact, there had been no real change in the tourism structure since the mid 1960s until a year ago, yet tourism had moved on and changed significantly in the period.”

He believes we must build on the hugely successful staging of the Ryder Cup last year and try and attract other major events, be they sporting, cultural or whatever, as a means of showcasing the country and especially the regions. Galway is staging the Volvo Round the World yacht race in two years time and he has no doubt that it will be a major boost for the area.

Continued on page 9