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in, we can now build up a database on each guest who returns, allowing us for example to provide green tea as part of the tea and coffee available in the room - if that’s what this guest would like.”

He also explains how staff make sure to enquire if a reservation being made for a short leisure break includes a birthday or anniversary so that the hotel can go the extra few yards to make the stay special by say, providing a bottle of wine in the room.

A major aim during Mr Spence’s term as President is the production of a new Clefs d’Or tourism guide to be provided to guests in all the hotels with society members. This 34 page guide has now been launched and includes route maps, hotel listings and useful contacts for visitor. It also brings in other key players such as Dublin Tourism and, so far, feedback has been very positive.

Development of the Clefs d’Or webpage also got underway last year with a 32 county listing of members’ hotels. On the site it is possible to book a hotel and also to get details of AA routes. Another initiative is the incorporation of training into the monthly meetings of Clefs d’Or members in Ireland with presentations from invited businesses such as FedEx, which recently dealt with online booking.

Mr Spence is pleased to see a change of rules within the Irish branch, enabling concierges to achieve membership after two years rather than the previous three required. This involves granting probationary membership for a year, during which time members can attend meetings but do not yet have a vote. The move tackles some recent problems faced by staff coming from abroad who may not have worked here long enough to qualify for membership, even though they have gained valuable experience elsewhere. So what makes a good concierge? “It’s all about training,” maintains Mr Spence.

“We depend on training. I work in a hotel where 80% of the staff are nonnationals for example, and it’s up to us to train them. A good concierge can anticipate guests’ needs.”

The quality of staff coming to Ireland to work is extremely high according to Mr Spence. He says that, in some cases, once they become knowledgeable about the culture and what is available to tourists, their level of knowledge would put those of us who have lived here all our lives to shame. An added advantage he says is that staff from abroad frequently speak several languages and often step in to translate menus or tourist information for particular tour groups.

Mr Spence finds that some Irish guests are still a little reticent about making their requests known, compared to nationalities like Americans, who are more accustomed to using concierge services. “People nowadays have understandably high expectations of hotels, and “it is up to us to meet them.” He tells how one very senior concierge once addressed his desk staff as they went on duty in the evening, saying, “Gentlemen, you are about to go onstage and I expect each and every one to give an Oscar Award winning performance.”

The Clefs d'Or Association was founded in 1929 by Ferdinand Gillet in France and expanded to 29 countries in 1952. Since the 1970s, the association has become a truly international organisation and has continued to expand with representation currently in over 40 countries. The national sections, which are self governed with there own board of executives, meet once every month to look at ways that they can improve there services to there guests. Internationally, the association meets annually for a five day congress with work shops to help national sections learn from there counterparts from around the world and enhance their skills.

On a national level, Les Clef d'Or aim is to continue to improve and maintain the quality of service provided by concierge staff in Ireland and to ensure that the profession is accorded the recognition it deserves. The association is at the disposal of all its members for any assistance and guidance they may require.

Pictured recently at the annual conference for Les Clefs d’Or Ireland (l-r): Tom O Flynn, outgoing President; Denis O’Brien, former International President of Les Clefs d’Or; and Brendan Spence, President, Les Clefs d’Or Ireland.

By now you should have received your entry form for the 2009 Be Our Guest guide, the single most comprehensive guide for Hotels and Guesthouses in Ireland. Featuring approximately 1,000 hotels and guesthouses throughout the island of Ireland, this annual publication by the IHF is one of the most successful tourism marketing initiatives in Ireland with a print run of over 300,000 copies.

Entry to the Be Our Guest guide offers hotels and guesthouses the opportunity to also be included on the IHF’s highly successful associated website Irelandhotels.com at no extra fee. Since its launch in 2001, visitor bookings and revenue figures for Irelandhotels.com have been increasing year on year with over 600,000 people alone visiting the site so far this year. During 2007, there was a 32% increase on bookings compared with the previous year. This amounted to €5.3 million in revenue with 24,000 bookings accounting for over 43,000 room nights.

Please remember, in order to avail of the opportunities through Irelandhotels.com, all properties must enter the Be Our Guest guide. For the 5th year running, the Federation has not increased entry fees, representing unrivalled value for your marketing spend.

The 2009 Be Our Guest guide will feature 3 new symbols:

• The Healthy Food for Kids initiative was launched recently and all premises who are participating in this initiative will have this symbol displayed;

• All premises with a concierge who is a member of Les Clefs d’Or will have this logo inserted next to their premises;

• GPS Coordinates for Sat Nav Users will be shown for all premises in the guide to enable accurate location.

Entries for the 2009 Be Our Guest guide must be returned by 28th July 2008.

If you have any queries in relation to the 2008 Be Our Guest guide or you have yet to receive your copy of the entry form, please contact our publishers Neogen on 01 861 2062 or at beourguestadmin@neogen.ie

I attended a meeting of the Dublin Branch recently where a presentation was given on the stress and trauma experienced by victims of crime. This can be even more difficult for tourists who find themselves in a foreign environment away from family and friends. Tourists affected by crime are often confronted with additional stress when dealing with an unfamiliar criminal justice system and accessing health and social services. These difficulties may be compounded still further by language and cultural barriers.

While Ireland generally remains a very safe destination, there can be no room for complacency when it comes to combating crime against tourists. The Irish Tourist Assistance Service (ITAS) provides an extremely valuable source of assistance for victims and their families in the aftermath of crime. ITAS’s comprehensive range of services aims to minimise the impact of crime and enable tourists to continue their holiday with minimal difficulty, allowing them to return home with a more positive outlook of the country.

As part of its work to raise awareness of its activities, ITAS has produced an information leaflet providing details of it services including common sense safety tips for tourists.

I would urge all members to take advantage of this resource and ensure that front line staff are fully aware of the service so that tourists who are victims of crime can receive the best possible care and assistance. Additional information and contact details for ordering copies of the leaflet can be found at www.itas.ie.

On another note, I had a meeting with Fáilte Ireland around the growing concerns of members regarding the spiralling cost of food. Following on from the meeting, Fáilte Ireland will launch the latest version of its food costing toolkit designed to support food operations within the tourism industry. The Quality Food for Value and Profit toolkit provides enterprises with a range of excellent resources to improve customer satisfaction in terms of perceived value and food quality. It also offers advice and guidance around the design of profitable food menus, dish costing, presentation standards and purchasing. The toolkit is now available complimentary in an easy to use CD format and offers a disciplined and consistent approach that allows the development of staff skills within the workplace in their own time and at their own pace. More information on this highly commended resource can be obtained by contacting Fáilte Ireland on 01 8847754.

On a final note, I would like to thank everyone who participated either by playing Golf or donating wonderful prizes for the annual IHF Benevolent Fund Golf Classic, which was held in the majestic Rathsallagh House, Golf and Country Club. I have no doubt that everyone had a great day with the sun splitting the skies and the odd golf ball being buried in the rough. Congratulations to the winning team headed up by Donal O'Meara.

I would also like to thank again the O'Flynn family who provided this great course complimentary for the event again this year. The day has raised an estimated €15,000. The Benevolent Fund was established at the end of 1995 with the object of the fund to give relief of poverty among proprietors, managers or employees of IHF members or former members who fall on hard times. Thanks to your generosity, the fund now has a healthy bank balance and has made several contributions to deserving causes.

Matthew Ryan 
President

Food poisoning can be a very serious illness and can even result in death. Most cases of food poisoning occur as a result of bacterial contamination and are easily prevented with proper adherence to hygiene standards and food safety protocols. It is therefore of the utmost importance that staff working in food businesses are educated on the fundamentals of food safety skills in preventing bacterial food contamination.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has just published a booklet, ‘Safe Food to Go’, which contains some very simple and easy to follow hygiene practices that can play a huge role in stemming the spread of food poisoning bacteria. The booklet will be of particular interest to owners, managers and staff of food outlets providing ready-to-eat meals. It aims to act as an educational tool and training aid for employers within the food industry to ensure that all those handling convenience food are fully up to speed on the dangers of food poisoning and how it can be easily prevented. It is a legal requirement that all staff handling food are supervised and trained in food hygiene commensurate with their responsibilities.

The booklet provides information on the causes and effects of food poisoning and provides details on the types of bacteria that are responsible for food contamination including Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157 and Staphylococcus aureus. It also expands on the preventative measures that food businesses are advised to practice in an effort to curtail the spread of these harmful bacteria to food.

The guidance booklet can be obtained on the FSAI website, www.fsai.ie, or by calling 1890 33 66 77. It is available in English, Chinese, Czech, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian and Russian.