Hotel & Restaurant Times 201303 Feb/Mar

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FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

THE

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INDUSTRY

THE MORRISON STRIKING A BALANCE

SHELBOURNE KITCHEN

AN INSIDE VIEW WITH GARRY HUGHES

GROWING FOODSERVICE OPTIMISM IRISH FOODSERVICE SUPPLIERS ALLIANCE SURVEY

CHEF SHORTAGE WRC REPORT

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CREATE A SPLASH WITH INFINITY!

YOUR VERY OWN BRANDED BOTTLED WATER AT A FRACTION OF THE COST OF TRADITIONAL BRANDS!

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CONTENTS

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COVER: The lobby at the newly refurbished Morrison Hotel (Photo: David Cantwell)

CONTENTS NEWS & APPOINTMENTS SOCIAL MEDIA ONLINE SUPPORT FOR MANAGING BUSINESS

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TOURISM IRELAND NEWS ONAIR SYSTEM FROM VDA INUA HOSPITALITY MORRISON HOTEL RAI NEWS MARKER HOTEL SHELBOURNE KITCHEN PROFESSIONAL COOOKERY TRAINING BOOKASSIST

14 16 18 20 25 29 30 32 34

IFSA SURVEY FÁILTE IRELAND NEWS FOOD TOURISM IFWG FOOD AWARDS SHANNON REGION TOURISM BOOST IRISH BEEF AT THE BOCUSE D’OR CIE AWARDS WINE

36 38 40 42 43 44 46 48

Hotel & Restaurant Times is circulated on subscription to Chief Executives, Directors and Proprietors of Hotels and Restaurants in Ireland along with Architects, Interior Designers and Suppliers to the Hotel and Restaurant Industry.

Managing Editor: Cyril McAree Contributors: Pavel Barter, Cynthia Bifolchi, Frank Corr, Dr. Des O’Mahony, Caroline Leddy, Conor McTernan, Restaurants Association of Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Irish FoodService Suppliers Alliance.

David Cantwell Photography & Paul Sherwood Printing: GPS All paper used in the production of this magazine comes from certifiably sustainable forestry.

PEFC/01-31-70

ALL CONTENTS OF THE MAGAZINE ARE COPYRIGHT OF HOTEL & RESTAURANT TIMES: H&R HOUSE, CARTON COURT, MAYNOOTH, CO. KILDARE. TEL/FAX: 01 628 5447.

E-MAIL: editorial@hotelandrestauranttimes.ie WEB: www.hotelandrestauranttimes.ie H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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Food regulations are a dish best served cold The recent concerns created by the adulteration of beef burgers bring into focus the madness of some of the rules and regulations governing the food sector. Chefs, cooks, or anyone preparing or serving food must comply with what some consider an overzealous HACCP regime. The rationale behind this is to ensure the safety of the consumer and the standard of food served. That’s to be welcomed. So why are we now learning that major processors all over Europe have been engaged in questionable practices, with, it seems, impunity?

editorial editorial editorial

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EDITORIAL

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No major food supplying factories have yet closed. Those that did reopened within a short period - and there are no signs of charges been brought to bear on any of those found to have engaged in this practice. Compare that to some of the foodservice closures seen in Ireland by the FSAI, and no wonder you are scratching your head. It's important to state, thankfully, the current issue didn’t cause illness or danger to the health of the consumer.

Traceability is a sound practice and a laudable undertaking. However, it becomes redundant when policy begins and ends at the factory entry point and not on the further processing or dispatch of product. It's amazing to think that our Euro-crats spent hours debating the size and shape of bananas and tomatoes, etc., yet failed to regulate the meat plants. Why did they not see the necessity to ensure the same levels of scrutiny applied to the production of food in factory processing, as that employed regarding the serving of food in restaurants?

One saving factor is the fact these anomalies were first discovered in Ireland, which bodes well for our credibility in food production with regard to quality and safety of produce. Our visitors regularly highlight food as a key component of any stay on this island - to that aim we must continue to ensure the quality and safety of all food used in our food outlets.

A recent survey undertaken by IFSA re-enforces the case - over 70 % of people noted the importance of sourcing local Irish produce. “These are positive signs for our industry, which has undergone an incredibly challenging few years,” said Julie Morrissey, IFSA Chairperson. “We are also delighted to see that a very large percentage of respondents have increased their purchase of local rather than imported produce in the last twelve months. In fact a total of 54% of businesses we surveyed in the industry, state that they have increased the amount of Irish produce purchased in the last twelve months.”

The recent launch of iNua is to be welcomed. Four-star hotels in Ireland will receive investment of up to €20m in 2013 from this new hospitality investment vehicle.

Speaking at the launch of iNua Hospitality in Cork, Dr Alan Ahearne, NUIG economist and author of Time to Invest: Proposals to Restore Financial Sustainability to the Irish Hotel Industry, said investment in the sector, coupled with debt restructuring, will return hotels to profitability. “There are solid investment opportunities in this sector. With the hotel industry accounting for €1.3 billion in tax revenues, many of these hotel assets are profitable once restructuring takes place and they are decoupled from their current debt levels,” he said. This sets a marker for the future of this level of hotel stock now and in the years ahead.

A very interesting report from Barclays Bank states that: “The hospitality and leisure sector is not fully capitalising on the benefits of social media, despite it being a significant driver of sales and revenues for those who embrace it.” Reasons given include the time it takes to set up and manage negative feedback, and the skills needed to engage with this aspect of the business. With companies like Bookassist and Failte Ireland showing that social media works, it is time to embrace what’s on offer and ensure you are maximising your businesses potential (see their articles in this issue). For a little time and effort, the returns will pleasantly surprise you.

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Cyril McAree Editor

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NEWS Bord Bia puts food origins on menu

Maureen Gahan, Bord Bia, and Aoibheann MacNamara of Ard Bia Restaurant, Galway, launching Bord Bia’s 2013 Just Ask campaign which encourages consumers to look for information regarding the origin of food when eating out and for chefs to provide the information on menus. Research from Bord Bia revealed that supporting the local economy is still a priority for Irish diners - 69% believe it is important when choosing a restaurant. Ard Bia Restaurant in Galway was announced Just Ask Restaurant of the Year 2013.

Keeping it in the family.

NEWS

Shooting star at Herbert Park

Anusha Aungnoo, winner of Herbert Park Hotel Employee of the Year Award 2012, pictured with Director/General Manager Ewan Plenderleith. Anusha has been with Herbert Park for over six years and works as Food & Beverage Assistant.

Sky is the limit for Shannon and Glasgow Hoteliers in the Shannon region have welcomed the decision by Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, to launch a year-round service between Glasgow and Shannon. The service, which will commence on 1st May, will operate three times weekly and is expected to result in a significant boost to the local economy by providing an additional 10,000 passengers through Shannon Airport in 2013.

Ireland is China’s choice Sarah Williams, editor of Who Do You Think You Are magazine, with Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland, at the Who Do You Think You Are Live show in London. Tourism Ireland has announced that 2013 is to be Ireland’s Family History Year, in a bid to encourage people in Britain and elsewhere around the world to find out more about their Irish ancestry.

Ireland has been voted “most popular destination 2012” at a high profile awards ceremony in Shanghai. Special Trip: The World Travel Awards, an annual ceremony, is organised by the Oriental Morning Post, a popular daily newspaper in Shanghai with about 600,000 readers. The awards celebrate excellence in travel and the winners are voted by readers of the newspaper, as well as by travel specialists from around China.

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NEWS

Ballygarry House wins big

Angling for the German market

Babs Kijewski, a well-known female angler in Germany (front, centre) at Angeln in Duisburg, with Kevin Lyons, Melview Lodge, Co Longford; Markus Müller, Inland Fisheries Ireland; Bodo Funke, Angling Services Ireland; Kevin Murphy, Bellavista Angling Services, Cobh; Sonja Fischer, Tourism Ireland; and Tom Cowan, representing the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Northern Ireland.

The Italian job Pictured are Helen McCarthy Wedding coordinator, Padraig McGillicuddy Proprietor and Maria O’Mahony Accommodation Manager, of Tralee Hotel Ballygarry House. The hotel recently received an AA Rosette for culinary excellence, TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Top 25 Hotels in Ireland, and the IASI Supreme award for excellence in accommodation.

Moran & Bewley’s go for gold with Kerry GAA Moran & Bewley’s Hotels announced their associate sponsorship of Kerry GAA at the Kerry County Convention which took place on Monday 10th December in Ballyroe Heights Hotel, Tralee. Group Marketing Manager Adrian Sherry and Sean Reid, Group Sales Manager, were both in attendance when it was revealed that the popular hotel chain would be sponsoring Kerry GAA as hotel partner at their various hotel locations in particular Dublin and Cork.

Tipp hotel joins Great National The Irish-owned Great National Hotels and Resorts Group announced the addition of the renowned Dundrum House Hotel Golf and Leisure Resort in Tipperary, to Great National’s portfolio of hotels throughout Ireland and the UK. Widely regarded as Ireland’s fastest growing hotel group, Great National now comprises over 20 hotels throughout the UK and Ireland with over 1,500 bedrooms making it one of Ireland’s largest top hotel groups.

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Giuseppe Stroppa, Aer Lingus; Eva Schmid, Killarney Hotels; Clodagh FitzGerald, Irish Welcome Tours; and Siobhán Wright, Tourism Ireland, on the Tourism Ireland stand at BIT in Milan.

Charity starts at ARAMARK ARAMARK Ireland has selected its nominated charities for 2013. They are: Bodywhys - Eastern Region, Console Western Region, Red Branch Southern Region, Chest, Heart Stroke Northern Region. Pictured at the announcement are (l-r): Jacinta Hastings, CEO, BodyWhys; David Egan, CEO Red Branch; Donal O’Brien, CEO ARAMARK Ireland; Ciaran Austin, Director of Services, Console; and Vanessa Elder, Fundraising Manager, NI Chest Heart & Stroke.

Destination Ireland One of the world’s top online travel companies, Travelzoo, has included Ireland in its top five deal destinations for 2013. With 25 million subscribers in North America, Mainland Europe and elsewhere around the world, Travelzoo publishes special offers and travel deals every week. The top five list was compiled by deal experts in Travelzoo - particularly with American holidaymakers in mind - who narrowed down the world to their five favourite destinations for 2013.

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NEWS

Hotelier on the road for charity

Jack wins trainee chef of the year

Local Limerick heroes join the Tomathon - Pat Shortt, Alan Quinlan and Limerick GAA join hotelier Tom Moran on his charity walk from Limerick to Dublin in aid of Pieta House. Tom Moran, owner of the Moran & Bewley’s Hotel Group, has raised €191,295 for suicide prevention in Ireland and the UK. The amount raised in Ireland, €177,295, went to Pieta House Suicide and Self Harm Crisis Centre. The balance went to Papyrus, the UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.

Brief encounters

Jack O’Keeffe, a second year student of the Bachelor of Business in Culinary Arts Degree in the Department of Tourism & Hospitality at Cork Institute of Technology has started 2013 as he ended 2012 - as a prize winner! Having reached the final 5 in the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year competition in Dublin at the end of last year, he has now won the ‘Trainee Chef of the Year’ Competition at ‘The Foodie Forum’ which was held in Galway.

Pictured at the Dublin tourism industry briefing at Croke Park, were (l-r): Kevin Moriarty, Failte Ireland; Susan Delahunty, Viking Splash Tours; Padraic Og Gallagher, RAI; and Paul Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Lifestyle Hotels.

Tour of duty

The Incoming Tour Operators Association (ITOA) were in Donegal over the weekend for their AGM, in attendance were ITOA members together with: Gerry Nicholls, President of ITOA; Ruth Andrews, CEO, ITOA; Fiona O’Sullivan, Custom Ireland; Shaun Quinn, CEO; Martina Bromley, Fáilte Ireland North West; Paul Bates, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport; Eamonn McKeon, ITIC; and Niall Gibbons Tourism Ireland.

U.S. puts Ireland on the map Commenting on recent CSO figures issued for overseas visitor numbers to Ireland for 2012, Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said:”We are pleased to see a strong final quarter in 2012 (+5%) for overseas visitors to Ireland - an encouraging sign as we kick off our extensive programme of promotional activity for 2013. Last year, we welcomed over 1 million visitors from North America - for the first time since the previous high of 2007. 2012 was a record year for our long-haul markets (+6%); and Mainland Europe also showed good growth, especially from the important German market (+6% over 2011). Great Britain has proved more challenging (-4%), with a flat economy and weak consumer confidence having a significant impact on overseas travel by Britons throughout the year.”

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NEWS

Guinness has plenty in Store for Gathering

Seduced by spices

Gail Kaneswaran is seduced by spices and a feast for the senses at the new Indie Dhaba Restaurant off South Anne St in Dublin 2 bringing an exciting new ‘dhaba’ dining concept for the first time to Ireland. The hip new eatery offers an eclectic mix of Indian Tapas, sharing plates, chef’s tables and authentic Indian recipes along with award winning cocktails, a touch of mystique and a heady feast for the senses.

See www.dhaba.ie Jasmine Guinness has launched details of the Guinness Storehouse Ambassador Programme for the year of The Gathering. Irish residents can apply online to receive one of 50,000 exclusive ambassador cards entitling them to complimentary admission to the Guinness Storehouse throughout 2013. Their friends and family who come home for The Gathering will also receive a 10% discount off admission.

Ambassadors can sign up at www.guinnessstorehouse.com/thegathering.

Buzz about wi-fi Smyth’s of Haddington Road has upgraded its Wi-Fi to make Bitbuzz Wi-Fi complimentary throughout the bar. Bitbuzz, Ireland’s leading Wi-Fi supplier, will now provide complimentary Wi-Fi to all customers. Hugh Courtney, Manager, Smyth’s of Haddington Road, said of the upgrade, “Our customers increasingly want to log on to Social Media sites; check emails; upload pictures to the web; use search engines to resolve pub debates; and look up sporting results. Access to complimentary Wi-Fi works well for us to drive footfall into the premises and can also encourages punters to stay for longer.”

Bill of good health Fáilte Ireland has welcomed provisions in the recent Finance Bill as a boost for the Irish tourism sector. Key measures include: a diesel fuel rebate for bus and coach operators; incentives to promote the construction of new aviation facilities; hotels and accommodation providers to benefit from an extension of the Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme; small tourism businesses will benefit from the higher VAT threshold of €1.25 million.

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Clontarf Castle goes green Clontarf Castle Hotel has joined a network of Green Hotels across Ireland by having an electric vehicle charge point installed at the hotel, in association with ESB ecars.

The charge point was installed as part of the Green Hotel Drive, a partnership between ESB ecars, Fáilte Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency to provide electric vehicle (EV) charge points to up to 100 hotels nationwide. This initiative forms part of the national EV charge-point roll out by ESB as well as supporting the development of green tourism in Ireland.

Doolin and Armada hit the spot Hotel Doolin and the Armada Hotel have each won Gold Medal Awards in the Irish Accommodation Services Institute’s (IASI) National Accommodation Awards 2013. The Awards scheme, which is designed to recognise excellence in all aspects of accommodation services and standards, features eight categories honouring 3, 4 and 5 Star hotels, boutique hotels, bed & breakfasts and guest house, hospitals, nursing homes, and colleges/schools.

The Armada Hotel in Spanish Point was honoured in the 4-Star Category while Hotel Doolin received a Gold Medal in the Boutique Hotels section.

Award winning rooms in Macroom The boutique 4 * Castle Hotel in Macroom, Co. Cork, beat off stiff competition and was voted best customer service hotel by Trip Advisor in its annual TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards. The Castle Hotel was ranked 12th within the top twenty five hotels in Ireland by Trip Advisor. The hotel is no stranger to TripAdvisor and was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for 2011 and secured best “bargain” and “family” hotel in 2012.

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NEWS

From Russia with love

Slice of life

Russian travel agents at the Rock of Cashel with Viktoria Scott, Camelot Tours (front, second left).

A group of influential travel agents from Russia enjoyed a fact-finding trip to Ireland, as guests of Tourism Ireland and leading GB-based inbound tour operator, Camelot Tours. The aim of the visit was to help grow Ireland’s share of the rapidly-growing Russian holiday and business tourism market.

During their time here, the group got to experience at first-hand some of the many things to see and do in Ireland for Russian holidaymakers. Their itinerary included a visit to Malahide Castle and the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle, as well as the Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle and the Rock of Cashel.

Clarke and McDowell set for Irish Open Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell have confirmed that they will both compete in the Irish Open, completing Ireland’s line-up of Major Champions at Carton House, in Co. Kildare, from June 27-30.

The pair will join Padraig Harrington and World Number One Rory McIlroy in the field, along with Carton House Touring Professional Shane Lowry, as they attempt to become the first home winner of the event since Lowry’s sensational victory as an amateur at County Louth Golf Club in 2009.

Clarke, the 2011 Open Champion, was third behind winner Thomas Björn the last time the Irish Open was played at Carton House in 2006.

He was also joint runner up to Colin Montgomerie at Fota Island in 2001, and the 44 year old is hoping to go one better when he makes his 22nd appearance in the Irish Open.

Muckross makes history

Muckross Park Hotel has been named Best 5 Star Accommodation in Ireland by the Irish Accommodation Services Institute. The accommodation manager at Muckross Park Hotel, Breda Moriarty picked up the Supreme award at an award ceremony in Spanish point on 26th January. The Institute judges said that Muckross Park Hotel had received a judging score of 99.5%, never before seen in the history of the awards.

Cellar Bar and Restaurant, Galway, has won the inaugural Hellmann’s Sandwich Challenge.

Chef Aidan Cleary’s Cellar Cajun Spiced Chicken Ciabatta super-sandwich took the title, while McCambridge’s, Galway and Kilkenny’s Hibernian Hotel finished runner up.

Wheel deal The first three stages of the famous Giro d’Italia, the world’s second-biggest cycling race, will take place on the island of Ireland in 2014. The race kicks off in Belfast on 10 May 2014 and will involve routes taking in Belfast, Armagh and Dublin.

Straight to the Point Harvey’s Point Hotel, Donegal, has been ranked 2nd Best Luxury Hotel in Europe by the hotel rating website TripAdvisor. The news follows the announcement that Harvey’s Point was named Number One Hotel in Ireland in the 2013 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice awards.

The four star hotel, situated on the shores of Lough Eske, is the only Irish hotel in the Traveller’s Choice Top 25 Luxury Hotels and the only Irish hotel in the European Top 25 covering all categories, in which it is rated 11th.

Reacting to the news, hotelier Deirdre McGlone said: “It came as a huge and exciting surprise. We are thrilled to be rated the Number One Hotel in Ireland and we are very grateful to our guests who posted reviews on TripAdvisor.

We are even more surprised and delighted to be rated No 2 Luxury Hotel in all of Europe, which means that we were chosen from among the very best hotels across more than 25 countries.”

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NEWS

Ray of light

APPOINTMENTS PLUS

Doyle appointed Christies director Maureen Doyle who runs Christie + Co’s Dublin office has been promoted to Director. Christie + Co is a leading property advisor which specialises in the licensed and leisure sector with a particular focus on hotels. Christie + Co is a specialist property firm that provides brokerage, valuation and advisory solutions to the hotel and leisure sectors. A native of Dublin, Maureen is a graduate of Cathal Brugha Street and the Smurfit Business School, has worked in the industry internationally and recently gained banking experience while on secondment with LBG in London.

First resort Ray Kearney is the new Sales and Marketing Director at The Lodge at Doonbeg, a five- star resort in West Clare. He joined Doonbeg in 2009 in the role of Marketing Manager. Prior to joining Doonbeg Ray, a Clare native, was Business Development Manager at Avvio.com, an online company specialising in increasing revenues online for the tourism sector. Before that he served in various marketing positions throughout the Irish hotel industry.

Flavin for Hilton hierarchy

FBD Hotels & Resorts have made a new appointment to their La Cala Resort in southern Spain.

Patrick Murphy has been appointed Resort Director of La Cala resort in Southern Spain. A native of Galway he holds an honours degree in Hotel & Catering Management from Galway Regional Technical College. Patrick previously worked in Sheen Falls, Carton House, as well as various roles within the Clarion Group in both Dublin and Limerick. His most recent role was General Manager of Quinta Do Lago Resort in The Algarve, Portugal.

Chef set to make his Mark The Marker Hotel, opening on 2nd April 2013 in Grand Canal Square, Docklands, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gareth Mullins as Executive Chef.

Gareth will be responsible for all menu design and food preparation in the hotel’s five kitchens which cover the brasserie, the rooftop garden, the cocktail bar, the lobby lounge, and room service.

Gareth has over 16 years’ experience cooking in five star hotels in Ireland and Australia. He spent the last seven years in the Merrion Hotel, where he was Head Chef in The Cellar Restaurant & Bar. During his tenure at The Cellar, the restaurant received two AA rosettes and the bar was recommended in the Michelin Guide. Gareth qualified from DIT Cathal Brugha Street in 1999.

Commenting on the appointment, Charlie Sheil, General Manager, said: “Gareth brings a wealth of culinary experience from top-class establishments around the world. His menus include wholesome and locally sourced Irish cuisine with world influences and his creativity and attention to detail will ensure a unique food experience for our guests and diners.”

Saba: The Cookbook Hilton Worldwide has announced the appointment of Paul Flavin as general manager of Hilton Dublin. Flavin, from Monkstown in Cork, brings 21 years of experience to his new role at the upscale property on Charlemont Place. He has been part of the Hilton Worldwide stable since 2006, most recently spending over four years as general manager at Hilton Dublin Airport. Steve Cassidy, area vice president at Hilton Worldwide said, “With his industry insight and outstanding track record at Hilton Dublin Airport, Paul was a natural choice for our city centre offering in Dublin. He truly understands the brand and what it takes to deliver exceptional guest experiences.”

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The award-winning Thai and Vietnamese restaurant Saba received yet another award when “Saba: The Cookbook” came first at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards in a ceremony in the Lourve, Paris on Saturday 23rd February. The Gourmand Awards are a prestigious worldwide competition, the Oscars of the cookbook world.

Competing with cookbooks from all over the world, “Saba: The Cookbook” was one of just seven shortlisted and last night came first in its category ‘Asian Cookbook’. This book has been shortlisted for eight awards to date.

It was designed, photographed, printed and produced in Ireland by a team of five. It was written by Paul Cadden and Taweesak Trakoolwattana; designed by Alvin Perry of Fresh; photography by Matthew Thompson; edited and project managed by Eveleen Coyle and printed by Nicholson & Bass.

All proceeds from “Saba: The Cookbook” go to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and The Thai Red Cross.

“Saba: The Cookbook” is available online at www.sabadublin.com, directly from Saba and Saba To Go and all good bookshops.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Hospitality sector not capitalising on the potential of social media The hospitality and leisure sector is not fully capitalising on the benefits of social media despite it being a significant driver of sales and revenues for those who embrace it, according to new research by Barclays Bank.

The study highlights that social media has become a significant driver of sales in the sector with nearly a third (29%) of those working within the industry directly attributing up to a quarter (25%) of their sales to social media, with a further 13% stating it generates up to half of all sales.

Helen Kelly, Corporate Director at Barclays Bank Ireland, said: “Despite being a strong driver of sales, three out of five (60%) hotels, pubs, restaurants and travel and leisure operators say they only see ‘some’ or ‘limited’ opportunity in using social media tools to engage with customers. Furthermore, one in ten operators surveyed stated that they do not currently use social media, nor do they have any plans to do so and said that it is because they don’t see any value or return on investment.

“Concerns over the amount of time social media takes to manage, the risks of negative publicity, and the technical skills required, were highlighted by businesses we surveyed, who said these factors put them off engaging with these channels.

Operators also said that the responsibility for managing social media is generally placed on non-specialist in-house Our research individuals (25%) or in-house marketing teams (24%) who do not demonstrates that almost necessarily have the experience of half of operators within handling these tools. the hospitality and leisure “Our research demonstrates that sector have a presence on almost half of operators within the sites like Facebook and hospitality and leisure sector have a Twitter, but rarely presence on sites like Facebook and use them, and they are Twitter, but rarely use them, and they missing a trick are missing a trick because of it. Just because of it having a presence on these channels is not enough - businesses need to have a strategy driving them. If the sector can successfully tap into this continuously growing network, it can not only help many of them to influence and directly generate sales, but also provide them with a personal link with the consumer, building loyalty and driving repeat footfall - factors which have never been more important as customers are increasingly conscious and discerning about where to spend their money.”

The rise of social media is being accelerated by the continued growth and popularity of mobile devices. Recent statistics suggest that almost three quarters of the population in Ireland and the UK now have a smartphone, and half of all homes are expected to have bought a tablet device by the end of this year.

“Customers have come to rely on networks such as Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor to find peer to peer recommendations and also connect with businesses in a more convenient and immediate way. Social media is now firmly ingrained in how the modern consumer behaves, and it will be important for the sector to embrace its potential,” said Kelly.

More than one in ten operators now generate up to half of all sales through social media, but despite this the industry still questions its business potential. Around

two thirds (68%) of those currently using social media report that they have has a ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ experience, attracting new customers and receiving positive recommendations.

Approximately half (58%) of respondents believe the role of social media will increase in the hospitality sector over the next 12 months

“ “ Customers have come to rely on networks such as Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor to find peer to peer recommendations and also connect with businesses in a more convenient and immediate way

Helen Kelly, Corporate Director at Barclays Bank Ireland, explained, “Both bad and good reviews can be used to an operators advantage. For example, if a flight or dinner reservation is delayed, consumers can vent their frustrations online; however by getting the strategy right and responding helpfully, operators can turn a negative experience into a positive one. Some operators are merging social media initiatives into their wider marketing campaigns, targeting potential customers in a more focused manner.”

Helen Kelly, Corporate Director at Barclays Bank Ireland

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ONLINE SUPPORT

Online support for managing business performance Interview with Stephen Dudley, Manager Business Development Services, Fáilte Ireland by Conor McTernan

www.failteireland.ie/businesstools

Fáilte Ireland is serious about supporting homegrown enterprise. That’s why the Business Development Team is rolling out a new range of online business support tools and web tutorials that are designed specifically to aid small to medium sized tourism business operators in developing their business.

Stephen Dudley, Manager of Business Development Services at Fáilte Ireland explains to us what the new tools are all about and why they are being increasingly introduced to supplement face-to-face workshops as the primary form of business development training. “We acknowledge how tourism business operators are busy people but often time poor, who don’t have the time to take a whole day out from work to travel to a training workshop. We’re now focusing on making all our training facilities far more available online. There’s more ease of access for both parties with regards to time and it’s also much more cost effective.” This ease of access to the tools will make it much easier for users to plan their learning time around their 12

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schedule. They will be able to access the content at any time from their own home or office. Most of these services are available free of charge and will be accessible to the tourism industry via the Fáilte Ireland website.

There are already a wide range of very practical guides for developing a business available on the website such as how to recruit, how to develop standards, provide customer services and managing cash flow.

“

Marketing Opportunities it brings to s/m sized operators The tools and web tutorials will present businesses with new marketing opportunities, such as how to correctly We acknowledge how utilise and integrate social media tourism business platforms like Facebook, or Pinterest to showcase and promote their business, operators are busy how to monitor your’digital shadow’ i.e. people but often time what is being said about you online, poor, who don’t have the grow your online fans/followers, manage your social media activity, time to take a whole day automate selective tasks and most out from work to travel to importantly measure and optimise the results. a training workshop.

For business performance they have released a business diagnostics indicator for Hotels, which is basically a marketing health check tool which Hotel owners can use to self-assess themselves and see how their business is performing from a various business perspectives including financial, and marketing perspectives I.e. how they’re promoting themselves, how they’re managing profitability, staff, resources and processes. “It gives them the key

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ONLINE SUPPORT information as to how to manage their business, whether they’re a start up, or a mature business that needs to improve because they’ve been impacted by challenges that have surfaced from the economic downturn or technological developments,” says Steve Dudley.

Webinars, Web Tutorials, NWT programme For the past year Fáilte have been running online monthly webinars, which are freely accessible to the industry. They last about 40 minutes, and take place on the last Wednesday of the month. Each webinar has a different theme and focuses on a different topic. I.E using Facebook, LinkedIn or how to develop a digital strategy, using new platforms such as Pinterest or discovering importance of SOLOMO to win corporate business. The webinars also have a chat box facility for ‘live’ interaction between users and tutors. Once the event has passed the webinars are then uploaded onto the Fáilte Ireland YouTube channel for viewing at any time.

The new Web tutorials which launched shortly will be a blended learning combination of a half-day face-to-face workshop with tutor support followed up by a series of online sessions which can be accessed from the delegate’s workplace. Each module will be focused on a different aspect of social media and they will provide an opportunity to drill down into the topic far more than the shorter monthly webinars.

Fáilte’s National Web Test programme is currently being piloted and will be officially launched towards the end of March. It has a similar rationale as the Business Diagnostic Indicator for Hotels but in this context it focuses on a business’s online presence. It’s basically measuring digital performance against a range of best practice criteria with about a hundred elements altogether. Any website can be assessed against this criteria, which is conducted remotely and a summary report is produced with an overall score. This illustrates how it stacks up and highlights strengths and weaknesses of the digital presence and indicates how

to improve the particular areas that a business isn’t performing well in. Steve Dudley explains how they went about putting this programme together, “We researched extensively and trawled through the Internet to get all the best existing criteria on all website aspects including accessibility, site navigation, social media and mobile compliance. We’ve minimised subjectivity, most of the criteria will be black and white with simple yes or no answers.”

The GB Market Focusing on exploiting the Great Britain market is a key focus for the Irish tourism businesses this year. Fáilte Ireland are working to help businesses make sure that they are operating efficiently and to the best standards. The GB toolkit is another new set of online tools where businesses can identify the specific segments of the Great Britain market that offer most potential for them and how to attract GB visitors. “We have a marketing readiness tool, where tourism businesses they carry out an assessment to determine if their business is ready to tackle the GB market. It tells the user how close they are to readiness in preparation to go after thespecific segment of the GB marketplace, or what is required in order to promote their business effectively to those segments. Some businesses have been perhaps over-reliant on the domestic market and haven’t had to go overseas, but now there’s a change of focus based on research carried out under the path to growth initiative which identified profiles of GB customers and what sort of experiences they are looking for when they come to Ireland.”

It’s an exciting time for tourism in Ireland.

By correctly utilising these new business tools and digital supports, Irish businesses can pinpoint what needs to be done to drive and attract more interest, to manage profitability and to prepare themselves with confidence to take on whatever challenges this constantly fluctuating industry may throw at them.

Visit the Fáilte website for more information and to access these business support tools. www.failteireland.ie/businesstools H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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TOURISM

It’s going to be “GLAS VEGAS” this St. Patrick’s Day! Pyramids of Giza, Christ the Redeemer Statue, Little Mermaid and ‘Welcome’ Sign in Las Vegas to go green for the first time ever, as part of Tourism Ireland’s ‘Global Greening’ on 17 March In a major coup for Irish tourism, an ancient wonder of the world - the Pyramids of Giza - and a modern wonder of the world - the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil - are set to go green for the first time ever on St Patrick’s Day 2013, joining a host of other major landmarks and iconic sites around the world in Tourism Ireland’s annual ‘global greening’ initiative.

Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Sport Leo Varadkar (left) with Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland CEO, at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s St Patrick’s Day 2013 programme.

Other newcomers going green for the first time include the famous ‘Welcome’ sign in Las Vegas, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, HMS Belfast in London, City Hall in Houston, Texas, the Citadel in Jordan, the Tower of Hercules (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Galicia in Spain), the futuristic new EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam, the Friends Arena in Stockholm, the

Clockwise from top left: the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the ‘Welcome’ sign in Las Vegas and the Sphinx and Pyramids in Egypt – as they may appear when the sun sets on 17 March.

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International School in Bonn and the Allianz Arena in Munich (home ground of FC Bayern Munich).

Tourism Ireland announced details of some of the famous attractions and sites around the world which will go green to mark St Patrick’s Day, kicking off the organisation’s major first half promotional drive to grow overseas tourism in 2013. The new sites will join some ‘old favourites’ which have gone green in previous years on 17 March - including the Sydney Opera House, Niagara Falls, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, Burj al Arab in Dubai, Table Mountain in South Africa, Selfridges in London and Birmingham, the Empire State Building in New York, Burg Theater (City Hall) in Vienna, the Sky Tower in New Zealand and the TV tower in Berlin’s Alexanderplatz.

“Even the Pharaohs are going green this year to mark The Gathering,” Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar said: “This is a major coup for Irish tourism with more major landmarks like the ancient Pyramids of Giza, the revered Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil and the home ground of Bayern Munich turning green for 2013. It’s the fourth year of the ‘global greening’ initiative and Tourism Ireland will now kick off its first major promotional campaign for 2013 in the key markets of Britain, Mainland Europe, North America, Australia and new markets like China, India and South America. We’ll be using every opportunity to send out the message that Ireland is the place to visit in 2013, including through the visit of major global media outlets to Dublin on 17 March. Irish landmarks will also be going green including Leinster House, St Stephen’s Green, the Four Courts and Charles Fort in Kinsale, with further announcements likely.”

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TOURISM

Comedian Andrew Maxwell stars in online film to promote The Gathering Ireland 2013 Comedian Andrew Maxwell is the star of Tourism Ireland’s brand new short film to promote The Gathering Ireland 2013. Tourism Ireland is promoting the film around the globe and also asking people in Ireland to play their part by sharing the video with their friends overseas on Facebook and YouTube and inviting them home during 2013.

The video is a cheeky and humorous introduction to The Gathering by the film’s ‘hero’ Maxwell as he highlights various Gathering events - including the Redhead Convention, the Left-handed Festival, the Town of 1,000 Beards and the Messiah Gathering. A special feature of the film is that viewers can personalise it on Facebook with their friend’s name appearing at the end of the video, inviting them to come and join The Gathering. This is designed to encourage people everywhere to share and re-share the film with their friends and social networks and to get people talking about The Gathering year.

To view the film visit http://www.facebook.com/DiscoverIrelandGB.

Comedian Andrew Maxwell (front, centre) during filming in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre with Ned Dowd, assistant director; Alex Delap, director; Mark Henry and Elmagh Killeen, both Tourism Ireland.

Tourism Ireland unveils new strategy to grow American visitor numbers by +20% The United States offers significant potential for tourism enterprises around the island of Ireland, according to the findings of an ambitious new review unveiled by Tourism Ireland. The three-year plan, “Make Ireland Jump Out”, was launched in New York at an event attended by key American travel trade and media. The plan will see the number of American visitors increase by +20% between 2013 and 2015 and will also win a greater share for Ireland of all travel by Americans to Europe.

Jack Foley, Aer Lingus; Eamonn McKeon, ITIC; Audrey Hendley, American Express; Joe Byrne and Alison Metcalfe, both Tourism Ireland; Jim Brody, Travelzoo; Chris Accomando, Sceptre Tours; and Jim Kelly, CIE Tours International, at the New York launch of “Make Ireland Jump Out”.

Targeting business tourists in Australia Tourism Ireland is working to raise awareness in Australia and New Zealand of the island of Ireland as a leading business tourism destination. The organisation recently hosted a networking event in Sydney, attended by 50 decision-makers involved in the MICE (meetings, incentive, conferences and events) industry in Australia. Tourism Ireland was joined by four partners - Etihad Airways, Abbey Incentive & Partners, Event Partners and Odyssey International. Entertainment was provided

by The Celtic Tenors, who were undertaking a promotional tour ‘Down Under’ around the launch of their new album.

Gillian Kelly, Tourism Ireland; Irish Consul General Caitriona Ingoldsby; Donna Campbell, Tourism Ireland; Daryl Simpson, James Nelson and Matthew Gilsenan, The Celtic Tenors who performed at Tourism Ireland’s networking event; Diane Butler, Tourism Ireland; Robert Rigby, Ambition Entertainment, Celtic Tenor’s record label; Darragh Walshe and Fiona Clelland, both Tourism Ireland.

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INNOVATION

The OnAir system from VDA

Interactive TV has been around for many years, and although in the past the Systems included pay movies (that provided revenue streams), plus all of the usual features, such as hotel information, the world is now changing and guest requirements within room entertainment has moved on.

“ VDA have incorporated a Wi-Fi access point within their new On Air television system to provide a one to one broadband connection in each bedroom to create a secure Wi-Fi bubble for guests

Wi-Fi and internet connectivity used to be a nice feature to have,but nowadays it is a mandatory service that the hotel has to provide, with the guest demanding more speed and better connectivity. This has subsequently created many issues withWiFi networks within hotels, with guests having more and more issuing connecting.

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In most cases, hotel Wi-Fi access points are placed in bedroom corridors, that each feed a quantity of guest rooms, and this was adequate when the guest was simply using a laptop for basic tasks such as checking e-mail or the news. But now guestsare using multiple devicessuch as smartphones, tablets iPads and Laptops to connect to the Internet, not only for business, but for social networking and streaming video content, and as such, these take up a great deal of bandwidth, with guests within the bedrooms encountering many connection issues.

VDA, through their new OnAir Television System, now have incorporated a Wi-Fi access point within their new unit to provide a one to one broadband connection within each bedroom, thus creating a secure Wi-Fi bubble for the guests.

The System allows the hotel to provide the option to allow the guest a free connection to the internet at a limited bandwidth, to check emails and browse the web, whilst charging a guest that wishes to connect at a higher bandwidth to watch

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INNOVATION

Case Study: The Morrison

streamed content. This clearly provides the hotel with a revenue potential whilst providing the guest with a better internet experience.

The OnAir box from VDA also incorporates a fully Digital TV over IP decoder, providing true digital television with an almost infinite choice of channels. And through the Wi Fi Bubble within the room, the guest may utilise it to digitally stream their own content to the television, such as pre-recorded video, music, and photographs from a mobile device. The mobile unit can also control the TV channels and volume through the VDA Hotel OnAir mobile application.

The link to the Mobile Application, is provided by the hotel, and accessed by the guest. Here the guest downloads the free App from the Apple App store or Android Marketplace on to their device. With this facility the hotel has the option to inform the guest with up to date, real time information, about the hotel’s facilities, before, during, and after their visit.

With VDA’s Power Concierge the hotel may send out booking confirmation emails to their guests, incorporating all relevant guest information in a professional and attractive e-mail, giving the hotel an opportunity to offer the guest a pre-arrival choice to upgrade, or have their room more personalised such as arranging a romantic surprise for a loved one on arrival? The hotel may also offer extended stay discounts, or recommend and advertise cultural events such as who is playing at The O2, or at the Bord Gáis Theatre.

The VDA OnAir system is a low cost option for hotels, that facilitates a superb new way of communication with the guest.

VDA were contracted to undertake the installation of a new public and bedroom Wi-Fi network and Digital TV upgrade at the recently renovated and reopened Morrison Hotel, in Dublin, 3.

VDA installed 40” and 55” Super Slim Samsung LED Televisions in all the bedrooms and suites.

The On Air system provides over 70 television channels in stunning digital quality, with multi lingual channels. The system also provides guests with access to many different Apps that include Weather, Music, News and Hotel graphical and video guest Information. Also through the HSIA Platform from VDA, the hotel now has the ability to manage bandwidth for the guests providing a fast and most reliable service.

VDA are also providing a Digital signage to the public areas, advertising the hotel facilities, Restaurants and special offers and forthcoming events.

VDA are a company that provides hotels with entertainment systems worldwide.

VDA have been in Ireland for over ten years, and service over 10,000 hotel rooms partnering with over 50 hotels, ranging from three star hotels to five star hotels.

The New VDA OnAir system is currently in operation and available at The Morrison, The Beacon, The Morgan, Diamond Resorts Golf Resort in East Clare, and soon to be at the new 5* Marker Hotel , opening this April.

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INVESTMENT

Four-star hotels in Ireland will receive investment of up to €20 million in 2013 iNua Hospitality launch enables investors access the return to profitability of the hotel industry iNua Partnership is a wealth management consultancy that links international professionals and their availability of investment capital with indigenous Irish entrepreneurs and businesses who want to grow and develop their companies in Ireland and internationally.

Created by iNua Partnership, iNua Hospitality is a new investment opportunity set up to facilitate the restructuring of hospitality assets. Driven by highlyexperienced financial services executive Noel Creedon, iNua Hospitality takes a holistic approach to debt restructuring, connecting available capital with strong investment opportunities.

Noel Creedon has held management positions in Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Ulster Bank and who also established and ran Quintas Wealth Management. Other directors include John O’Brien CFO, and non-executive directors Eamon Ryan and David Conway. iNua plans to acquire up to four hotels initially within the four-star hotel and associated assets sector during 2013.

“

At the launch of new hotel investment vehicle iNua Hospitality which took place in Cork

There are solid investment opportunities available in this sector. With the hotel industry accounting for €1.3 billion in tax revenues, many of these hotel assets are profitable once restructuring takes place and they are decoupled from their current debt levels

Speaking at the launch of iNua Hospitality in Cork recently, Dr Alan Ahearne, NUIG economist and author of Time to Invest: Proposals to Restore Financial Sustainability to the Irish Hotel Industry, said investment in the sector, coupled with debt restructuring, will return hotels to profitability. Dr Alan Ahearne is also a member of the Commission (Board) of the Central Bank of Ireland and is a research fellow at Bruegel. He served as special adviser to the former Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan from March 2009 until March 2011. Previously, he worked as a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Board.

“There are solid investment opportunities available in this sector. With the hotel industry accounting for €1.3 billion in tax revenues, many of these hotel assets are profitable once restructuring takes place

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Dr. Alan Ahearne, NUI Galway economist and author, and Noel Creedon, Managing Director, iNUA Hospitality, pictured at the launch of new hotel investment vehicle iNua Hospitality which took place in Cork

and they are decoupled from their current debt levels,” he said.

With an increase in visitors forecast this year and predicted tourist spend of €3.5 billion, investment in the sector represents an excellent opportunity to profit on the future turnaround of the market. iNua Hospitality is driven by experienced financial services professional Noel Creedon, and its core focus is on growing the profitability and value of investors’ assets which will predominantly be in the four-star hotel market.

“The iNua opportunity means that for the first time in living memory hotels can be bought on a commercial basis providing attractive yields to investors,” he said.

“We have been delighted with how investors have reacted to our proposition. It demonstrates that for well structured and well thought-out investment opportunities, investors are prepared to commit to more medium-term investment strategies,” he said. iNua Hospitality forecasts a 100 per cent return on capital over the lifetime of the project, which is estimated to be seven years. The investment of up to 20 million in the sector will also lead to job creation and an overall contribution to the growth and development of the Irish tourism economy.

For more information, log on to www.inuapartnership.ie.

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Custom Casegoods by Castlebrook at the Morrison Hotel Dublin – A Doubletree by Hilton Hotel CASTLEBROOK PROJECTS Hilton St Georges Park, Burton upon Trent • Hilton Doubletree Amsterdam, Netherlands Marriott Renaissance St Pancras Chambers, London • Marriott Renaissance, Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin The Connaught, Mayfair, London • Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living, London The Ampersand Hotel, Kensington, London • The Montpelier Chapter, Cheltenham • Hoxton Urban Lodge, London Fairmont Hotel, Cairo, Egypt • Carton House Hotel, Kildare • The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland Marriott Courtyard Paris Boulogne, France • Sheraton Rome, Italy • Radisson Blu Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane, London • Holiday Inn Media City, Manchester Ramada Plaza, Antwerp, Belgium • Ramada Plaze, Liege, Belgium • Accor Pullman Bercy, Paris

designers and manufacturers of contract furniture • interior design • project management T: +353 1 2117700 E: info@castlebrook.ie W: www.castlebrook.ie

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Suppliers & Installers of premium kitchen equipment to the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering industry Recent contracts include the newly refurbished Morrison Hotel

Unit M1, Ballymount Drive, Ballymount Rd. Dublin 12. tel: (+353 1) 456 5070 fax: (+353 1) 456 5250 mob: 087 2587744 e-mail: gkane@kaneco.ie

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REFURBISHMENT

Striking a balance at the Morrison The Hotel and Restaurant Times spoke with Patrick Joyce, General Manager of the newly refurbished Morrison Hotel last month, prior to the iconic property’s early February reopening. Amidst much anticipation and an ambitious refurbishment period of just ten weeks,the Hotel opened its doors once more. In the wake of this exciting time we caught up with Patrick again to talk about the renewed and rejuvenatedMorrison, the Hotel’s new franchise partnership with Doubletree Hilton, and the crucial importance of refreshing a product to stay relevant andattract both new and return customers.

With a €7 million reinvestment The Morrison is now Dublin city’s newest hotel offering. Although much pre-planning went H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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into the refurbishment, overseen by Dublinbased Nikki O’Donnell, completing the project in ten weeks was a huge achievement, and no doubt a challenge.

Patrick says - “Yes, it was ambitious but we were lucky our team have such a massive affinity with the Hotel. We have maintained about 95% of staff before closure and their knowledge of the property made reopening much easier than it would have been with a new team. The project was very well coordinated and we were lucky to have such reliable suppliers who delivered when we needed them to.”

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design of The Morrison it was important for new owners Martinez Hotels & Resorts to stay true to the essence of the Hotel, especially considering its iconic status in the city. This was achieved through modernising the property with contemporary decor,state of the art technology and up-to-the-minute food and beverage offerings while respecting its links with the music and entertainment industry and the local community.

“When the Hotel was originally built in 1999 it was under lit, a design that was all the rage at that time, and then you also had hotels like The Sanderson in London that went for stark, bright light. With the refresh we’ve tried to strike a balance.

People want to be in beautiful well lit spaces with as much natural light as possible, and that goes for the lobby, the bars and restaurants and the bedrooms. I think we have achieved that.”

The Hotel has certainly succeeded in accomplishing modernity; there is a different bold colour scheme for each floor in purple, pink and turquoise respectively. There are also 40 inch super flat screen High Definition televisions in each room with a choice of 75 channels. Each guest is also guaranteed full Wi-Fi connectivity from check in to check out in a new system where the connection is unique to each guest, working in the bedroom, lobby, bars and restaurants, and offering increased security. VPN connection is offered to corporate clients ensuring the Hotel is meeting the corporate requirements for global companies internationally. “We worked with VDA for this element of the refurbishment and found they delivered beyond expectation.”

The new food and beverage offerings were the biggest change to The Morrison.

The addition of The Morrison Grill restaurant, the freshly restyled Halo room and Quay 14 bar showcaseswell the new owner’s commitment to creativity and innovationin the redesign of the Hotel. Patrick describes the food offering as ‘refined rustic’ - full of flavour and clean on the plate but well thought out, produced and presented, and using as much locally sourced produce as possible.

Patrick says - “Before the reopen we had a small cafe bar with a limited offering.

Now we have a beautifully designed full-scale restaurant and cocktail bar. We worked with UK based Gorgeous Group on the food and beverage concept and part of that process was to create 12 bespoke cocktails completely unique to the hotel. Another exclusive feature of our restaurant is the Josper grill, a Spanish in origin indoor barbecue. It gives any meat a very distinctive flavour and cooks it

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All photography David Cantwell Photography

REFURBISHMENT

extremely quickly. All the flavour gets sealed in and it gives alovely texture on the outside. We’re the only restaurant offering it in Dublin city centre city at the moment so I think it will definitely be a draw. We’re also very lucky with our chef John O’Leary, most recently of Pichet and also formerly ofThe Merrion.”

An important element of the refurbishment is the franchise partnership between owners Martinez Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Worldwide, positioning the Morrison as The Morrison, a DoubleTree by Hilton. According to Patrick this is a very positive partnership with benefits for both the Hotel and its customers.

“This is a soft branded franchise agreement. We don’t have Hilton branding everywhere; it is still very much The Morrison. We have a different design to traditional Hilton hotels so even though we are part of the franchise we have a defined individuality. The main thing Hilton Worldwide will bring is connectivity. For The Morrison it will provide a plug-in to their Global Distribution System and global sales force and for the customer the perk of Hilton Honours Points, one of the best loyalty programmes in the world. There is also the security of a guaranteed global brand with a guaranteed level of service and that is definitely a major draw.”

The refurbishment of The Morrison is a powerful case study in highlighting the importance of looking objectively at your product and deciding if a revamp is needed

to offer a better experience and keep people interested. The revamped Hotel has already seen strong signs of pickup in bookings and enquiries as well as, tellingly, evidence of new types of customers.

According to staff this is the busiest they have seen the Hotel in the last three years.

Patrick primarily puts this down to the investment but also apportions a large part of this to the partnership with Hilton. He predicts the final revenues this year will be up 20% on 2012.

“We can’t put 7 million into a property and not expect some upturn. The hotel was dark and atmospheric, it was lit for a certain design and ambience but we spoke to many of our clients and they agreed it wasn’t relevant to today’s guest. We had this iconic property in the centre of Dublin that is thought of fondly and spoke of so positively. Where else would you get this prominence, this location and such an affinity with the Irish? This was something that had to be done.This is progress. I think for anyone coming back,if the rate has gone up between 10 and 30 euros they will be able to see where that extra money is going - new outlets, new technology, completely refurbished rooms and public areas. We’restill priced competitively, it’s not extortionate. We’re offering a beautiful space with great service and a quality price.I’m confident the market is there 100%.”

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“From the breakfast buffet to the bed bounce…I test it all so you don’t have to.”

AA Hotel Inspectors cover the country

HOTELS AA Ireland who have been inspecting Hotels and B&Bs in Ireland since 1910 and who are credited with inventing the 1-5 star rating scheme, have announced the launch of a new online booking facility for all AA Inspected hotels, B&Bs and Guesthouses. The booking facility hosted at AAHotels.ie is provided by Roomex.com, the Ireland have announced a major boost Dublin based booking service that gives customers forto all150,000 AA approved hotels and access hotels worldwide.

Established in guesthouses with the launch of its new 2005 and now one of Ireland’s leading hotel portals, online booking Roomex also has a facility direct AAHotels.ie. relationshipThe with 400 Irish booking hosted AAHotels.ie hotels, over facility 100,000 Irish at customers as is well as 350 provided

by Roomex.com, the Dublin based corporate clients.

AA

booking service that gives Irish and

Through the newcustomers AA Hotelsaccess booking engine AAHotels.ie international to 150,000 customers can select an area or city andand a list of availhotels worldwide. Established in 2005 able now places be generated.

Hotels that have been onewill of Ireland’s leading hotel portals, personally inspected by the AA will appear first, marked Roomex also has a direct relationship with 400 with Irish an AA logo, but they will also have access hotels, over 100,000 Irish customers as other establishments. well as 350 corporate clients.

Through the new AA Hotels booking engine AAHotels.ie customers from Ireland and abroad can select an area or city and a list of available places will be generated. Hotels that have been personally inspected by the AA team of inspectors will appear first, marked with an AA logo, but they will also have access to other establishments.

Joining the AA scheme & becoming listed Once a Hotel has joined the AA scheme, an unannounced overnight inspection will take place. A comprehensive debrief session will be held with a senior manager the following morning, and a written report outlining the Inspector’s experience follows. This will explain the precise score; star rating, food rating, customer service and other measures. The Hotel will then be listed on AAHotels.ie In addition, all AA accredited properties are listed on the AA Ireland Routeplanner site which receives in the region of 5 million visits each year. They are also listed in the annual AA Hotel Guide which is sold in major bookshops throughout the UK and Ireland and are considered for the AA’s annual Hospitality Awards which recognize both culinary and overall excellence.

AA Ireland has an Irish customer base of 185,000 Members and 200,000 insurance customers. It also has a very close working relationship with its sister company, AA UK, which has over 15 million Members. The organization says it is confident that their new online booking facility will prove very popular and very beneficial for the hotels and guesthouses within its accreditation scheme.

Contact AA Hotel Services: Properties interested in joining the AA accreditation scheme or who would like to find out more about AAHotels.ie are invited to contact AA Hospitality Services at 01 6179375 or

Before you check-in, check out aahotels.ie

FOOD

NEW RESTAURANT MEMBERS West 29 @ Westcourt Hotel

West St, Drogheda

Co Louth

www.westcourt.ie

Kethners Restaurant

8/9 Careys Lane, Cork City

Co Cork

www.kethnersrestaurant.com

Isabel’s

112 Baggot St Lower

Dublin 2

www.isabels.ie

Tuscany Bistro Ballina

Main St, Ballina

Co Tipperary

www.tuscany.ie

Indie Dhaba

Anne’s Lane, 22-26 South Anne’s ST

Dublin 2

www.dhaba.ie

Sab Inn Café

61 Bolton St

Dublin 15

The Shack Restaurant

24 East Ellis St, Temple Bar

Dublin 2

www.shackrestaurant.ie

Café Beva

Unit 9, Hazelwood Centre, Glanmire

Co Cork

www.cafebeva.ie

The Restaurant @ Preston House

Main St, Abbeyleix

Co Laois

www.prestonhouse.ie

Brasserie 7

The Capel Building, Mary’s Abbey

Dublin 7

www.brasserie7.com

Carlo’s Restaurant

63 O’Connell St

Dublin 15

www.cafecarlo.net

Brioche

65 Aungier St

Dublin 2

www.brioche.ie

The Big Apple @ The Blackhorse Inn

2 Church St, Cavan Town

Co Cavan

The Brewer’s House

Co Tyrone

www.thebrewershouse.com www.strandtavern.com

The Strand Tavern

Duncannon, New Ross

Co Wexford

Poachers Bar & Restaurant

Main St, Foxford

Co Mayo

Blue Fin Restaurant @ The Grand Hotel

Wicklow Town

Co Wicklow

Café Fleur

18 O’Connell St, Sligo

Co Sligo

Wrights Findlater Howth

Findlater House, Howth

Co Dublin

Dalkey Dispensary

31 Castle St, Dalkey

Co Dublin

www.dalkeydispensary.ie

Wrights Anglers Rest

Strawberry Beds, Chapelizod

Dublin 20

www.theanglersrest.ie

Wrights Café Bar

The Plaza, Swords

Co Dublin

www.wrightscafebar.ie

Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant

3 Eglington St, Galway City

Co Galway

www.minggarden.biz

Café Cupcake

96 Chandler House, Henry St, Limerick City

Co Limerick

www.wheretoeat.ie/restaurants/caf-cupcake

A.Caviston

No 1 Westview, Church Rd, Greystones

Co Wicklow

www.acaviston.ie

Mint Cottage

2A Main St, Raheny, Dublin 5

Okra Green

1 Island View, Harbour Rd, Howth

Co Dublin

www.okragreen.ie

Okra Green

Unit 1 Village Shopping Centre, Castleknock

Dublin 15

www.okragreen.ie

Rock Lobster

22-24 Donnybrook Rd

Dublin 4

www.rocklobster.ie

Weir Restaurant @ Ashford House

Ashford House, Ashford

Co Wicklow

www.theweirashford.com

Charcoal Steakhouse

Henry Court, Kenmare

Co Kerry

www.kenmarerestaurants.com/steakhouse

Flanagans on the Lake

Killaloe, BALLINA

Co Tipperary

forTHOUGHT

RAI a huge success at Catex

www.grandhotel.ie

www.themintcottage.ie

NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Solve Business Solutions

First Floor, 1 Porters Rd, Coolmine Business Park

Dublin 15

Revilo Engineering Ltd

Bridge St, Main St, Borrisokane

Co Tipperary

GH Enterprises

Rahavanig House, Rahavanig, Ballybunion

Co Kerry

www.ghenterprises.com

PT Webservices

13 Woodervices, Barna Rd

Co Galway

www.easimanage.com

Independent News & Media

27-32 Talbot St

Dublin 1

www.independent.ie

BPO Services

Unit 20, Webworks, Eglington Street

Co Cork

www.bpo.ie

www.solve.ie

Catex took over the RDS Simmonscourt for three days on February 19th, 20th and 21st and nearly 9,000 people in the Foodservice industry passed through the doors of this year’s exhibition.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland had two stands, and ran the Pop-Up restaurant, with three different restaurants taking over on each of the days.

We were delighted to host Fallon & Byrne of Exchequer St, Dublin 2 on Tuesday, L Mulligan Grocer of Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 on Wednesday and The Pig’s Tale from Gorey in Co. Wexford on Thursday.

We would like to thank our Patrons and sponsors of the PopUp restaurant- it wouldn’t have been possible without their help; IFSA, Glanbia, Java Republic, Stephens Catering, Febvre, Tablebookings and HireAll. who we work on behalf of all year round. We also met many of our Trade Partners, who themselves got to meet our members. To put and all our Branch Chairs who came out to man the stands.

Issues that were affecting a lot of our members over the three days were the chef shortage crisis, retaining the VAT rate at 9% and engaging with The Gathering in 2013.

Restaurants Association of Ireland

The theme of the restaurant was ‘Farm to Fork’, with each restaurant serving a starter, main and dessert course, glass of wine and tea/ coffee for €20. of Ireland Restaurants Association

11 Bridge Court – Citygate - St. Augustine Street - Dublin 8 - Registered Company No. 56224

11 Bridge Court – Citygate - St. Augustine Street - Dublin 8 - Registered Company No. 56224

Official Sponsor of

FOODforTHOUGHT

Patrons:

Official Sponsor of

FOODforTHOUGHT

Patrons:

FOODforTHOUGHT

FOODforTHOUGHT

Consultation on JLC Nominations Open for the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

The Labour Court has commenced a process of consultation in respect of a review of all joint labour committees (JLCs) currently in existence. The review is mandated by section 11 of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012, which requires to the Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation whether each existing JLC should be:

Nomination Categories

Follow us on: @restawards/ www.irishrestaurantawards.com

Official Sponsor of

FOODforTHOUGHT

(Hotel/Guest House)

Submissions must be made no later than 1 March 2013. IBEC will be making a submission in respect of each existing JLC. In

with the famous Irish welcome (B&B)

thoughts or comments you may have on JLCS; info@rai.ie

Hotel/Guest House)

The RAI has produced for all Restaurants. As an industry it is important that we support this national campaign to drive tourism to our country and to ensure that those who do visit, enjoy their stay.

If you are interested in purchasing some pins for your staff, please contact

Once nominations close on March 15th, they are all audited by our independent adjudicators KPMG. Throughout March our Regional judging panels, made up of industry experts across the 5 regions meet to assess the nominations. The results from our Judging panel which makes up 60% of the overall vote plus the results from the reader’s nominations which makes up 40% of the vote are combined and then reviewed by KPMG to give an overall winner. The winner of each category is that chef / restaurant / hotel or gastro pub who has the highest combined judges and readers vote.

The Industry categories voted by members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland will take place in April. Further information will be sent to you closer to this time.

Examples of Gathering Gestures include:

The Restaurants Association of Ireland will be formally endorsing overseas charity Gorta’s Soup for Life initiative, which many of our members participated in over the past couple of years. It’s a strong promotional/publicity campaign which will add value to our own eating out message but equally provides with a chance to do something for a global food security focused charity.

Soup for Life takes place from th March 5th and again is a positive initiative for your business to get involved with. The message of the campaign is a simple one, it asks people to eat out in restaurants and cafes across Ireland and enjoy a delicious bowl of nourishing soup while at the same time making a contribution to Gorta’s work

basket, small box of chocolates, Gathering souvenir (Hotel/ Guest House/B&B/Self-Catering)

The Gathering Ireland Lapel Pins

County Winners and the Dublin Shortlist then go on to compete for the Regional and all Ireland title which will be announced in the Burlington Hotel on 10th June 2012.

We are calling on you the tourism industry to be part of the Gathering Ireland 2013 by offering a Gathering Gesture to overseas visitors in 2013.

Gorta Soup for Life

dinner (Restaurant/Hotel/Guest House)

The Restaurants Association of Ireland is delighted to announce that it will be once again running the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 in conjunction with Santa Rita and the Sunday Independent Life Magazine.

Nominations for this year’s main categories will be going live on Sunday 24th February 2013 and will close on March 15th 2013. You will be able to vote via www.independent.ie/irishrestaurantawards It will be one vote per e-mail address.

of the Gathering Ireland

or e-mail info@rai.ie (Pins cost €1 each)

The Gathering Ireland Gesture App In addition to the exciting programme of festival, events and gatherings taking place throughout 2013 for The Gathering Ireland, we want to ensure that all visitors to Ireland in 2013 experience a unique welcome that will not only meet but far exceed their expectations.

What is a Gathering Gesture?

A Gathering Gesture is:

Patrons:

Restaurant/Hotel/Guest House) All of these Gathering Gestures will be collected and presented on a Gathering Gesture App (iPhone and Android versions) which will be available for international download. Please note the Gathering Gesture App will not be available in the Irish App store and therefore is available to overseas visitors only.

The Gathering Gesture App will list all gestures through an easyto-use mobile interface and will bring added value in Ireland to the fore-front for visitors in 2013 helping guide and enhance their holiday experience.

To avail of Gathering Gestures while in Ireland, overseas visitors will simply display the gesture listed for your establishment on their smartphone.

How to get involved?

To get involved, simply complete the application form on http://gestures.thegatheringireland.com and submit.

If you have any queries please contact Tourism Ireland’s Helpdesk at tioffersdesk@tourismireland.com

Tweets of the Month @RAI_ie HighRents issue again forcing the closure of another great restaurant #Cava #Galway. Best wishes to @MsEatGalway @mistereatgalway & the team Jan 25 Calling all Restaurants, Gastropubs & Cafés! @Gorta need your support for Soup for Life- call the SOUP TEAM now 01 661 5522! #soupforlife Jan 24

Official Sponsor of

FOODforTHOUGHT

For every bowl of soup served to a customer participating restaurants are asked to donate €1 to Gorta. Since its launch in 2010, Soup for Life has gathered momentum, with 1,000s of people and 100s of restaurants participating in 2011.

Taking part is simple! The return to you is print and social media publicity for your business in local and national newspapers, as well as the choice of taking part in online videos advertising your business. To sign up for Soup for Life 2012, simply log on to www.gorta.org or phone a member of the Soup for Life team on (01)6615522.

To make an impact with the campaign, visibility is important, merchandise such as t-shirts, table talkers, window posters, stickers will be distributed, so please make sure they are prominently display on your premises.

Congratulations to @Sagemidleton on winning this months @BordbiaJust Ask Restaurant of the month ! #localproducers #localingredients Feb 5 Have you seen the job listings on our website? If you have a vacancy, send it to info@rai. ie! http://www.rai.ie/jobs.html #jobfairy #raijobs Feb 8 The buzz at #Catex is hopping! The ‘Farm to Fork’ theme at our @FallonandByrne Pop-Up restaurant is proving a hit!

Feb 19

Patrons:

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RECRUITMENT

Make your mark at the Marker Hotel Be part of the team at Dublin’s newest hotel

The Marker, Dublin’s newest luxury design hotel, recently launched a recruitment drive to fill 180 jobs across a range of roles. A variety of positions are available including food and beverage assistants, bartenders, mixologists, chefs, guest service agents, spa therapists and a doorman. The Marker, which will open on 2nd April, expects to fill all roles before the end of March.

Speaking about the announcement, General Manager of The Marker Hotel, Charlie Sheil said, “We are looking for enthusiastic and experienced people who want to join our team in Dublin’s most exciting new hotel venture. The Marker will set a new standard for luxury lifestyle hotels in Ireland so we are searching for talent who are passionate about delivering exceptional guest service. In return, we will provide a friendly work environment, along with world-class training, giving the successful candidates the opportunity to expand their skill-set and reach their potential. There has been a huge level of interest in these jobs already and we look forward to adding to the team.”

The Marker, which will be operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, will appeal to both the business and leisure segments of the domestic and international markets.

Part of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World(r) family, the hotel features a ground floor bar and restaurant as its centre piece, with 187 guest rooms over six floors. It will also feature a Rooftop Garden, a striking space overlooking Dublin city, which blends indoor and outdoor areas with capacity for 120 people to enjoy lunch, cocktails and dinner.

The Marker’s spa features four spacious treatment rooms with a designated relaxation area and a 23 metre infinity pool. Further amenities include a large whirlpool bath, sauna and steam room. The spa also includes a fitness area that will have cardiovascular equipment, resistance equipment, free weights and personal training facilities. The spa and fitness area will be available to both hotel guests and apartment residents.

The team includes Charlie Sheil needs no introduction, having worked previously the General Manager of The Gibson Hotel in Dublin (2010 - 2012) and the Clarion Hotel in Co. Cork (2004 - 2010) and oversaw the successful opening of both hotels. His experience over the last 20 years working in France, Switzerland, Ireland, The UK and New York City where he spent time at the world famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Towers. He has

also worked as Director of Food & Beverage Operations at New York’s Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square.

Roisin O’Sullivan has taken up the role of Director of Sales and Marketing and has over ten years experience working in the hospitality industry. Most recently, Roisin was Assistant Director of Sales at The Westin Dublin. Prior to this, she held various senior sales and marketing positions within Starwood Hotels and Resorts and the Ovation/MCI Group.

Gareth Mullins is the most recent appointment as Executive Chef. Gareth will be responsible for all menu design and food preparation in the hotel’s five kitchens which cover the brasserie, the rooftop garden, the cocktail bar, the lobby lounge, and room service. Gareth has over 16 years’ experience cooking in five star hotels in Ireland and Australia. He spent the last seven years in the Merrion Hotel, where he was Head Chef in The Cellar Restaurant & Bar. During his tenure at The Cellar, the restaurant received two AA rosettes and the bar was recommended in the Michelin Guide He spent five years in Sydney, Australia, where he worked as Head Chef at the W Hotel and as Senior Chef de Partie in the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

For further information or to apply for a job, visit jobs.ie/The-Marker-Hotel H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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KITCHEN

The kitchen of the

Shelbourne: an inside view

Conor McTernan met with Garry Hughes, Executive Chef at The Shelbourne Hotel to find out what it’s like operating the kitchen of a five star hotel.

Garry Hughes has been working as the Executive Chef at The Shelbourne for the past five years now, but his relationship with the goes back much farther than that.

Garry kick-started his culinary career at The Shelbourne peeling potatoes at the tender age of 15. Now with over 20 years experience within the industry Garry leads his 36 strong Brigade de Cuisine to deliver 5 star food to the hotel’s three separate dining areas, The Saddle Room, The Lord Mayor’s Lounge and No. 27 Bar. In No27 for instance we have our Jazz Brunch offering on a Sunday, and have very successful Pre-Theatre Menu available seven days a week in the hotel.

Working for a multinational company like Marriott Hotels you have to be top of your game. “I have a team of 36 chefs with a very small turnover of staff, I’ve had my core guys here with me since I started five years ago, and that speaks for itself.” Garry believes that his management style is fair, “I’m only as good as my team, there’s a huge team emphasis in the hotel, and with the procedures we have in place our kitchen is very well managed.

“ I have a team of 36 chefs with a very small turnover of staff, I’ve had my core guys here with me since I started five years ago, and that speaks for itself

“Everyone that comes to the Shelbourne has a story to tell about the Shelbourne, People will tell you about coming in as a child to have a scone and afternoon tea.

We aim to combine past with present to recreate people’s fond memories.”

They constantly rewrite the menus. In the Lord Mayor’s Lounge there are themed afternoon teas where the menu is changed every two months. “I’m out the front all the time talking to the guests, it’s important to converse with them to find out what they want and as you can imagine it’s a very busy operation, it doesn’t stop. “They serve between 70-80 people for afternoon tea every day. “Last year we did a constitution history tea where we took menus that

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dated back to the nineteenth century and recreated them. We took some real classic desserts like a fine apple tart, a lemon tart and a Victorian sponge.” With the launch of the Shelbourne Spa, Garry and his team have created a number of unique calorie counted food items, again in keeping with the customer requirements.

The Shelbourne shop was launched last March and has been incredibly successful. “The guests were constantly asking us could they take extra food home, so we listened to them and decided to set up our own shop. We sell jams, marmalades, chutney, macaroons and chocolates. They also smoke and sell their own salmon on site, which is quite unique for an Irish hotel. We find a lot of our American guests like to take home a bit of the Shelbourne home with them, items such as the Shelbourne book, Shelbourne candle and apron are big sellers.”

They’ve effectively branded their products and it’s working to their advantage.

The Raw Bar is a stand-alone kitchen island in the Saddle room. Here they sell fresh seafood. Last year Oyster sales alone brought in over €100,000. “A lot of people come in solely for oysters, it’s getting busier all the time. The Oyster Bar does Angels on horseback, Oysters Rockefeller and smoked oysters to name a few.

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KITCHEN

Pastry Trolley - A Classic The Shelbourne have recently brought back an old favourite, “When I was a kid we used to have the pastry trolley, once again it’s about bringing back the classics,” “We’re basically recreating what you would find in a patisserie in France, cherry bake wells, opera gateau, chocolate Moulin, pistachio financers, strawberry tarts.”

It will open in the Lord Mayor’s lounge in the morning and be rolled through the building as the day progresses, He assures its splendour, and “It’s so impressive that when you see it you’ll want something from it, it has a unique selling point.”

Working with the Seasons Last year the hotel was awarded two rosettes from the AA. Every two months they change the menu to work with whatever’s in season. At the moment purple sprouting broccoli, mackerel, sea bass, kale, and beetroot are all in season according to Garry. “At this time of year having just come out of winter I love working with things like Ox cheeks that are slow cooked and braised that’s the style that I’m into.”

They strive to support local producers. For the month of March they’ve put on a 5 course-tasting menu for The Gatheringthat will solely support local suppliers. “I’m from the Curragh and I love sourcing lamb from there, I get to show of where I’m from through the food, there’s a great sense of pride in that. We’re members of Good food Ireland, we try to see what suppliers are trying to make a name for themselves out there, we want to work with them, they want to work with us, we’re helping each other and it’s exactly what’s needed in this day and age.”

Chef Garry hand picks all suppliers that they buy from, “for instance our main butcher is Hicks in Ballymount, fish supplier is Hanlon’s in the city centre, we get out lobsters from Lambay island, we source our veg from Keeling’s who grow a lot of their produce out by the airport, we get out herbs from Lusk, and we also support suppliers such as Pat Clarke in Naas.”

Budget Forecast Garry is heavily involved in setting the restaurant’s budget, “I’m responsible for maintaining our turnover, food and labour costs I wish it was as simple as just cooking!” “Our food cost would be industry leading, a lot of people would be gob smacked to find that we run off a 23% food cost.”

How do they test the quality of their produce? At the back door there are strict procedures in place, all goods are checked to see if they meet the Shelbourne standard, such as what anything from a grain of rice to a cow should look like, how much it weighs and how old it is. The suppliers are given the specifications as to what the Shelbourne wants.

Garry and his team are always pushing to improve their skills and raise the standard of the food. “This year we’re going to strive towards getting red-star recognition from the AA, we currently have black-star. Also a Taste of Dublin is coming up again in June, which will be a challenge as always as we’ve had the busiest stand at the event for the past five years. I’m proud of obtaining our two AA rosettes last year, I also won the Renaissance Global Chef of the Year award, last year we had the best food in the company out of all the Marriott’s worldwide.” The judges look at every aspect of an operation and judge it as a whole.

To keep up with industry trends Garry looks to London to see what’s happening in the restaurants over there. “For years I used to think that Ireland was lagging well behind, but not now.” “Now there are so many talented chefs in the country, I think our industry has improved immensely in recent years.” To stay educated he reads books and information online but it’s really about talking to other people in the business, “I’ve got a fantastic bunch of guys working with me who have cooked all over the world, they all have thoughts and I listen to them, Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m one of the team.”

“I’m here five years now and there’s never been a dull day.” “I drive up from Newbridge everyday, when I turn around the corner and see the hotel I get a little shiver, I never know what the Shelbourne is going to throw at me.”

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TRAINING

Professional cookery training Fáilte Ireland by WRC Social and Economic Consultants National training for entry to the occupation of professional chef is provided mainly by Institutes of Technology. These third level institutes provide a number of courses leading to the Advanced Certificate in Professional Cookery (FETAC Level 6), the Higher Certificate in Culinary Arts (HETAC Level 6), and degree level qualifications such as the BA in Culinary Arts.

In-career training and professional development is also provided by the Institutes of Technology through the National Apprenticeship Programme and the recently introduced National Traineeship in Professional cookery.

The number of people completing both entry level and in-work professional development programmes annually has increased from a minimum of 470 in 2005 to at least 574 in 2012.

Indications of Shortages in the Profession Figures from Fáilte Ireland’s most recent annual Tourism Employment Survey show that, in 2011, personnel working in culinary related occupations number almost 21,900 and account for over 14 per cent of year round employment in the tourism and hospitality sector.

“ The number of people completing both entry level and in-work professional development programmes annually has increased from a minimum of 470 in 2005 to at least 574 in 2012

Although concerns have been expressed recently that there is a shortage of trained personnel available to work as chefs, particularly in the restaurant sector, the National Skills Buletin 2012 states that there is no skills shortage for the profession of chef at national level.

However, these official statistics from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation show that chefs continue to be sourced through the Employment Permits System from non-EEA countries.

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Although it may appear at a glance that culinary professionals from non-EEA countries are needed to fill gaps in the sector here, the number of chefs being sourced through the Employment Permits System has declined dramatically in recent years - from 7,000 in 2005 to just 550 in 2011.

Even though government figures suggest that, for the occupation of chef nationally, there is no skills shortage, it is likely that this is consistent with specific shortages in respect of particular chef occupations (e.g. Chef de Partie), in particular sectors (e.g. restaurants), or in specific cuisines (e.g. ethnic cuisine).

Possible reasons for the presence of recruitment difficulties are varied and range from migration of qualified personnel, lack of suitability between the skills and experience of persons seeking employment and those being sought, occupational change among persons trained as chefs resulting in a decrease in supply, and a reserve wage higher than wages being offered in the sector.

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TRAINING Fáilte Ireland Panel Study of Trainees A recent study entitled Fáilte Ireland Panel Study of Trainees Completing Fáilte Ireland Supported Training Courses in 2008 and 2009 provides data on the careers of 726 trainees who completed professional cookery courses between the two years.

In addition, a follow-up survey was undertaken last June focusing on the employment situation and occupations of the 2008 and 2009 cohorts.

The objective of Fáilte Ireland’s The findings presented in follow-up survey was to examine the the report show that, even career paths of trainees completing during a time when courses in professional cookery, to employment was assess occupational retention of contracting, in the region of trainees as chefs, and to identify factors 75 per cent of trainees who leading to occupational change. completed courses in Specifically the survey sought to professional cookery in identify: • the proportion of trainees working in 2008 and 2009 were in occupations directly related to their employment training and the specific sectors in which they are employed; • the proportion of trainees experiencing career progression; • the proportion of trainees working in occupations unrelated to their training; and, • the reasons for occupational change among trainees who are not working in occupations directly related to their training.

“

Loss of Qualified Chefs However, not all participants in the study used their professional culinary qualifications to seek employment as chefs, with the results of the follow-up in June 2012, showing approximately one in five of those surveyed not working as chefs.

In relation to those not working as chefs, the results point to a combination of four job related factors influencing their decision to not work as chefs: unsuitable working hours, low pay, temporary work, and a lack of promotion opportunites. The other main reason cited for not working as a chef is deciding on a change of career direction.

Results of Study The findings presented in the report show that, even during a time when employment was contracting, in the region of 75 per cent of trainees who completed courses in professional cookery in 2008 and 2009 were in employment.

Interestingly, the employment rate increased over time and, according to the most recent follow-up survey undertaken in June of last year, reached 83.6 per cent for the 2008 cohort of trainees and 77 per cent for the 2009 cohort of trainees.

This indicates that the majority of trainees completing courses leading to qualifications in the area of professional cookery can expect to gain employment following the successful completion of their courses.

One of the most notable results is that, among persons progressing to work as chefs, a significant proportion of at least 40 per cent identified the need for further training in professional cookery to improve their career prospects.

Therefore, the importance of both on and off the job training opportunities for supporting the career development of those working as chefs has never been more relevant in increasing the quality of human resources in the sector.

Conclusion Considering a minority of only 16.8 per cent of respondents not working as chefs pointed to an absence of employment opportunites to work as a chef as their main reason for not working in the profession in which they are qualified, the conclusion broadly lies elsewhere.

The main implication of these findings by Fáilte Ireland is that pay and conditions on offer to chefs do not measure up to the aspirations of a substantial number of trainees completing courses in professional cookery and lead to a decision to not seek employment as a chef.

Therefore, to adequately address this level of attrition from the profession, measures must be undertaken to improve pay and conditions to successfully change the situation regarding recruitment difficulties where they arise.

However, most important of all, steps need to be taken to ensure that the supply of trained personnel is fully retained in the sector in the future.

Caroline Leddy H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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ONLINE MARKETING

Dynamic redistribution to capture best margin Bookassist officially launches its new Distribution Manager platform at ITB Berlin travel fair on March 6th, 2013. Built inhouse as an entirely new software platform, the Distribution Manager is a key element of the company’s strategic approach to helping their partner hotels maximise their online revenue by staying in control of online distribution rather than being a slave to it.

Bookassist has a long history of optimising direct online business for hotels.

Named the World’s Leading Booking Engine Technology Provider at the recent World Travel Awards, the company also provides professional account management to continually raise the performance of online business for its client partner hotels.

The company has always operated a holistic approach to online business. We work hard to ensure our partner hotels get maximum online traffic, present an attractive web presence to potential customers, can convert that traffic to bookers, and can optimise the margin on bookings made through upselling and strategic distribution.

“We continually talk to our clients to see where their future needs lie, so when we discussed channel distribution with our partner hotels as a complement to their direct online business, we were surprised that so many talked only about convenience and connectivity of the tools they were using”, said Des O’Mahony, Bookassist CEO. “We thought it was strange that so many hoteliers focused on the nitty gritty of technology and didn’t actually view the tool in terms of revenue optimisation”.

It’s About Margin!

Online distribution is about revenue, but more importantly it should be about getting the best margin on that revenue. Online travel agents (OTAs) are convenient to use and can certainly generate sales and revenue. But left unchecked, they can sell every room you have and solve your occupancy problem, though at punitive margin loss.

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Staying in control of the balance between direct sales on your hotel website and prudent use of OTAs is critical, and ideally channel management strategy should actively help hotels to achieve this balance.

But typical channel managers are just software tools, not strategy tools, and are developed by software companies, not hotel insiders.

“The problem for hotels is that channel managers are agnostic, they’re just a tool.

They don’t care what the hotel does once the fee for the software is paid, so they don’t really help to optimise margin at all. They are really built just for making sales convenient, which is not at all ideal in a world with strong OTAs”, says O’Mahony.

“So at Bookassist, we’ve built a distribution management system that focuses hotels on the real issues in channel management, while improving on convenience, connectivity and other user issues. Because our pedigree is in optimising direct online bookings, and we’re unique in the channel space in that, we are absolutely focused on the margin issue and we’ve built our software with that firmly in mind”.

Powerful Simplicity Bookassist Distribution Manager is a powerful yet simple to use tool. Bookassist has focused strongly on the user experience, so that it’s easy to learn and easy to operate, leaving hotels free to concentrate on what is actually important - online sales strategy.

For example, as shown in Figure 1, quick access to channels, rate plans and availabilities is on-screen at all times using convenient tabs on the side of the screen, so you never have to leave a screen to make a quick check on these key areas.

Bookassist Distribution Manager connects to all the major distribution channels online (Own Website Booking engine, GDS, Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz, Hotels.de, Venere and countless more) and gives hotels direct control of availability and rates online in one interface.

Maintaining any required rate parity is simple using intuitive linked rates functionality. When set up appropriately, you can even manage your entire distribution of countless rate plans across countless channels with just one single master rate.

Smart availability across all channels ensures that you can easily manage your exposure on each online channel individually, rather than lumping everything into one basket where control is lost. But these individual availabilities are still linked together with configurable rules so the entire pattern of availability can change as bookings happen.

Connectivity and Redistribution With two-way channel connectivity, incoming reservations (or cancellations) dynamically change your total online availability. Smart availability then allows the system to automatically redistribute availability every time a new booking is received, shutting down less important channels and increasingly favouring your primary channels as availability gets tighter. You can ensure that last room

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ONLINE MARKETING

Example of Bookassist Distribution Manager Availabilities control screen. (a) The user’s login area, system alerts, progress of events and help. (b) Convenient tabs for channels, rate plans and availabilities are visible on all pages and slide out for quick configuration checks. (c) Quick date selectors for one week, two weeks, one month or by date. (d) Data previously sent to any channel by the system can be reloaded, or data currently on the booking engine can be loaded for convenience. (e) Availabilities are calculated by rule from master availability in the “Available” line, but the rule can be manually overwritten at any time.

availability will always be where it should be - on your website where margin is highest.

“As your total online availability falls, say from 10 rooms to 8 rooms, 7 rooms and downwards etc, it becomes more critical that you are shutting down those channels at low margin, and moving those last rooms on to higher margin channels. This is especially true for your own website, where you last availability should always sit.

Our system will do this redistribution automatically for you, so that even if your availability is changing very quickly you’re not going to miss out on valuable margin just because you didn’t have the time to log in”, says O’Mahony.

Connectivity two-way to the channels is just one part of the jigsaw. The system also talks to a hotel’s property management system (PMS). PMS connectivity with the major players such as Micros and Protel simplifies the booking delivery even more and reduces transfer errors.

Built To Work With The World’s Leading Booking Engine “Other channel management systems usually force your hotel to simplify what you sell online. They like to keep it to simple straightforward room types like single, double and triple, and instead focus on telling you about the hundreds of channels you can distribute these rooms across. We think this is the wrong approach to your hotel’s online business”, says O’Mahony.

Bookassist’s booking engine technology already allows for complex but effective packaging of rooms online, with dynamic pricing, linked rates and special offers.

Instead of having to dumb down your booking engine setup to suit your more basic channel management software, Bookassist’s Distribution Manager can import your entire booking engine setup, however complex, at the touch of a button.

Bookassist Distribution Manager lets you manage your entire Bookassist Booking Engine structure alongside your distribution to online channels, all from within one modern and efficient interface.

O’Mahony notes: “Being able to bring the entire Bookassist Booking engine setup into the Distribution Manager means you can sell what suits you, where you want - not just what suits your channel manager software. That’s a big plus for our

booking engine customers, given the amount of effort we’ve gone to with them to get their direct channel setup working just right” Platform For The Future Bookassist has considerable plans for the new platform with continual improvements.

According to O’Mahony: “We’re very happy with the Distribution Manager, but it’s very much version 1.0. We have a lot of plans for where this is going to go, and you’re going to see a lot more intelligence being built into it before too long. We have a lot of insider knowledge from our work with hotels that other channel manager providers just don’t have, and we plan to capitalise on that so our partner hotels can benefit even more, but obviously I’m not going to tell you what those ideas are right now!”

For more information on Bookassist’s Distribution Manager, see http://www.bookassist.org or contact Bookassist using the details on http://www.bookassist.org/contact.jsp .

Claire Sawier is Head of Marketing at Bookassist (bookassist.org), the strategy and online technology provider for hotels.

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IFSA SURVEY

Survey shows growing optimism in foodservice sector and hospitality sector - Irish Foodservice Suppliers Alliance (IFSA)

A survey conducted ahead of CATEX 2013, by flagship event of the Irish Foodservice Suppliers Association (IFSA) has found growing optimism in the foodservice and hospitality sector, with almost 4 out of 10 businesses likely to increase employment levels in 2013.

A total of 39% of respondents said that they are more upbeat about the foodservice sector for 2013, than last year, with a correspondingly high rate of companies (37%) saying that they expect to increase employment in their business at some point in 2013. In addition, 46% of respondents stated that they expected to increase investment in their business throughout the coming year.

“These are really positive signs for our industry, which has undergone an incredibly challenging few years,” said Julie Morrissey, IFSA Chairperson.

“We are also delighted to see that a very large percentage of respondents have increased their purchase of local rather than imported produce in the last twelve months. In fact a total of 54% of businesses we surveyed in the industry 36

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state that they have increased the amount of Irish produce purchased in the last twelve months” said Julie Morrissey, IFSA Chairperson. “The focus with Chef’s Choice @ CATEX, is on the need for Chef’s in Ireland to choose local produce rather than imported produce. To promote the best of these suppliers, we have a dedicated area for small artisan producers to allow them impress key industry decision makers.”

9,000 visitors from the Irish food and foodservice sector start to converge on RDS over next three days for the greatest foodservice event of the year.

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IFSA SURVEY

“CATEX has been running since 1965, however this year there is a growing sense of confidence in our sector” said Julie Morrissey, Chairperson IFSA. “The survey results point to a quiet confidence beginning to emerge in our sector. There is no doubt that the decision by the Government to reduce VAT to 9% has helped the hospitality sector. In fact, 47% of respondents point out that the reduction in VAT has helped to sustain or create jobs in their businesses.”

“CATEX will feature over 200 exhibitors spanning 12,000 square metres of the RDS. There is a growing sense of optimism in the foodservice sector and CATEX 2013 will be a celebration of all that is good about our sector” said Julie Morrissey, IFSA Chairperson.

Key findings from IFSA foodservice sector survey Overall sentiment is very positive among foodservice sector for 2013.

A total of 39% of respondents said that they are more upbeat about the foodservice sector for 2013, than last year, with a correspondingly high rate of companies (37%) saying that they expect to increase employment in their business at some point in 2013. In addition, 46% of respondents stated that they expected to increase investment in their business throughout the coming year.

Priority for Irish Produce 70% of respondents stated that they actually prioritize the purchase of Irish / local

produce. This is a positive sign for the industry, when it is seen in the context of the large number of businesses (54%) that have increased the amount of Irish / local produce they have purchased for their businesses in the last twelve months.

9% VAT - helping to create jobs in the sector The largest thumbs up from the sector came in relation to the support for the 9% VAT rate introduced by the Government to help stimulate the hospitality sector. A total of 86% of the respondents expressed their support for this measure. 46% of respondents identify the decision to reduce VAT to 9% as the deciding factor in helping to sustain as well as create jobs in their business.

Use of social media to promote business The survey found that 77% of respondents now use social media to help promote their business and communicate with their customers?

Report Card for the Government & state agencies from the Foodservice Sector In light of the focus on the work of the Government and state agencies recently, the survey asked ‘How would you grade the work of the Government & state agencies, in their work to promote the FoodService Sector?’

The results were • Excellent 0 • Good 23 • Fair 46 • Pass 15 • Fail 16 H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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FÁILTE IRELAND NEWS

Fáilte Ireland outlines plans for 2013

Pictured at the Dublin tourism industry briefing at Croke Park, were (l. to r.): Shaun Quinn, CEO, Fáilte Ireland; Naoise O’Muirí, Lord Mayor of Dublin; Paul Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Lifestyle Hotels and Keith McCormack, Head of Events Ireland & Visit Dublin, Fáilte Ireland.

The need to focus on selling to our nearest and biggest overseas market, Great Britain, was amongst the main topics at this year’s Fáilte Ireland Regional Tourism Briefings which were held across the country last month.

This message was reinforced by presentations which outlined where our greatest prospects overseas lie, what experiences these markets are looking for, how the new Sales Connect GB tool can support businesses to attract visitors from Great Britain, and why selling, particularly on digital platforms, is becoming crucial to the tourism industry.

More than 1,000 members of Ireland’s tourism industry attended the briefings.

Speaking at the briefing CEO Shaun Quinn said, “Tourism is, by its very nature, an optimistic industry but this year there are many good reasons to expect a pickup in overseas visitors. This is essential as historically our tourism sector has had an over-reliance on the home holiday market which is no longer in a position to guarantee increased revenues. The real action is overseas and that means capitalising on further growth from the US, maintaining our allure in Europe and finally fixing what needs to be mended in the GB market.

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Christopher Byrnes Celtic Ross Hotel, Anne O’Donnell Tourism Development Officer Cork County Council,Neil Grant West Cork Hotel and Josephine O’Driscoll Fáilte Ireland , Cork Tourism to Reap Gathering Boost As Fáilte Ireland Outlines Plans for 2013, Fáilte Ireland’s annual tourism industry briefing for the South West region which was held in The Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.

Pat Nora Gallagher, Daniel O’Donnell Visitor Centre, Joan Crawford, Fáilte Ireland, Philip McGlynn, Great Northern Hotel, Paddy Harte, Chair Donegal Gathering Steering Group at Fáilte Ireland’s annual tourism industry briefing for the North West region which was held in The Great Northern Hotel, Bundoran, Co Donegal.

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FÁILTE IRELAND NEWS “This year in particular, the industry has been given a leg up with ‘The Gathering’ initiative developed by Fáilte Ireland. The local tourism industry needs to put its best foot forward in 2013 and provide those who have come to ‘gather’ with an unparalleled visitor experience and great value which will encourage visitors to recommend Ireland as a premier destination and return again and again.”

Plans for Dublin in 2013, as well as selling the capital to Great Britain, were at the core of the Dublin tourism industry briefing which was held in the Croke Park Conference Centre.

Outlining their plans for the capital in the year ahead, Fáilte Ireland outlined the key areas of tourism development for the city and county, which included growing business tourism in Dublin, attracting visitors through an extensive calendar of events, and creating a strong online presence for Dublin using the Visit Dublin website and social media platforms.

While Dublin has been performing better than other parts of Ireland attendees were urged not to rest on recent successes.

CEO Shaun Quinn further emphasised the need for a radical overhaul in how the capital attracts leisure visitors in particular - “With seven out of ten visitors to Ireland coming to the capital, clearly Dublin is the cockpit for Irish tourism. While the city is punching above its weight in the area of business tourism - generating €179m in 2012 - and is a vibrant destination for events and festivals, there is a need to really up our game when it comes to attracting leisure visitors.

“To achieve this we all need to work together to ensure a ‘Team Dublin’ approach if we are to compete with other cities internationally.”

To that end, Fáilte Ireland showcased two Dublin based projects, The Dubline and Dublin City Plus, aiming to respond directly to the needs of new market segments in Britain which have been identified as offering Dublin the greatest potential for growth.

You can find out more about these projects and other ongoing work on Fáilte Ireland’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/failt eirelandtv.

Local businesses get GB ready

Fáilte Ireland kicked off a series of workshops aimed at helping tourism businesses put the insights and learning’s from the GB Path to Growth report into action. Pictured at the Dublin GB workshop which was held in the Morrison Hotel, were (l. to r.): Shane McGavock, Best Western Slylon Hotel; Tracey Coughlan, Fáilte Ireland; Arlene Gibbs, Silverstamp Marketing; Lesley Anne Carey, Christchurch; and Deirdre McEniff, Best Western Skylon Hotel.

Pictured at the Dublin GB workshop which was held in the Morrison Hotel, were (l. to r.): Mark Rowlette, Fáilte Ireland; Aphria Smith, The Little Museum of Dublin; Martin Potts, Fáilte Ireland and Niamh Campbell, Acrobat Catering

A series of workshops aimed at helping tourism businesses make further gains in the British market begun this month.

The workshops, which are being undertaken by Fáilte Ireland, are looking at how individual tourism businesses can put the insights and learning’s from the GB Path to Growth report into action in a way that will give them tangible ways of converting potential GB visitors from “lookers into bookers”.

Businesses attending the one day interactive workshop heard the latest insights and actions into how to target the most promising segments (the social energisers and the culturally curious), sampled some experiential food offerings and worked together to create sample itineraries for each of these targeted segments.

The workshops also took a focussed approach into how businesses can attract these segments by exploring new ways businesses could successfully communicate value to the GB customer and are the first in a series of workshops which are planned throughout the year.

Speaking at the workshops, Tracey Coughlan, Fáilte Ireland emphasised, “We are delighted with the level of engagement from those attending the workshops. Those attending the workshops have enthusiastically embraced the insights into the GB consumer segments, worked up new experiences and importantly committed to working with us and to playing their part in restoring GB to its full growth potential.”

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FOOD TOURISM

Can squeezed restaurants aid food tourism?

Frank Corr onthe ‘Burgergate’ fallout In the long-term, Ireland is likely to emerge unscathed from the ‘Burgergate’ scandal.

Indeed, as the first country to detect small traces of horse DNA in Tesco burgers, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has shown the world that supervision of the food chain is among the most diligent in Europe. Fast food restaurants operating here, including Burger King and Supermacs were also quick to distance themselves from the contamination stories and a clear message went out that none of the offending material originated in Ireland.

The crisis did however swing the spotlight on food and the concept of ‘Food Tourism’. It emphasised the vital necessity of providing visitors with food that is of high quality, is traceable to the producer and, where possible, is of Irish origin.

Food is a highly significant element in the tourism mix. Visitors spent €2bn on food and drink in 2009, more than they did on accommodation.

“ The number of visitors who choose Ireland as a holiday destination primarily because of our food or cuisine, is negligible.

We will never be a Tuscany or Lyon.

The number of visitors who choose Ireland as a holiday destination primarily because of our food or cuisine, is negligible. We will never be a Tuscany or Lyon. The best form of ‘Food Tourism’ to which we can aspire therefore, is one in which the expectations of visitors will be exceeded every time they sit down for a meal in a hotel, b and b or restaurant. Even this is a lofty ideal however and one which is extremely difficult to achieve on a consistent basis.

Failte Ireland research indicates that visitors are neutral in relation to the food experience which we offer. Complaints relate largely to price while they seem to be satisfied, but certainly not ecstatic about service and food quality. The most recent research indicates that 30% of British visitors arriving by ferry, 19% arriving by air and 25% of Germans were disappointed with their food experience.

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There is general agreement that core elements such as food quality, traceability, service professionalism and choice of dining experiences has improved significantly over the past two decades. This would be expected in the light of the sustained investment by Failte Ireland and Bord Bia in staff training and the promotion of quality food production. Visitors can now dine to Michelin standard (including Bib Gourmand) in a score of restaurants while many others have achieved distinctions from assorted Guides and Award schemes.

The key issue however is consistency and the ability of the industry to deliver meals which are at least satisfactory across all levels of restaurant and throughout the entire country. While a series of acceptable, if not necessarily exciting meals will go un-noticed by visitors, a single bad dining experience is likely to stick in the mind and may be related to dozens of friends after the visitor has returned home. It is of course possible to get a bad meal in any part of the world, but the chances of doing so are significantly less in Brittany or California for instance , than they are in an Irish town.

Big resources and much effort has gone into getting the Iris food product up to an acceptable standard, with the Irish people themselves up there in the vanguard.

Many Irish restaurants have improved their offering over the past decade or so, principally because of market pressure. As more Irish people travelled, watched food programmes on tv and upped their own culinary skills, they became a lot more fastidious in their choice of restaurant. It is a lot more difficult to get away with poor service and bad cooking to-day than it was in the 1990s.

A major effort has also gone into improving the quality of the raw materials. Bord Bia has performed Trojan work in persuading producers of meat, poultry and vegetables to guarantee quality and traceability while consolidation within the food production sector has created the scale which facilitates consistent quality. The shock of ‘Burgergate’ was more related to how spurious material managed to make its way into the food chain than about the criminal activity which may have led to its presence.

At the ‘Ballymaloe’ end of the business we have witnessed much devotion to the encouragement of artisan production and traceability of product. The Farmers Markets which now dot the countryside are bringing artisan produce directly to the consumer while groups such as Eurotoques and Good Food Ireland are developing links between producers and chefs. This is highly admirable, but it must be remembered that these enthusiasts account for a very small proportion of the food cooked by caterers and consumed by their customers. The biggest single segment of the industry in terms of food consumption is industrial and institutional catering and virtually all of this is bought on tender or contract between large players like Aramark, Sodexho, the HSE and the Prison Service and equally large suppliers

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FOOD TOURISM

such as Musgrave and BWG. This segment of the market only impinges on visitors in the sense that restaurants and hotels can, if it makes business sense, also source their food requirements through the same channel. In this area, quality to specification and consistency are vital to the meal experience of the diner as cost is to the price on the menu.

Apart from this consolidated area of the supply chain, restaurants source their food ingredients from a hugely diverse range of SMEs. Every chef has his own veg man, fish man and butcher whose goods in turn may come from a wide spectrum of sources. A vegetable supplier for instance might get some supplies directly from farmers, some from the vegetable market and more from importers. These suppliers in turn serve an equally diverse range of customers, from upmarket restaurants to local cafes and take-aways.

This fragmentation within the The fragmentation within tourism food sector was the principle the tourism food sector catalyst in the decision by Fáilte was the principle catalyst Ireland to create a ‘National Tourism Implementation Framework’ which is in the decision by Fáilte scheduled to mature this year. A Ireland to create a Working Group, chaired by ‘National Tourism broadcaster Derek Davis and Implementation including Failte Ireland specialists and Framework’ industry representatives, was tasked which is scheduled to with tackling the fragmentation issue. mature this year.

They agreed on an overall vision for food tourism - ‘that Ireland be recognized by visitors for the availability, quality and value of our local and regional food experiences which evoked a unique sense of place, culture and hospitality’.

This seems quite an ‘ask’, given the preponderance of low-priced oriental and other ethnic restaurants in many towns coupled with the ubiquitous American fast food chains which dominate many high streets and shopping malls.

The Working Group report, which was completed in 2011 noted that there is ‘a need to promote Ireland as The Food Island, to domestic and international visitors alike’. It has been distilled by Fáilte Ireland into ensuring that the ‘customer-facing aspects of the visit, such as the availability and variety of food experiences, food and service quality, value for money and the experience offered at food-related

“

events, consistently exceed expectations.’

The strategy which it proposed envisaged co-operation between the many stakeholders in food tourism to deliver consistent quality and value, expand the number and variety of food outlets and to ensure that all food experiences promoted to visitors offer ‘a unique and distinctive Irish flavour are reflective of our image as a natural, unspoilt and hospitable destination’ These are indeed worthy aspirations, but their delivery is far from certain. The recession had the immediate effect of concentrating the minds of domestic diners on price and value while the tourism downturn focussed restaurateurs on cost management. The end result of these influences is that prices in Irish restaurants have tumbled and many outlets are now operating with substantially fewer staff than they did a few years ago. It may be too early to know precisely the effect which these trends have had on service and food quality, but it is not rocket science to perceive that the likely outcome is not all positive. The most obvious trend seems to be a focus on low-cost materials such as chicken portions and lamb shanks and a growing emphasis on price in the sourcing of raw materials.

It is far from clear where all this will lead, but would be optimistic indeed to believe that it is towards the recognition of Ireland as ‘The Food Island’.

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FOOD GUILD

Trust & innovation - the two key ingredients in Irish food Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Award winners announced Trust has become one of the most important ingredients in food production in Ireland today, according to the Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG). Now in its 19th year, The IFWG Food Awards is one of Ireland’s most enduring and respected awards events in Ireland.

“If we can’t have full faith in what is on the label, the reputation of the food sector in Ireland could be seriously jeopardised,” said Chairperson of the IFWG Myles McWeeney, who was speaking at the Guild’s annual Food Awards which took place recently in Dublin.

“But the good news is that when you buy from indigenous, Irish producers, you can be assured that their products are fully traceable, that the raw materials will have travelled a relatively short distance and oftentimes, that the product is as a result of cooperation between different local producers.

“It is these wonderful artisan producers that the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards celebrate and honour and they are truly deserving of the highest recognition,” said Myles. “Thankfully, in terms of artisan food produce, the future of the food industry is in great hands. Each of the award-winners in their own way represents the can-do spirit of innovation that characterises this dynamic sector.”

Six Irish food companies were presented with a much-coveted IFWG Food Award at a ceremony and industry celebration at l’Ecrivain restaurant, attended by Ireland’s leading ‘foodies’. Derry Clarke, executive chef at l’Ecrivain created a lunch incorporating all of the award-winning products.

From fresh cheese made from buffalo milk and crackers packed with character, to seeds and syrup and PGI designated lamb, the winners represent the very best of Irish and were awarded for their outstanding produce and important contribution to helping retain Ireland’s reputation, at home and abroad.

The 2013 winners are Rod & Julie Calder-Potts, Highbank Orchards (Co Kilkenny) for Highbank Orchard Syrup; Toby Simmonds, Toons Bridge Dairy (Co Cork) for Toons Bridge Dairy Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese and Connemara Hill Lamb Ltd., (Co Galway). A joint award was presented to Sheridans Cheesemongers (Co Meath) and Cookies of Character (Co Cork) for their range of cheese crackers.

An environmental award was presented to Co Clare-based Irish Seed Savers 42

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The 2013 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Award winners with Derry Clarke of l’Ecrivan

The award winning Connemara Hill Lamb that was served as part of the awards lunch, with recipes created by Derry Clarke

Association, for its dedicated work in preserving native varieties of fruit and vegetables.

Myles McWeeney continued, “Today is a celebration of the finest Irish food and wonderful artisan producers. However, as a food writers’ guild, we have a duty to acknowledge recent issues relating to the contamination of processed meat products and we urge immediate action on labelling and transparency, not just in Ireland but right across the EU. “We welcome the Irish government’s recent response, but we have to act now to protect the hard-earned reputation of the majority of food companies, large and small, in what is one of Ireland’s most important export industries.” Myles McWeeney concluded proceedings by thanking Bord Bia for its continued support of the Awards and the work it does for the artisan producers and the industry as a whole, both in Ireland and overseas.

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REGIONAL REPORT

Business and sports tourism delivers €50 million boost to Ireland’s Shannon Region

Pictured L-R at the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau 10th anniversary celebration in the Strand Hotel Limerick; Vincent Cunnane (Shannon Development), Eamonn Coughlan (Irish Sports Council), Adam Skerritt (Shannon Development), Karen Brosnahan (Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau), Joe Leddin (Deputy Mayor of Limerick), Shaun Quinn (CEO Failte Ireland), and Tony Brazil (Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau)

The Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau has attracted business and sports tourism worth an estimated €50million euro to the Shannon Region during the past decade, figures released recently show.

The Bureau, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this week, said it has attracted over 100 sports events, incentives and major international conferences to the Region since 2003, including this November’s Rugby League World Cup fixture between Ireland and Australia in Thomond Park.

Commenting on the growth of the Bureau during the last 10 years, Karen Brosnahan, Business Manager of the Bureau said: “Initially we just worked on business tourism; however the partnership with Shannon Development on sports tourism has enabled us to bid for events that no one body could do successfully.

The return on investment for the money spent to market the region is phenomenal with every €1 spent yielding €100 in returned economic impact. Over the 10 years the bureau has assisted business and sports tourism worth approx €50million.”

Bureau Chairperson, Tony Brazil explained: “The Bureau is all about partnership and people working together for the greater good of their region. Whether that’s a local venue working with us or us supporting a conference or sports ambassador to bid for an event, we have all played a part in putting this region on the map for business and sports tourism over the last decade and will continue to do so for the next 10 years.”

He continued: “Tourism has had a turbulent 10 years globally with economies falling, the Ash Cloud crisis and Ireland’s banking crisis. However, this region has managed to become the best performing region outside of Dublin in its ability to attract international association Conferences. This is a testament to the wonderful conference facilities that this region’s hotels, venues and academic institutions have to offer.”

“Access is a critical piece of the puzzle when attracting International business and with the new Shannon Airport Authority up and running I am confident that we can work with any new routes secured to develop new opportunities for the region in Business and Sports Tourism, as well as continuing our endeavours in existing markets,” Mr. Brazil added.

In talking about Shannon Development’s relationship with the Bureau, Dr. Vincent Cunnane, Chief Executive, Shannon Development said: “Thanks to the work of the Bureau, the Shannon Region has a proud international reputation as a top destination for sports and conference events. Shannon Development is delighted to have been one of the founding members of the Bureau and to support it during its

ten years in operation. Many of the events secured have resulted in an economic dividend and left a lasting legacy. Among the events secured was the Skyride Etape Hibernia which, I am delighted to say, will be reinstated later this year as Shannon Development has secured the intellectual property for the event and is in the process of securing a local operator to stage it.”

Speaking about the Bureau’s successful bid to host a group match in the upcoming Rugby League World Cup, Adam Skerritt, Sports and Events, Shannon Development: “We were initially told that we would never get a game outside the host nations of England Wales but we did, and Ireland meets Australia in Thomond Park on November 9th 2013 for the Rugby League World Cup. We hope it will be a major ‘Gathering’ event in the region attracting over 6,000 Aussie fans and filling Thomond Park to capacity. The event is worth close on €2million to the wider Shannon Region.”

Meanwhile, 150 people joined the Bureau and its partners for a gala dinner in Limerick’s Savoy Hotel at the weekend where guests on the night included conference and event organisers from all over Ireland and UK, sports federations, and representatives of all of the ambassadors that make up the bureau.

Sir Terry Wogan sent a videolink birthday greeting to the company, of which has been a patron of for the last 7 years. He spoke of his pride in what the Bureau has achieved and how the crowning glory for him is having the Rugby League World Cup in Limerick in 2013.

Other guest speakers on the night included Paul Keely of Failte Ireland who spoke about the importance of business and sports tourism and the benefits for the Shannon Region in having a conference and sports bureau to assist organisers. He spoke of how Failte Ireland is delighted to support the bureau and consider it “money well spent” in light of the level of business being attracted to the Shannon Region.

Former Olympian and Irish Sports Council representative, Eamonn Coughlan spoke about the “wealth of sports facilities in the University of Limerick and the wider Shannon Region and the great ambassadors like Gerard Hartmann, Neil Cusack, Frank O’Meara who have all through sport highlighted this region and its sporting attributes.”

For more on the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, visit www.conferenceandsportsbureau.com H&RT FEBRUARY/MARCH ‘13

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IRISH BEEF

Irish Beef takes centre stage at Culinary Olympics Bocuse d’Or 2013, Lyon Irish beef was selected as the key meat ingredient for this year’s Bocuse d’Or, the international culinary competition widely regarded as the ‘Olympics of the Culinary World’. Held every two years, the competition took place in Lyon, France from January 29th to the 31st as part of SIRHA, the leading European foodservice trade show, which attracts over 170,000 buyers and over 5,000 international chefs.

The initiative was designed to further underpin and enhance the image of Irish beef, exports of which last year were valued at €1.9 billion and are set to grow by up to 10 per cent this year.

Speaking of the event, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD said, “Irish beef producers are committed to bringing beef of exceptional quality and taste to premium markets.

Bocuse d’Or offers a timely opportunity to showcase and affirm the reputation of Irish beef. With the majority of our beef exports destined for European markets, the priority is to differentiate and position Irish beef by presenting a premium image to secure its place in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

“ Irish beef producers are committed to bringing beef of exceptional quality and taste to premium markets. Bocuse d’Or offers a timely opportunity to showcase and affirm the reputation of Irish beef.

Bocuse d’Or seeks to identify the world’s top chefs using only the world’s best food products. It is regarded as the most challenging and prestigious haute cuisine competition, with the most promising chefs participating from across all five continents.

Following a rigorous and lengthy selection process, Irish beef was selected for its grass-fed nature, sustainable farming methods, world class quality, taste and tenderness.

Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia added, “Our involvement with Bocuse d’Or is aligned with Bord Bia’s strategy of working with chefs internationally to raise awareness of the quality of our produce.

Irish beef has already garnered a

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Pictured with the winning French Team were from L-R, H.E. Paul Kavanagh, Irish Ambassador to France, Noreen Lanigan, Bord Bia Paris, Bernadette Byrne, Bord Bia Paris and Aidan Cotter, CEO, Bord Bia

comprehensive following amongst many of Europe’s Michelin Star chefs. Securing this much sought after accolade is an invaluable endorsement and recognition of Irish beef. It is hoped that the chefs involved, many of whom have already secured a Michelin star, will be encouraged to introduce Irish beef as a regular feature on their menus. Bord Bia will also use the opportunity to build the awareness and membership of its Chef’s Irish Beef Club, an initiative underway since 2004 to promote the benefits of using Irish beef amongst international chefs.”

Chef’s Irish Beef Club In 2004 Bord Bia commenced a programme, bringing together top European chefs to form a unique and exclusive group, the Chefs’ Irish Beef Club (CIBC). With an aim of driving publicity around Irish Beef, the Chefs’ Irish Beef Club sees awardwinning chefs market the advantages of Irish beef by serving it in Michelin star restaurants. The result is an increased presence of Irish beef in the restaurant sector, which ultimately builds product reputation. To date there are over 70 member chefs spread across the six chapters in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. As brand ambassadors, these high profile chefs have become a formidable force in driving the repositioning and differentiation strategy of Irish beef in our key export markets.

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IRISH BEEF

As a ‘Bocuse d’Or Member’ Irish beef will join an exclusive list of premium products and brands which have a strong association to haute cuisine. It will also allow Bord Bia and Irish beef producers to promote and communicate the unique credentials and quality of Irish beef to a global audience of world-renowned chefs and the influential media expected to attend the event.

According to Florent Suplisson, Director of Bocuse d’Or, “The choice of Irish beef for the 2013 edition of the Bocuse d’Or is in line with the tradition and overall objective of our competition. Our International Organisational Committee takes great care in choosing the products for our candidates and we only select the world’s best product offerings.”

A panel of international judges adjudicated and chose three overall winners. Among the prizes was a specially commissioned ‘Irish Beef Award’, sponsored by Bord Bia for the best Irish beef dish at Bocuse d’Or 2013.

Seven Irish companies travelled to Lyon also to participate in the show and exhibit as part of Bord Bia’s Ireland stand. France is the leading Eurozone market for Irish food and drink products, and is the second largest global market after the UK. In 2012, Ireland’s exports to France were valued at €614 million.

“ The choice of Irish beef for the 2013 edition of the Bocuse d’Or is in line with the tradition and overall objective of our competition. Our International Organisational Committee takes great care in choosing the products for our candidates and we only select the world’s best product offerings.

The Bocuse d’Or was pioneered and named after a 3 Star Michelin Chef and ‘Chef of the Century’, Paul Bocuse, in order to broaden the public’s understanding of the extraordinary dedication, practice and precision required to execute the very finest cuisine. Securing a place as a chef in the Bocuse d’Or Finals is an honour in its own right and involves months of preparation and planning.

Throughout the competition, a total of 24 national teams from across Europe, Asia and America competed in terms of their technical culinary skills, creativity, culinary sophistication and presentation. Each of the teams were supplied with fillet of Bord Bia quality assured grass fed steer beef and in addition chefs chose to use feather blades, ox cheek and ox tail.

And the winners were…

• Bocuse Gold: France

• Bocuse Silver: Denmark • Bocuse Bronze: Japan

• Special Meat Prize: United Kingdom

For more information, you can visit www.bordbia.ie or follow Bord Bia on Twitter and Facebook!

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AWARDS

CIE Tours International 23rd Annual Awards of Excellence

Sixty-two winners nationwide receive award based on customer feedback – five winners from Northern Ireland At a recent reception held in the in the National Gallery of Ireland Dublin Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar presented plaques to the winners of the prestigious CIE Tours International Awards of Excellence.

CIE Tours International, Ireland’s largest in-bound tour operator, is in business 81 years this year. 2013 sees the 23rd annual CIE Tours International Awards of Excellence, whose winners are chosen according to customer feedback. 62 winners including hotels, B&Bs, entertainment venues and tourist destinations received awards ranging from Best Hotel Dinner and Accommodation to Best Tour Feature. There were five Northern Irish winners, one overall gold winner and four merit awards.

Speaking at the event, Brian Stack, Managing Director of CIE Tours International, said: “Since 1932, CIE Tours International has brought in excess of three million visitors to Ireland. The company’s success is due to the excellent service provided by hundreds of service providers around the country. These awards celebrate the efforts of those in the tourism sector. Winners have been chosen based on feedback from over 22,000 customers who gave their views on over 400 suppliers of accommodation, dining and tourist attractions.

“As the largest purchaser of tourism services across the country, we monitor all feedback to ensure our customers enjoy their visit and get value-for-money. For example, CIE Tours booked 320,000 bed nights in towns and cities across Ireland last year. We brought 28,000 visitors to the Cliffs of Moher, 15,000 to Bunratty, 18,000 to the Guinness Storehouse and 10,000 to the new Titanic exhibition in Belfast. With these numbers, we are able to provide invaluable feedback to the tourism industry, which ensures that all tourists visiting Ireland have a top quality experience.

“In 2012 business performed well, with passengers and revenue up 10 per cent.

Last year’s Navy v Notre Dame American Football game was a significant boost to the Irish tourism sector and CIE Tours hosted an additional 50 tour groups during that period. We greatly welcomed the VAT reduction for the hospitality sector and believe it is contributing significantly to our on-going success. We sincerely hope that this initiative can be continued.

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“Building on this, I’m pleased to say that bookings are strong for 2013 and expected to surpass 2012 levels. We have definitely experienced an increase in interest in early bookings that we are attributing to the efforts of Tourism Ireland in marketing The Gathering along with ‘earlybird’ discount offers we made across our range of tours.

“Our key strength is that our size enables us to negotiate excellent value-formoney packages for customers, who would be unable to travel independently as cheaply. Our customers like the security of our all-inclusive prices as it helps them budget for their trips, combined with the quality of the experience they get; we receive more than 30% of our bookings from referrals.

“With the largest range of tour options for those wishing to visit Ireland, we bring tourists to many areas not covered by other companies this includes many rural communities and particularly the North and Northwest of the country.

“Based on the fact that the economy in our largest market is improving, with house sales strong, car sales at record levels and a substantial increase in the number of available seats to Ireland, we are cautiously optimistic that 2013 will surpass 2012. We appreciate the great boost that the advertising for the ‘The Gathering’ brings to our marketing efforts,” he said.

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AWARDS Overall Category Winners Best Visit Best Walking tour Best Tour Feature Special Dinner Feature Best Event Dinner/Entertainment Best B&B / Farmhouse Best Hotel Service Best Hotel Dinner Best Hotel Accommodation Best 3 star hotel Best 4 star hotel Best 5 star hotel

Cliffs of Moher Derry Walking tour - Ronan McNamara Sheep Dog Trial, Brendan Ferris Killeen House Hotel The Merry Ploughboy Kathy Brosnan, Applecroft House Conrad Hilton Hotel Cabra Castle Hotel Harveys Point Country Hotel Benners Hotel Kilronan Castle Hotel Dromoland Castle

Visit Merit Awards (scored 90% or higher) Connacht Dun Aengus Fort

Galway

Rathbaun Farm

Galway

Ulster Giants Causeway

Antrim

Slieve League Cliffs

Donegal

Glenveagh National Park

Donegal

Donegal Castle

Donegal

Castle Ward

Down

Downpatrick Cathedral

Down

Munster Tangney Tours Jaunting Car

Kerry

Muckross House

Kerry

Foynes Flying Boat

Limerick

Marine Bar

Waterford

Blarney Castle

Cork

Leinster Glendalough

Wicklow

Russborough House

Wicklow

Dunbrody Emigrant Ship

Wexford

Japanese Gardens & National Stud

Kildare

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny

Kilmainham Gaol

Dublin

Boyne Valley Visitor Centre

Meath

Clonmacnoise

Offaly

Clare Derry Kerry Kerry Dublin Kerry Dublin Cavan Donegal Kerry Roscommon Clare

Hotel Merit Awards (scored 90% or higher) Ulster Millpark Hotel Donegal Donegal Kees Hotel Donegal Merchant Hotel Belfast Antrim Connacht Galway Bay Hotel Galway Meyrick Hotel Galway Galway Galway Harbour Hotel Galway Hotel Westport Mayo Ashford Castle - Cong Mayo Munster Killarney Plaza Kerry Malton Hotel Kerry Killarney Park Hotel Kerry Brehon Hotel Killarney Kerry Killarney Towers Hotel Kerry Killarney Avenue Hotel Kerry International Hotel - Killarney Kerry Granville Hotel Waterford Old Ground Clare River Lee Hotel Cork Cork Leinster Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Meath Westbury Hotel Dublin Radisson Hotel St. Helen’s Dublin Shelbourne Hotel Dublin Dublin Radisson Royal Hotel Dublin Ashling Hotel, Dublin Dublin Jurys Croke Park Dublin Clontarf Castle Dublin Herbert Park Hotel Dublin Royal Marine Hotel Dublin Davenport Hotel Dublin

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All Black wines are champions Frank Corr on how quality is winning in New Zealand They are not Rugby World Champions by accident. Indeed, it took decades of endeavour and patience mingled with several bitter disappointments before the All Blacks finally took ownership of the William Webb Ellis trophy after winning the RWC in 2011.

You could say much the same about the wine growers of New Zealand. They are hardly steeped in tradition, only began to be noticed internationally in the 1980s and have had to capture the hearts, minds and taste buds of wine drinkers who live very far away.

Even to-day the New Zealand wine industry, which produces less that 1% of the world’s wine, is tiny when compared to its Southern Hemisphere competitors in Australia, South Africa and Chile, not to mention the ‘Big Guns’ of Europe. Yet it is, from some perspectives, the envy of the wine world because of its consistency of quality, sustainability of its vineyards and most of all, the premium price which its wines command on world markets.

‘Do What You Do- Do Well’ is an apt axiom for New Zealand. For instance it concentrates on a single sport- rugby union- and has built the All Blacks into the best team in the world. It also has a relatively small portfolio of wines, but again leads the world with its Sauvignon Blanc.

“ New Zealand has also been a pioneer in sustainable production with virtually all NZ grapes and wine produced under independently audited sustainability schemes since last year

The growing popularity of Sauvignon Blanc, which is chasing Chardonnay in the race to be the most popular white grape variety in Ireland, has boosted New Zealand sales, as indeed has an upsurge of interest in Pinot Noir. Both of these varietals also tend to sell well above entry level price points here and therefore the value/volume ratio of New Zealand wines on the Irish market is attractive.

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New Zealand has also been a pioneer in sustainable production with virtually all NZ grapes and wine produced under independently audited sustainability schemes since last year. Indeed at the annual 2013 New Zealand Wine Fair in Dublin, each and every one of the 176 wines shown were certified as being produced in accordance with the ‘Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand’ programme. The wine industry has taken a pragmatic approach to the ‘sustainability’ issue, which is different from the ‘organic’ or indeed, the ‘biodynamic’ philosophies found elsewhere in the wine world. It has a focus on reducing, but not altogether eliminating, the use of chemicals, minimising consumption of water, energy and packaging and optimising re-cycling. It can be argued that this programme makes sound business sense as it reduces costs, but the benefits to the environment on a national and global scale, are also significant. A substantial investment in research is designed to produce further environmental and business dividends in the future.

If you are small, then you must be smart in the wine world and innovation has been a feature of the New Zealand industry for many years. The country’s wine producers pioneered the use of screwcap bottles which are now ubiquitous and they have also been to the forefront in label design.

Sales of New Zealand wines in Ireland have grown on the back of Sauvignon Blanc which was first planted in Auckland as recently as the 1970s. The first commercial wines emerged in 1983 (‘yesterday’ in wine terms) and it took less than a decade for the varietal to become synonymous with New Zealand quality. The lion’s share of Sauvignon Blanc is planted in Marlborough with just 6% in Hawkes Bay. The Marlborough variety is aromatic with a powerful flavour and a zesty character.

New Zealand is also one of the few regions to master Pinot Noir production. The grape was planted as early as 1897 but it was a full century later before quality production took off. Over the past 16 years there has been extensive planting throughout the South Island and in Hawke’s Bay, Gisbourne and Auckland on the North Island. Planting is still only around 5,000 ha. but the average quality is very high.

This was well illustrated during a tasting of Pinot Noir from six NZ regions, held during the Wine Fair. These included Central Otago in the South with its freedraining soil and long Summer days, Waitaki, the newest Pinot region with its maritime climate, Waipara Valley where Summers tend to be dry and cool, Nelson, warmest of the Pinot regions, Wairarapa which has Spring rains and warm Summer days and of course Marlborough, the largest of the Pinot regions with the most ideal

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climate and soil. Predictably, all the Pinots were perfumed, richly flavoured and supple but there were also discernible differences from the aromatic Bellbird Spring River Terrace from Waipara to the savoury Wooing Tree Beetle Juice from Cromwell Central, Otago. This wine, incidentally, is named after the Cromwell Chafer Beetle, an endangered species found on just one site in the world- 81 ha of sand dunes which have been declared a Nature Reserve.

‘Aromatics’ are also emerging as a New Zealand speciality and include varietals such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Plantings of these three varietals have increased almost fourfold since 1996, albeit from a low base. Riesling has been the most favoured varietal in the South Island and particularly in Nelson, Marlborough and Waipara. The wines come in many styles from the bone dry to the very sweet with the dryer wines coming mainly from cooler Waipara. The grapes are from German clones and producers aim at low yields which are achieved through careful canopy management. The tasting featured Rieslings from Fenton Road (WineKnows), Esk Valley (Barry and Fitzwilliaam) and Richmond Plains (Vintage Roots) Pinot Gris thrives throughout New Zealand although plantings are relatively small.

A distinctive ‘aromatic’, it smells of apples and pears. The tasting included an excellent bottle from Amisfield Central Otago, Pasquale Hakataramea in Waitaki, Babich in Marlborough (Ampersand) and Bilancia in Hawke’s Bay. Some of the best New Zealand Gewurztraminer comes from Nelson where growers like Te Mania have tamed this notoriously temperamental varietal through careful vineyard management. Villa Maria Single Vineyard Ihumatao from Auckland is available here through Barry Fitzwilliam while Lawson’s Dry Hills is distributed by Febvre.

On the look-out for Irish connections to the New Zealand wine industry I was immediately attracted to a producer called ‘Urlár’, which however happened to be owned by a Scottish couple, Angus and Davina Thompson, who follow biodynamic principles in their vineyards. They translate the name of their estate as ‘Earth’ rather than ‘Floor’, which is a better fit with their enterprise. The wines are distributed by O’Briens.

New Zealand is well represented on the Irish market and distributors include O’Briens (Urlár, Man O’ War), Ampersand (Babich), Edward Dillon and Co. (Cloudy Bay), Febvre and

Company (Lawson’s Dry Hills, Craggy Range), Gilbeys (Hunter’s Wines), Liberty Wines (Tinpot Hut, The Paddler, Wild Earth, Grey Wacke, Lani Wines, Ata Range), Findlater Wine and Spirit Group (Matua, Saint Clair Family Estate), Delegat’s Wine Estate (Oyster Bay), The Ciorkscrew Wine Merchant (Pegasus Bay), Irish Distillers (Stoneleigh, Brancott Estate), Classic Drinks (Seifried), Cassidy Wine Merchants (Tiki), Barry and Fitzwilliam (Villa Maria) and Comans Wholesale (Wither Hills, Landauer).

“ Some of the best New Zealand Gewurztraminer comes from Nelson where growers like Te Mania have tamed this notoriously temperamental varietal through careful vineyard management

The premium price commanded by New Zealand wines at retail level, also tends to be reflected on restaurant wine lists. The Pinot Noir’s at the tasting for instance would be priced from around €35 to €100 in restaurants and will therefore appeal mostly to those who know the wines and can afford them. In most cases however the quality matches the price and the Pinots as well as the Sauvignon Blancs and some of the aromatics more than justify their inclusion on serious lists.

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FIRE restaurant to create 30 new jobs A €2 million development project commenced this week at Fire Restaurant & Venue on Dublin’s Dawson Street, that will see the creation of a further 30 hospitality jobs bringing the workforce to 76 full-time employees when completed.

This investment demonstrates another positive sign of sustainable recovery within the Dublin hospitality industry. A new bar facility located on the ground floor previously offices and storage - and a new dining area on the first floor will open in late August 2013. FIRE Restaurant & Venue will not be affected during the development works.

“Whenever you expand in business - not just the hospitality business - the process is incredibly challenging. FIRE opened up in September 2005 and we recognised from early days that due to the layout of the building, we were not able to provide a total experience for our customers due to the lack of waiting / pre, /post dinner drinks areas. FIRE has built a great reputation for quality and consistency in both food and service, which has generated a large number of regular and loyal customers over the years.

“ Through smarter use of existing space, we have now designed a way to provide our customers with that complete experience while preserving, and in some cases recreating, many of the original features of the building and gardens

“Through smarter use of existing space, we have now designed a way to provide our customers with that complete experience while preserving, and in some cases recreating, many of the original features of the building and gardens,” said Padraic O’Kane, FIRE Restaurant & Venue.

Fire Restaurant is located adjacent to Dublin’s historic Mansion House, in the building that was the Lord Mayor’s Banqueting hall (previously known as the Supper Room). The magnificent original building was constructed at the end of the 19th Century, overlooking the Lord Mayor’s Garden. Throughout the course of the 20th century, various concrete extensions were added to the front of the structure and the garden also lost its original design.

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“For the last three years, we (and our group of conservation specialists, engineering consultants and historic garden experts) have worked in close consultation with FIRE and Dublin City Council to sensitively design a new contemporary frontage to the building and to reinstate the Edwardian-style civic setting, which will bring back the former spirit of the Supper Room and Lord Mayor’s garden,” architect Sean Harrington said.

“Dublin City Council is delighted to be working in partnership with FIRE to deliver what will be a stunning new façade and a worthy architectural enhancement to the set-piece of the Mansion House. It will also deliver an enhanced and economicallysustainable restaurant offering that provides customers with additional comfort and protects Dublin City Council’s investment,” said John Tierney, Dublin City Manager.

“Transforming the underutilised ground floor of the building not only allows FIRE to give greater choice and comfort to customers, but also secures the long term viability of the overall business on Dawson Street which includes the Round Room Business & Event Centre. The hospitality industry as a whole continues to be challenged with high rents, increased insurance, energy and food ingredients for example - but at FIRE we have changed our business plan with a focus on increasing top-line sales / per person spend, while maximising cost efficiencies without compromising quality or service”, Padraic O’ Kane, FIRE Restaurant & Venue.

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