Aramark Manager Wins Hospitality Award Aramark frontline manager Yvonne Pugh won the Irish Hospitality Manager of the Year award at the Irish Hospitality Institute’s 50th anniversary founders banquet in December. The awards recognise outstanding achievements within the hospitality industry. Frank Gleeson, Managing Director of Northern Europe for Aramark, said that Yvonne has shown a constant commitment to excellence in her work for many years, while [...]

4 Stars for Clybaun Hotel Galway’s Clybaun Hotel was recently awarded four star classification by Fáilte Ireland. The recent award to the Knocknacarra-based hotel follows an extensive million euro refurbishment and upgrading of facilities and amenities over the last year and a half. “Refurbishment work started in March 2015 when the hotel’s ballroom was completely refurbished and remodelled,” explains General Manager Fintan Loftus. “The function [...]

Donegal Tops Cool List for 2017 National Geographic Traveller named Donegal as its top tip to visit in 2017 as it published its ‘Cool List: 17 for 2017’ on December 1st. The list captures the ‘top culture capitals, hipster hotspots, wild escapes and places generally keeping it cool’, and which the publication recommends checking out in 2017. Other destinations making the list are Santiago, Helsinki, [...]

Lough Erne Serves Up a Winning Dinner As part of the Year of Food and Drink, the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation hosted a competition to find the best hotel restaurant in Northern Ireland. On November 28th 2016, some of Northern Ireland’s leading hotels gathered in the Galgorm Resort & Spa where the prestigious accolade of ‘Hotel Restaurant of the Year 2016’, sponsored by Stephens Catering [...]

Titanic Recruitment Drive in Belfas In the biggest recruitment drive since it opened in 2012, Titanic Belfast is recruiting 60 front line staff as it gears up for its summer high season. The venue is recruiting for fixed-term contracts across the front line at Titanic Belfast and on-board SS Nomadic, including visitor experience, ticketing, hospitality outlets, retail and events to join its over 250 strong [...]

Cronin Travel Celebrates 60 Years Celebrations to mark 60 years in business for the Cronin family were held in the Dingle Skellig Hotel on January 14th. Three generations of the family gathered with 130 of their staff and partners to mark this significant achievement. The business was started in 1957 by Cork man Dermot Cronin with just one taxi and it has since evolved into [...]

Taoiseach Promotes Ireland in Spain Taoiseach Enda Kenny was in Madrid last month to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. He also met with Tourism Ireland staff, as well as leading Spanish tour operators and airlines who programme and sell holidays to Ireland. Spain is an important market for tourism to the island of Ireland. Travel by Spaniards to Ireland has grown significantly over [...]

Packie Creates Celtic Connections Football legend Packie Bonner recently joined Tourism Ireland to promote Ireland in Glasgow. The delegation of 25 tourism businesses from Ireland was in Glasgow to take part in Tourism Ireland’s first promotion of 2017 in Scotland - a B2B workshop and networking event with key travel professionals. They met with Scottish tour operators and travel agents, as well local travel and [...]

Street Food Takes Flight Mexican street food experience Cantina has landed at Topaz Dublin Airport. Following a σ100,000 investment, the latest Cantina has created four new jobs at the site, which is located on the Exit Road at Dublin Airport. It is just over a year since the first Cantina launched in Galway and now commuters and employees of Dublin Airport [...]

Diamonds Are Forever at The Westbury The Westbury and Boodles came together ahead of Valentine’s Day to create an exclusive overnight experience. The Boodles Luxury Diamond Experience at The Westbury is available from January 16th to March 31st, subject to availability, from σ310, and includes overnight accommodation in a bedroom or suite, champagne in Boodles boutique with a diamond expert, two Boodles Pink Diamond Cocktails [...]

Energizing Eats For Major Cities The healthy eating fast food restaurant chain, Freshii announced on January 18th that it will open new franchisee run outlets in Dublin, Limerick and Belfast. Freshii has plans to double its restaurant numbers in Ireland from six to at least 12 in the first six months of 2017. Freshii’s first restaurant in Northern Ireland will be located in Donegall Square [...]

Amanda Competes at Chef Olympiad DIT Culinary Arts student, Amanda Sharkey was selected to represent Ireland at the third International Young Chef Olympiad in India, which started on January 27th. In total, student chefs from 60 countries competed. The second year Culinary Arts student was sponsored by Irish chicken producer, Manor Farm. The competition ran over a five-day period and took place in four of [...]