Failte Ireland Publishes Key Overseas Visitor Survey

98% would recommend an Irish holiday..

Record numbers attending national tourism trade fair reflects continuing popularity of an Irish holiday. Fáilte Ireland today published the findings of its 2008 Visitor Attitudes Survey which, once more, highlighted very high levels of satisfaction – with 98% of visitors saying that they would recommend a holiday in Ireland to family and friends.

The survey was carried out amongst 5,700 overseas holidaymakers who completed questionnaires between May to October, 2008. The survey is being published on the eve of Meitheal – the largest tourism trade fair in the State – which opens in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin tomorrow morning.

Welcoming the publication of today’s report and anticipating the opening of Meitheal tomorrow, Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, said, “This Visitor Attitudes Survey is very encouraging and illustrates very high satisfaction levels as well as a strong commitment by our visitors to recommend an Irish holiday to both family and friends. That said, we cannot take such results for granted. The survey reflects the fact that our tourism product and quality of service is among the best there is. Our accommodation is modern and of high quality, there are more things to do and see and we continue to maintain and protect our natural assets and resources. I wish to congratulate the proactive hospitality industry for its commitment and the way it is adding value to these attractions through flexible pricing, value menus and special offers. This response by the industry to the demands of current international competition provides us with justifiable grounds for optimism for the future of the industry".

Why do visitors come to Ireland?

Fáilte Ireland's Visitor Attitudes Survey for 2008 records Ireland’s strong performance as a destination that stands out for the beauty of its scenery and the friendliness and hospitality of its people – with these two factors remaining the most prominent positive discriminators for Ireland compared with other holiday destinations. Our history and culture as well as the prospect of a relaxed pace of life also rate highly. The key ingredients for a satisfactory holiday varies somewhat amongst the different nationalities. For example, the suitability of the country for a touring holiday features strongly for North Americans who want to see much as possible of the country during their visit. Value for money features high on the agenda of British holidaymakers, while the range of natural attractions and the prospect of an unspoilt environment have a particular resonance for Mainland European visitors.

When it comes to the actual planning of a holiday in Ireland, personal recommendations remain the key factor with half of all visitors saying this influenced their choice. Of almost parallel importance, the Internet is mentioned by 48% of visitors as a factor in selecting Ireland and is now used by two in every three (67%) in actually planning their holiday. Guide books continue to play an important role, particularly for North American visitors, and are second to the Internet in terms of planning a holiday.

Do visitors enjoy their stay here?

The vast majority of holidaymakers were satisfied their holiday here - with high approval scores for those features originally identified as the top reasons for actually choosing Ireland. Across the main markets, beautiful scenery and the friendliness and hospitality of the Irish people receive consistently high satisfaction ratings. German holidaymakers are particularly satisfied with the nature, wildlife and flora Ireland has to offer. The relaxed pace earns a higher satisfaction score among North American and British visitors than other nationalities.

Overall, the levels of satisfaction with the key Irish holiday attributes were:

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  Beautiful scenery (89%)


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  Friendly and hospitable people (87%)


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  Unspoilt environment (79%)


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  Safe and secure (80%)


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  Nature, wildlife, flora (77%)


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  Easy, relaxed pace of life (77%)


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  Interesting history and culture (74%)


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  Good range of natural attractions (76%)

Satisfaction with quality and customer service received at tourism accommodation remains high, with top grade hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses scoring particularly high in these areas. Both self-catering accommodation and hostels enjoyed improved satisfaction ratings since 2007. While there was widespread satisfaction with tourism accommodation and services, the general cost of living in the wider economy received the highest level of spontaneous mention (22%) as a disadvantage. For British and North American holidaymakers, value for money concerns would have been exaggerated by poor currency exchange rates.

Are visitors likely to recommend Ireland?

At the end of the day, the key indicator of the success of any holiday is whether it would be recommended to others. As in previous years, the propensity to recommend Ireland remains at a high level with 98% recommending Ireland as a destination, including over eight in every ten (83%) saying they would do so unreservedly.The likelihood of holidaymakers returning also acts as another measure of the success of their holiday. One in five respondents anticipate coming back in the next year with a further 28% likely to return in the next few years. Again, these figures are extremely encouraging and reflect well on the quality of the experience which visitors enjoy.

Speaking on the results of the Survey, Shaun Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland emphasised, "These results are extremely encouraging. Obviously the high levels of satisfaction with accommodation and the range of things to see and do reflects the enormous investment made in our tourism industry in recent years. Even the old bugbear of the quality of our roads is receding as an issue as the infrastructural spend of the last few years has taken effect. Despite the high levels of satisfaction with Ireland's tourism product, the cost of living in the wider economy remains an issue. However, our next survey should reflect the recent price readjustments which have occurred. Finally, the consistency across all nationalities of our welcome and our environment as key factors for satisfaction is striking. We are renowned as a green country and it makes good business sense that we maintain this unique selling point. Fáilte Ireland’s Environmental and Planning Unit is working at many different levels to ensure that we protect our natural assets while promoting an eco-friendly, sustainable tourism".

Vision Hospitality Management established by four of Ireland's most experienced hotel professionals

Vision Hospitality Management is a new and exciting hotel management company established by four of Ireland's most experienced hotel professionals.


All of the team have a proven track record of successfully developing, managing and leading the best businesses in the industry.

They believe there is a need for a professional and innovative hotel management company that understands the needs of owners and investors. They work in partnership with the key stakeholders to maximise the returns from their business. Drawing on the experiences they have gained over the years working with companies such as Forte, Meridien, Sheraton, Hyatt, HBC, Jurys and Choice Hotels, they have developed their own operating model incorporating best practice in the industry. They are confident that they can improve the current performance of hotels in today's market.

They have built up a network of key industry contacts during their many years in the industry and have developed strong professional relationships with many of the key decision makers in business. Hotels of all types and in all locations require a focused and individual approach relying on key providers of business who in time build up confidence in the product and the operator. This stabilizes the business and allows the operation to focus on delivering great service thus leading to improved profitability.

Different stakeholders require different solutions and it is only through careful consultation with individuals that we can develop a detailed business proposal for a hotel.

The company has being set up by 4 directors, whom are Brendan Curtis, Pat Cussen, David Murphy & James Tynan.

New Regional Director to Head up Rezidor in Ireland

A new Regional Director has been announced today for The Rezidor Hotel Group (STO:REZT) in Ireland. Johannes (Han) Oldenburger has been appointed to Regional Director to head up both the Radisson Blu and Park Inn brands in Ireland.



Oldenburger, who is Dutch, has broad international hospitality experience, having previously held managerial positions in Hong Kong, Singapore, and in many European countries.

Oldenburger started his career as a General Manager in the Far East, working in Hong Kong and Singapore for eight years from 1982. Returning to Europe in 1990, Oldenburger joined Rezidor in 1991 as General Manager at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Amsterdam.

The following year, he was promoted to General Manager of the Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel in Copenhagen and Area Vice President Denmark. In 1995, he moved to Germany as General Manager of the Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel Wiesbaden and Regional Director Germany, and from 1996 to 2000, Oldenburger was General Manager at Radisson SAS Hotel Düsseldorf.

He then worked as City General Manager for Radisson SAS Hotels Amsterdam for three years, before becoming Regional Director Benelux in 2003, a position he has held until the present time.

Weddings by the Water

Weddings by the Water is a welcome new initiative from a creative group of young hoteliers who have been listening to their customers in order to focus on what people really want.

With a common philosophy, independent nature and great brand recognition, this small selection of hotels are set to target the intimate wedding market. Five properties - The Aghadoe Heights House & Spa, Bellinter House, The Ice House, Lisloughrey Lodge & Wineport Lodge are all part of this initiative and offer individual, distinctive properties with superb locations – all beside water, with the hallmark of warm personality driven hospitality and a big emphasis on delicious food using the very best regional and seasonal ingredients.



The most innovative aspect of the campaign is to demonstrate how these wonderful properties can offer excellent value for money in the current climate for those couples who want the very best but are working to an exact budget.

Small & Beautiful is a fixed price package available in the Weddings by the Water properties. It is a fully inclusive Wedding programme designed for 50 guests to have a mid-week Wedding for €9950.00. This package includes everything from champagne reception, canapés, wedding banquet, wine, bespoke flowers at the venue, late night nibbles, photographer, Wedding album and entertainment!

Weddings at these properties can be as traditional as required but also as quirky as can be. Civil services, commitment ceremonies and blessings can be held onsite. In addition, each property can also roll out the complete weddings package from pre-wedding celebrations to honeymoons. Onsite wedding planners at no additional cost are also available to offer the best advice, assistance and co-ordination skills necessary to make the wedding day experience as stress free as possible. Weddings by the Water will be focusing their marketing efforts on direct marketing, wedding fairs, niche advertising and promotions. With the new distinctive spending groups now unveiled, the Weddings by The Water concept will be highly attractive to the newly defined spending groups - Cent Savers, Confident Cubs, Experienced Recessionistas, and Cautious Optimists.

These properties represent some of Ireland’s finest hotels and all are Irish owned and managed. They are dedicated to excellent service, superb hospitality and above all delivering a great wedding experience for those seeking something a little different. Simply put, it will be your wedding – your way.

Full details on their website: http://www.weddingsbythewater.ie/ or for enquiries you can email yourwedding@weddingsbythewater.ie.

The Fizz Is Back As Cheap Drink Sales Soar

Fizzy drinks and juices are back in fashion - while expensive bottled water and smoothies stay on the shelves, as the recession changes our drinking habits.

The once fashionable bottle of water is being cast aside for cheaper drinks.

The Britvic Soft Drinks Report said sales of traditionally popular drinks such as cola, squash and juice drinks were up last year with energy and sports drinks seeing the fastest growth.

Many customers turned their back on more healthy drink options, with smoothies and bottled water the worst performers last year.

Sales of smoothies were down by 20%, as consumers showed a reluctance to pay a premium for their "5 a day", the report said.

Soft drinks continue to be a staple purchase on which consumers are reluctant to compromise.

Pot Noodles' New Flavour

The ultimate student food in a pot, Pot Noodle, describes its new flavour - its first for two years - as the "ultimate man food".

It says kebab lovers can recreate the taste and aroma of their favourite post-pub snack simply by adding boiling water.

"Kebab Pot Noodle is truly the clash of the male food titans", said Grahame Walker, Pot Noodle flavour development manager. "When it came to developing a new flavour there was one obvious choice - the nation's favourite late-night takeaway. We know men love a good kebab, as well as a Pot Noodle, so we thought we'd combine the two to create the ultimate man food snack."

Unilever's new £1.01 snack - which goes on sale this weekend - follows the introduction of the Lamb Hotpot, Tikka Masala and Chicken Satay in March 2007.

A recent survey by health chiefs found the much-maligned doner can contain more than a wine glass of fat, and as many as 2,000 calories.

It also found that some kebabs sold as Halal even contained pork, which is banned by the Muslim faith.

Gulliver Ireland Hotel Sector Review 2009

Online hotel bookings grew by 11 per cent last year where domestic tourists made six out of every ten online hotel bookings, according to the Gulliver Ireland Hotel Sector Review 2009.

The Review revealed that hotel bookings performed well through Gulliver Ireland last year.

However, the company acknowledged that the hotel sector faces a very challenging year, which will affect hotels and other parts of the tourism industry. Gulliver Ireland, the cost effective provider of reservations and tourism information, is part of FEXCO.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Stewart Stephens, Gulliver Ireland’s Managing Director, said, “Value is everything at present and Irish tourism has to fight to overturn its rip-off image. Hotels are doing all they can by offering tremendous value and a superb product. Everyone who is part of the tourism experience has to demonstrate real value, which is not about slashing prices. It’s about showing our customers that we appreciate them, that we want them back, and that we want them to bring their friends."

The highlights of the Gulliver Ireland Hotel Sector Review 2009 were:

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  77 per cent of all Gulliver hotel bookings were made online last year, a six per cent rise on 2007




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  The volume and value of online hotel bookings increased by 11 per cent and four per cent respectively




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  GoIreland.com grew its bookings volume by nine per cent




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  Dublin secured almost half (49 per cent) of hotel bookings across all sales channels




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  Hotel bookings to the North grew by an impressive 37 per cent while the Midlands East, South East and North West regions all recorded strong growth on their respective 2007 performance




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  Hotels outside the capital recorded strong online booking growth through GoIreland.com




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  Domestic tourists accounted for 54 per cent of all hotel bookings, three times that of UK visitor bookings (18 per cent), which were double those of US visitors




• 
  
  The average online price per night per person sharing was €59.42




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  The average length of stay for online bookings was 1.65




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  Almost 71,000 hotel bookings were made through Gulliver in 2008, which were valued at Euro 14.2 million, and represented almost 260,000 bednights.

Online hotel booking increases continued last year where their overall volume increased by 11 per cent. GoIreland.com, Gulliver's flagship website, underlined overall online hotel growth by recording a nine per cent jump in booking volume and 10 per cent rise in the number of bednights sold.

The average online price per night per person sharing paid by tourists and visitors for hotel rooms was Euro 59.42, down on the 2007 average of Euro 65.56.

Domestic holidaymakers continued as the lead source of hotel bookings across all sales channels. They outnumbered the next biggest source of all hotel bookings, UK visitors, by a factor of three. UK visitors, with an 18 per cent share, made double the level of hotel bookings than US visitors. Domestic hotel bookings grew by 10 per cent on 2007 whereas UK and US bookings fell by four per cent and two per cent respectively. The next most popular hotel bookers were visitors from Australia, Germany and Italy.

Dublin retained its leadership position as the region securing the most hotel bookings in 2008, with a 49 per cent share, which was the same as 2007. The South West, West, South East and Shannon were the next most popular regions with hotel bookers.

The most improved performances online were by the Midlands East, South East and Dublin, which grew their online hotel bookings by 20 per cent, 18 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. GoIreland.com bookings growth was marked in the Midlands East, South East, South West and West regions, which all recorded strong double digit rises. Bookings through the website for hotels outside of Dublin reached a six-year high of 62 per cent of all hotel bookings.

The top 10 counties for online hotel bookings were, in descending order, Dublin, Galway, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Waterford, Kilkenny, Sligo and Mayo.

Comparing online prices for Dublin hotels against non-Dublin hotels, Gulliver Ireland reported that the average value of each online booking in Dublin hotels was Euro 204.37 while that of non-Dublin hotels was higher at Euro 206.13. Tourists and visitors spent an average of 1.75 nights per booking in Dublin. For non-Dublin hotels, guests spent an average of 1.56 nights.

Organic market still growing – Teagasc

The retail market for organic food is still growing despite the difficult economic climate, a conference in Athlone organised by Teagasc has been told.

Delegates heard that the market in Ireland for organic produce is now worth €104 million per year. The market in Europe is worth over €16 billion with the largest sales in Germany, the UK, France and Italy.

Dr Nic Lampkin, director of Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm and Senior Lecturer at Aberystwyth University and author of 'Organic Farming' presented a paper on the UK and European market situations.

He said that market growth is expected to continue but at a slower rate. He pointed out that 80% of sales of organic produce go to regular and committed organic consumers.

He would see a need for a strong unified voice for the organic industry, extolling the virtues of organic products to consumers.

The conference in Athlone heard how poor prices for conventional farm produce combined with high input costs are forcing more farmers to explore organic farming.

Just over 1% of the land area in Ireland is devoted to organic production by 1,100 farmers, which is less than the average of 5% of EU land area used for organic production. Government policy is to increase organic food production to 5% by 2012.

Restaurant owners say business down 10%

Restauranteurs are seeing a drop of 10 per cent in the number of people eating out, with diners spending up to a fifth less than they used to, an industry body has claimed. The Restaurants Association of Ireland annual conference heard claims that Ireland is the most expensive place in Europe to run a restaurant. The industry has called for Government intervention to reduce costs.



Association chief executive Adrian Cummins said: “Restaurants are facing challenging times ahead with the cost of doing business increasing on a weekly basis. We are calling on the Government to seriously address the issues that affect the restaurant sector. We are 24 per cent more costly than our nearest EU partner on food costs. We are the highest in Europe for excise duty and we’re the highest in Europe for VAT”.

Mr Cummins called on Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan to address the issue of VAT in the forthcoming budget. “I would like to see VAT reduced by 3-4 per cent, that would create huge stimulus within the industry. It is important that we create a stimulus package. If we don’t, I would predict job losses in the restaurant industry towards the end of the year".

His calls were echoed by Terry McCoy, owner of the Redbank restaurant in Skerries, Co. Dublin. Mr McCoy said after 26 years in the trade, he was “very grateful” to be in business long enough to know what to do in the recession.

Mr McCoy has not yet had to put any of his 15 staff on a three- day week, however, he hoped the Government recognised how he was keeping people employed because “Ireland is very expensive to employ people”.

He hoped Mr Lenihan would introduce a cut in employers’ PRSI or “anything that will cut down the expenses of employing staff”.

Mr McCoy said his restaurant had seen a drop of customer spend of about €20 a head in the last year. “A year ago, people would have been spending around €60-€65 a head in the restaurant, now they are spending €45".

Although the number of customers in his restaurant had bucked the national trend and actually increased, the fact that they were spending less meant the real winner was the Government.

“We have increased the numbers of customers so our turnover is actually up, but the winner is the Government because it is extraordinary the amount of VAT they take".

Gina Murphy of Hugo’s Restaurant in Dublin and the WolfTrap Bar and Restaurant in Tullamore said parts of her business had seen a drop of more than 10 per cent.Although Hugo’s had largely remained unaffected, due to its excellent location on Merrion Road, staff hours in her Co Offaly restaurant had to be cut.

Ms Murphy said the restaurant was offering more choice and trying new menus in an attempt to lure customers back, but she admitted it was “a daily fight to keep people coming in the door”.

Association president Paul Cadden said a VAT reduction would have an immediate impact across the industry as it would give “an incentive to the Irish to holiday in Ireland during the summer and would make us more price-competitive on a European stage”.

He felt that restaurants would “trade their way out” of the current downturn so long as there were no hidden surprises in the budget.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Launches new website

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today launched its new website, http://www.fsai.ie/, which is a comprehensive source of information for food businesses on every aspect of food safety, food hygiene management and food legislation.

The FSAI website which received over 180,000 hits in 2008, representing a 58% increase on 2007, has a wide range of new features and improved navigation tools to help people access information quickly. They include an online complaint function and an automated subscription service.

The newly enhanced FSAI site now also has a dedicated ‘food businesses’ section which provides guidelines on starting a new food business; topics of interest and information and access to food-handling training procedures and materials. The ‘food businesses’ section also provides information on HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point), a legal requirement with which all food businesses must comply. Also, of interest for food businesses is the ‘legislation’ section which provides links to all the Irish and international food acts and legislation.

The homepage of the website has both a ‘feedback form’ and ‘make a complaint’ functionality, which enables the FSAI to participate in two-way interaction with users and obtain feedback from stakeholders who are observing and working in the field. All information submitted via the website is investigated and where necessary, acted upon immediately.

According to Ms Edel Conway, Information Manager, FSAI, the objective of the website is to assist food businesses to source a wide range of information quickly. "The website is of vital importance to food businesses, as it provides information and advice on a broad range of food safety issues, such as food safety training, HACCP, business start-up and legislation requirements. It is updated and monitored on a daily basis and is designed to provide users with all the information they need in relation to food safety in a quick and efficient manner. Last year, 71% of visits to our website were from Ireland, but we also had visits from the UK (10%), US (4%) and France, Germany, Canada, Netherlands and Belgium (1% each)", she commented.

http://www.fsai.ie/ is structured to provide reliable data on the core areas of importance which include food legislation and consultations; monitoring and enforcement; science and health; food businesses and resources/publications.

Alternatively, those working in the food industry with comments or queries can contact the FSAI advice line on 1890 336677.

New additions to the FSAI website include:

• A re-developed, standards-compliant website based on analysis of user behaviour
• Improvements in usability, accessibility, site architecture, navigation and design
• Automated subscriptions
• Polling facility
• Quick links from home page
• Publications - Search by type/topic
• RSS Feeds

What is Just Ask!?

Just Ask! is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from and to encourage chefs to provide this information on their menus. With so many fantastic and great value restaurants right on your doorstep, eating out is still on the menu.


How can you get involved?

More and more restaurants are choosing to use freshly sourced ingredients on their menus... ingredients that provide the added reassurance of being product to the highest standards.If information regarding the origin of meat is not included on the menu, Just Ask! By doing so, you are supporting your restaurant's fresh meat suppliers.What should you look for?A menu can tell you more than simply a dish's name - it should also tell you where your meat is coming from. As a consumer, you can support the Just Ask! campaign by looking for country of origin and supplier information on menus. If it's not written on the menu, then Just Ask!

Recommend a restaurant

If you would like to recommend a restaurant that:

• provides information regarding the origin of their meat
• names their suppliers
• sources from artisan suppliers and/or suppliers approved under Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes
  

Simply complete the Just Ask! feedback form with:

1. Your contact details
2. The restaurant name & address
3. Confirmation that suppliers were credited on the menu
4. Confirmation that country of origin information was included for fresh meat.

'Anything Goes' At Rock Star Sanctum Hotel

A new hotel catering solely for rock stars is due to open in London next month - and Sky News has been given an exclusive look inside.

Staff at the Sanctum hotel in Soho are offering a jacuzzi bar on the roof and an "anything goes" attitude.

"We're here to look after the rockers", said owner Mark Fuller, the man behind the famous Embassy nightclub. He said staff will be happy do anything for guests - as long as it is legal.

"If they want their Jack Daniels in the bath, we're here and we won't question it, we'll just get on with it. We'll just ask, 'How much Jack Daniels do you want in the bath?'" he said.

I think that a hotel with a very understanding attitude and a very accommodating one is actually far [less] likely to get trashed than one that isn't.

At prices starting at £175 per night for the tiniest crash pad, to £3,500 for a garden suite, this 30-room hotel is not for indie bands on their first tour. This is aimed squarely at the bands that have made it and in financial terms are still making it; so they are pitching this at the Madonnas, Coldplays and U2s of the music world.


The Sanctum Soho Hotel

It is also about the way that bands get treated. If you 'rock up' at a posh hotel with a suit on, you tend to get handled in a good way.If you turn up late in a leather jacket and a couple of fans on each arm, you can get sneered at. The Sanctum is promising to treat all with equal respect.

As guitarist with rock band Thunder, Luke Morley has stayed in his fair share of hotels. He has been banned from a couple, too - once for filling a bath and flooding out the room below.So Sky News got him to give this new hotel the once over.

He said: "I think it's great because a lot of time when you arrive at a hotel, it's very late at night, you're tired, a little emotional and drunk sometimes. I think that a hotel with a very understanding attitude and a very accommodating one is actually far [less] likely to get trashed than one that isn't. If you do want to lob the TV out of the window at this new hotel, you might struggle, as it is protected by glass and the windows do not open wide enough".

But there will also be 24-hour chefs and hundreds of, ahem, adult TV channels. Lily Allen, Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue have all made inquiries.

But what about the rock star parties? Most hotels tell guests to turn it down when things get too noisy.

Mr Fuller said this place will be different. "We'll tell them to turn it up!" he laughed.

The Sanctum Soho opens in April. Thunder's farewell tour of the UK begins in Glasgow on July 1.

Major Awards for the Europe Hotel & Resort,Killarney

The Europe Hotel & Resort, Killarney, Co. Kerry is one of Ireland’s most luxurious 5 star Hotel, Conference & Event Centres.



It also incorporates ESPA at The Europe, one of Ireland’s largest spa destinations.

It is in the beautiful grounds of The Europe Hotel & Resort that the waters of Killarney’s largest lake, Lough Lein, reflect the wilderness of Kerry’s magnificent McGillycuddy Reeks Mountain range in the scenic South West of Ireland. Enjoy a range of leisure activities on the hotel grounds.

The Europe Hotel & Resort captures the imagination of visitors to Killarney whether for a day of pampering in the Spa, or to enjoy Kerry’s fare at the hotel’s restaurants or for a business meeting. Enjoy luxury accommodation & let relaxation envelop you as you enjoy one of Ireland’s, if not the world’s finest views from your own private balcony overlooking Killarney Golf & Fishing Club or the Lakes of Killarney.

Awards won by the hotel in 2008 and 2009 include:

• Best New Spa 2009 Irish Beauty Professional Awards
• Best Spa Design Hotelworld Global Hospitality & Design Awards 2009
• Best Overall Design Hotelworld Global Hospitality & Design Awards 2009
• Best Resort Hotel 2008 Hospitality Ireland Awards
• Best Outdoor Space 2008 Hospitality Ireland Awards

Limerick food distributor Pallas sold to Sysco

Pallas Foods, a Co. Limerick based food distributor has been sold for an undisclosed fee to international food company Sysco Corporation. Pallas was owned and run by the Geary family and had annual revenues of €155 million last year and employed 500 people. Its revenues and workforce have increased sharply in recent years.

The company supplies and distributes raw and pre-prepared foods to a range of catering outlets and has eight operating depots in the Republic and Northern Ireland. It supplies both markets.

“By joining Sysco, we have opened up access to a large number of quality assured products for our customers”, said Tim Geary, Pallas Foods director and founder. “This alignment positions our company for long-term growth. We look forward to strengthening our position as the industry leader in Ireland”.

Sysco Corporation is a global distributor of food to restaurants, schools and colleges and hospitals and nursing homes. In the year to the end of June 2008 it had sales of over $37 billion.

According to the most recent Company’s Registration Office filing, for the year ending September 30th 2007, Pallas foods earned pretax profits of €2.08 million on a turnover of €116 million, up from €84.3 million in 2006 and more than double the turnover of €61.2 million in 2005.

In 2007 stage the company employed 386 people in a year when the size of its workforce grew by almost 90 people.

At the end of September 2007 wages and other staff costs were €14.9 million.

The directors of the company include Mr Geary and three of his four sons. All senior executives of Pallas are said to have signed long-term employment contracts with Sysco.

A spokeswoman for Pallas said the takeover would have no impact on staff.

Designer Hotels next big thing in Industry

The next big thing in the hotel industry is something which will be coined 'designer hotels', or so believes hotelier Ted Fang. And that's exactly what he plans to do next.The Singaporean entrepreneur made his mark in the hotel industry when he acquired the master franchise of Day's Inn hotels in China (including Greater China) in 2003. With 58 hotels already in the chain, the Day's Inn brand is already the fastest growing three and four star hotel chain in China.

Now, though, he wants to go upscale, so Mr Fang - who runs the company Frontier Group with his brothers Harry and David Tan - is looking to create a new breed of hotels to target a growing breed of independent-minded travellers.

"Our idea of a designer hotel is a cross between a boutique and a luxury hotel", says Mr Fang. "Unlike a typical boutique hotel with about 50 rooms, we're aiming for at least 100 rooms with designer fittings created by international designers".

"But although it is designer, it won't be a six-star super luxurious offering. Instead our target market really would be a hip business traveller who doesn't want to live somewhere too staid and wants something that is comfortable yet fashionable. Imagine a W Hotel but less pricey and more functional and you pretty much get the picture".

This new brand of hotels marks the company's first move to create a completely new brand separate from the already established name of Day's Inn.