Irish hotels cheapest in western Europe

IRELAND’S HOTEL room prices were the lowest in western Europe last year following a 21 per cent fall in prices, according to a new hotel price survey.

The Hotels.com price index found the average price for an Irish hotel room last year was €80, compared with €101 in 2008. This was the steepest fall in hotel prices by any western European state for this period.

Ireland’s hotel rooms were the fourth cheapest in Europe last year after the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Overall, European prices were down 13 per cent on average, while global prices fell by 14 per cent. Dublin hotel prices fell by 23 per cent, making it one of the least expensive capital cities.

The Hotels.com index tracks the real prices paid per hotel room rather than the advertised rates. It is based on prices paid by its customers for 94,000 hotels across 16,000 world locations. Most, but not all, room prices exclude breakfast. The survey includes hotels from two to five-star quality.

Dublin hotel room prices averaged €76 last year, down from €98 in 2008. This compared with €113 for Paris, €112 for London and €105 for Rome. Of the Irish cities and towns surveyed, Killarney was the most expensive with an average room price of €106. This was more expensive than hotel rooms in Barcelona, Munich and Madrid. Waterford was ranked as the least expensive city in Ireland, with an average room price of €61 last year. Prices in Cork and Limerick fell steeply last year. Cork hotel room prices were down almost a third year-on-year to €77 from €111, while in Limerick prices fell 17 per cent to €63.

Séamus MacCormaic, marketing management director at Hotels.com, said the slide in Irish hotel room prices had continued in the early months of this year. “The environment is obviously extremely challenging, but the outlook for this year is not quite as extreme as it was for 2009.” He said Irish hotel rooms were one third cheaper than they had been 18 months ago.
Mr MacCormaic said the work of the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) could remove some hotels from the sector in the coming year, and sterling fluctuations could make Ireland a more attractive destination for British travellers.

The index found that Monte Carlo was the world’s most expensive city for travellers last year, with a hotel room averaging €177 per night. Abu Dhabi had an average room price of €164, while Geneva came in at €163. Moscow and New York completed the list of the top five most expensive cities to stay a night in last year. Rio de Janeiro was the only city in the 10 most expensive cities to show a price rise. Its average price rose by 12 per cent to €137 last year.

David Roche, president of Hotels.com Worldwide, said the latest index brought prices back to levels not seen since 2003. “Despite some possible first signs of hotel prices recovering in Europe and the US in the last quarter of 2009, the promotions and great value look set to continue for some time yet.”

Kids survey finds Kerry top for family-friendly hotels

KERRY has emerged as the county which leads the way in terms of family-friendly hotels, a survey has found.

Four hotels from the county feature in a new top 10 list of family-friendly hotels as voted for by more than 2,000 readers of 4kids, a free children’s activities guide for families in Ireland.

The manager of the Falls Hotel and Spa in Ennistymon, Co Clare, said he was delighted to be included in the list.

"Our hotel is ideal for families, due to the large grounds, tennis court, leisure facility, large family rooms, self-catering options and value for money and we are absolutely delighted that parents in Ireland have recognised this," said Michael McCarthy.

According to the survey the 2010 top five family friendly attractions in Leinster were Dublin Zoo, Belvedere House Gardens and Park, Mullingar, Co Westmeath; National Aquatic Centre, Bray, Co Wicklow, Newgrange, Co Meath and Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park, Rathangan, Co Kildare.

The 2010 top five family attractions in Munster are Fota Wildlife Park, Co Cork, Crag Cave, Co Kerry, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Co Clare, Aillwee Cave, Co Clare and Aquadome, Co Kerry.

4kids has also asked readers to vote for their 2010 favourite family supermarket.

While all of the major supermarkets were nominated by readers in the new category of favourite family supermarket, it was Tesco who secured the most votes.

4Kids, an independent publication run by Ms Finnan and her sister, Christina Iden, is based in Limerick.

There is a summer and winter edition of the 4kids magazine covering Munster, Leinster and Dublin.

The sisters also have a website, http://www.4kids.ie/, that has an up to date what’s on guide.

A new age for Ireland’s B&Bs after 40 years of rivalry

Ireland’s B&Bs have stepped into a new age of marketing savvy and solidarity

Long a mainstay for budget prices and homey accommodations, Ireland’s B&Bs have stepped into a new age of marketing savvy and solidarity. Instead of categorizing themselves into two rival organizations and web sites (Irish Town & Country Homes vs. Irish Farmhouse Holidays), all of the member homeowners voted recently to consolidate into one organization and a new web site – B&B Ireland (http://www.bandbireland.com/).

Rathmore House, Baltimore, Co. Cork

This new web site is a portal for information and bookings for town and country homes and farmhouses all over Ireland at one source. No more checking out the Town & Country Homes web site and then comparing it to the Farmhouse Holidays web site. The new web site enables visitors to search by county, city or town, and currency. It also points to “Special Offers,” currently ranging from discounts to 3-nights-for-the-price-of-2 deals.

The average night at a B&B with full Irish breakfast costs around $50 (35 euro) per person, still a good deal, and an even better deal when you pay for two nights and get to stay three. In the 40-plus years since Ireland introduced the B&B concept, a lot of progress has been made in the sector. The idea was first floated by representatives of the then-Bord Failte (now Failte Ireland/Tourism Ireland). The tourism officials suggested to a few farmhouse owners, led by Nancy Fitzgerald of Knockraha, Co. Cork, that they take paying guests to make extra money and to ease the shortage of hotel rooms as tourism to Ireland began suddenly to swing upward in the late 1960’s. Nancy agreed to give it a go, and rounded up a dozen or so farmhouse owner friends.
The experiment worked smoothly from the start except for one factor – the farmhouse owners found it difficult to charge for their rooms. In a land known for its hospitality to strangers, the concept of actually charging a guest had to be learned. The agreed rate was then 2 Irish pounds (about $5).

Once they began to see the income, the farmhouse women soon found it easier to accept the money – and American visitors all felt they were getting a bargain and a friendly place to stay as well. The number of farmhouse B&Bs mushroomed and soon found competition from a rival group – Town & Country Homes, led by another astute Cork home owner, Angela Muckley of Bantry, Co. Cork. What started in Cork soon spread all over Ireland and today there are more than 1,100 registered and approved B&Bs and self-catering options – all bookable on the new BandBIreland.com website.

Health warning as 98% of all chicken has dangerous bug

Campylobacter infections can cause acute gastroenteritis with diarrhoea and vomiting









Food Poisoning
NEARLY all chicken produced in Ireland is contaminated with a dangerous bacteria, according to a new EU study.

The situation is so bad that retailers have been urged to package chicken in special leak-proof bags to reduce cross-contamination. It also emerged that the outside of chicken packaging and supermarket shelves are being contaminated with the bacteria, campylobacter, due to leakage.
The level of incidence in Ireland was 98pc -- nearly one-third higher than the European average, according to the European Food Safety Agency.

The agency said Irish chicken had the second-highest incidence of campylobacter among 26 EU countries in 2008. Campylobacter infections can cause acute gastroenteritis with diarrhoea and vomiting, and can be life threatening in the elderly and the very young.

The agency said that across the EU, an average 76pc of chicken they tested at slaughterhouses in 2008 was infected with campylobacter. All chickens it tested in Luxembourg showing positive for campylobacter. But only 4pc of Finnish chickens had the bacteria.

It is now the number-one cause of food poisoning in Ireland, with 1,758 cases in 2008 and provisional data showing 1,823 reported cases in 2009.

Prevalence
A recent Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) survey also examined the prevalence of campylobacter on the surface of chicken packaging. The FSAI report, which is currently being finalised, highlights that 13.2pc of the external surface of chicken packaging and 10.9pc of the surface of retail display cabinets were contaminated with campylobacter.

They found less contamination (2.1pc) on packaging designed to prevent leakage, by comparison with conventional packaging (18.9pc). Campylobacter is a naturally occurring bacterium found in the intestinal tract of livestock and poultry. The danger from the bacteria can be removed by thoroughly cooking the meat.

The chief executive of the FSAI, Prof Alan O'Reilly, said the findings of both studies would feed into a campylobacter control programme in Irish chicken, currently being worked on by the agency and the Government. He reminded caterers and retailers of their legal obligation to use good hygienic practice to prevent cross-contamination.

The FSAI asked the Irish retail sector to source chicken products from producers using leak-proof packaging -- or to provide customers with specific bags to prevent leakage. The Irish Farmers' Association would not comment on the findings of the survey last night except to say that "consumers should continue to prepare and cook chicken as they would always do -- and if they do that there's no cause for concern".

Star chef points the way

Master chef Johann Lafer is a virtuoso in the kitchen – and with modern technology too. At his cookery school the TV celebrity adopts a high-tech approach to make things easier in the kitchen with the touchless iPoint-Presenter.

Venison from the Sonnwald Forest, Tahitian vanilla, orange blossom salt – Johann Lafer uses only the finest ingredients in the dishes he prepares.

The Austrian star chef also chooses the best-quality equipment for his Table d’Or cookery school in Guldental near Bad Kreuznach. The dining area boasts a special technological highlight. A 70-inch Full-HD-display which can be operated just by pointing a finger. When Johann Lafer wants to present the menu sequence to his pupils, call up a short film, play music, change the lighting mood or show pictures of meals, a brief movement of the finger is enough to start the selected program.

This is possible thanks to technology from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI. The researchers in Berlin have developed a computer control system which is operated by gestures. "The iPoint Presenter consists of two digital cameras which register the movement of the finger and transfer this to the computer. Our software calculates the 3D coordinates of the finger from the video data and recognizes simple hand gestures in real time," explains HHI scientist Paul Chojecki. The recognition device about the size of a keyboard is housed in a drawer on the front of the large dining table. When the drawer is opened, the gesture recognition system automatically switches on. "The iPoint Presenter tracks the finger and the cursor moves on the display as if worked by an invisible hand. To open a program you just keep your finger pointing at the relevant button," says Chojecki.

At this year’s CeBIT (in Hall 9, B36) visitors will be able to try out the gesture control system for themselves. It can also be used to operate lights and domestic appliances and therefore fits in nicely with the trade show’s keynote »Connected Worlds« theme. The researchers are now working on new applications. Chojecki: "As the interaction takes place without anything having to be touched, the system is ideal for scenarios in which contact between the user and the computer needs to be avoided, such as in operating theaters." In collaboration with medical technology company Storz the engineers are developing an innovative operating theater control system.

Local chef at the 2010 Olympics

Sooke Chef Mike Greer, left, is working at the Olympic Athletes’s Village dining tent with Michael Smith, an Iron Chef on the Food Netwrk.

Chef Mike Greer has been snapped into another type of reality — one where the cooking never stops. He is involved in the preparation of 70,000 meals a week, 12,000 meals a day at the Olympic Village dining tent in Whistler. Greer took on the gargantuan effort of feeding the 2,600 Olympic athletes after getting a leave of absence from his job at Buffy’s Pub in Sooke. He started on January 31 and will end his shift on March 21, after the Paralympic Games. The dining tent is open 24 hours a day. “It’s definitely an opportunity of a lifetime, remarkable to be a part of something this big,” said Greer by phone from Squamish. “I’m stoked about it.” Greer took on the two-month gig through his friend Chef Bill Pratt.

The two men met each other in Edmonton while working as chefs for the Canadian Armed Forces in the 1990s. Greer is now retired from the armed forces. Preparing food for so many is an intricate puzzle, where all the pieces have to be in place to make the effort run smoothly and efficiently. Greer will not be at a cooking station but is the chef in charge of receiving stores and rations and organizing the mountains of food so they are easily available for those doing the cooking. He is meeting people from all over the world, including foodies from as far away as Australia, Great Britain and all across Canada. Those from the further reaches of the globe are paid employees, while the volunteers are from areas closer to Whistler.

"That in mind, one tends to forget that there’s a whole other world out there. Surrounded by so many new people, from all over the world, is rejuvenating and soul cleansing. It snaps you out of reality in a good way,” states Greer on his blog spot. (http://billandmike.blogspot.com/).

On board for the Olympics is Iron Chef Michael Smith, a popular chef on the Food Channel. “I talk to Michael everyday,” says Greer. “He’s a super nice guy, what you see on TV is what you get. He’s a great motivator, a personable person.” Greer said Chef Michael Smith is using Greer and Pratt’s blog to send messages to his son Gabe. It is also being viewed by many of Smith’s fans from the Food Channel.

Smith is the head chef for the entire operation and is a transplanted American from New York who has been living in Prince Edward Island for the past 17 years. Greer was relaxing in his accommodations aboard the cruise ship Mona Lisa, anchored off Squamish, before the start of his 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift when he spoke to the Sooke News Mirror. The 44-year-old ship is home to half of the staff at the athlete’s village, the remainder stay in Whistler.

He said the ship was “very nice” and complete except for the entertainment and the swimming pool. Each day when Greer heads to work he has to take a bus, as walking and taxis are not allowed. The security is quite intensive and he passes through two security checkpoints on the way to work and is also checked on board the ship and at the Athletes Village.

Will he be taking in any of the games? Greer said his working partner Becky has tickets in Whistler for the biathlon on February 16 and he will take the day off to attend. Greer extols the beauty of Southern Vancouver Island and is busy promoting Sooke every chance he gets. He said his job at Buffy’s is never boring, and he enjoys the customers. “It’s a great spot to work too,” he said. Mike and his wife Lynne and daughter Tara and Christina have lived in Sooke since 1996 when he retired as a chef from the armed forces.

He has been managing Buffy’s Liquor Store for Jay and Fiona Ryan for the past four years. Greer says the Olympic experience is, “definitely quite the privilege.”

Kerry wins prestigious European entrepreneurship award

Kerry has been awarded the prestigious title of European Entrepreneurial Region of the Year 2011 at a ceremony hosted by the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR) in Brussels today.

We are delighted that Co Kerry has received this award. It is recognition of the vision, hard work and partnership approach by IT, Tralee, Shannon Development, the County Council and Kerry thriving entrepreneurial community, said County Manager Tom Curran.

Kerry now has an international reputation as a hub of innovation and enterprise and we are confident that the county can be a role model for Ireland economic recovery.

The European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) award is designed to identify and reward EU regions with outstanding entrepreneurial vision and to encourage local and regional authorities to do more to promote small business across Europe. Kerry was one of just three regions in all 27 EU states to receive the accolade, along with Brandenburg, Germany and Murcia in Spain.

Launched in October, the EER award is open to every region in Europe, regardless of its size, population and wealth. Applications were sought from all over Europe and the successful submission that won the Award was made jointly by the Institute of Technology, Tralee and Shannon Development, who share a joint campus at Kerry Technology Park. Kerry was selected based on the quality, efficacy and long-term success of its entrepreneurial vision.