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Hotel may close to save on rates

Staff at a Cork hotel and golf resort which has closed for January are facing temporary layoffs after being told an extended closure could save the owner thousands in commercial rates.

It follows a meeting between representatives of the owners of the Blarney Hotel and Golf Resort and staff members late last week.

The staff were told that following discussions with Cork City Council, the owners are considering extending the closure into February to secure a rate cut for a vacant premises.

Premises which are classed as vacant pay rates at a 50% discount.

Staff were told that by extending the closure through February, the owners could save €12,000 in rates.

'Diversity Pays' says Margot

Diverse organisations are more profitable, enjoy better employee retention and engagement, and outperform their competitors across a range of other measures. This was the michmarg0120

core message delivered by Margot Slattery, Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer with Sodexo, at the first ‘Firm Talk’ of 2020 organised and hosted by hospitality industry recruitment consultants The Firm.

Margot is pictured with Micheline Corr, director of The Firm.

Revealing the findings of an industry survey carried out by The Firm Micheline Corr Director said inclusion and diversity are now a critical driver with over 80% of survey participants rating it as extremely important when it comes to attracting talent. Equally important is having a positive working environment with great vision, leadership, values and behaviours being the core ingredients

'65% growth for 9% Vat' deal proposed

ITIC has claimed that the Irish tourissm industry can deliver growth of 65% if the incoming government restores the 9% Vat rate. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation itictrio

published its election manifesto and said Brexit, weakened demand and increased costs of business have resulted in revenue falling by 1% in 2019 with regional Ireland hit hardest.

The confederation is made up of tourism businesses and stakeholders including Aer Lingus, B&B Ireland, Irish Ferries, the Restaurant Association of Ireland and the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland.

Along with a VAT reduction, the confederation said the cost of insurance must also be addressed.

Storehouse stays as top attraction

The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin continues to welcome the largest number of visitors of any other attraction in Ireland while the Cliffs of Moher are still standing tall in second place over Dublin Zoo.

The final visitor figures for the Guinness Storehouse for 2019 have confirmed that 1,732,528 people visited the St James’s Gate attraction last year.

This was just 2,528 or 0.15% more than the 2018 figure of 1.7m.

Visitor numbers at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience in County Clare increased by 1.58% to 1,605,131 in 2019, another record year for visitors to the iconic attraction in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Geopark.

Adare adds another Award

Adare Manor was voted 'Ireland's Top Hotel' in the 'Irish Independent Reader Travel Awards'. The Liberty Grill in Cork won the 'Beest Breakfast' title while the 'Welcome Award' went to Hayfield Manor, Cork. The Cliffsa of Moher was named 'Yop Visitor Attraction' and the Bray-Greystones Cliff Walk took the 'Best Local Attraction' title.

Adare

Tbe top ten hotels were:, 1. Adare Manor, Co Limerick, 2.The Shelbourne, Dublin, 3.Ashford Castle, Co Mayo, 4.The Westbury, Dublin, 5.Mount Juliet, Co Kilkenny