‘You’ll come for the sights but stay for the service’ has long been the essence of what makes Irish tourism so distinctive. Landscapes, attractions and locations may draw visitors in, but it is the people on the ground — their warmth, skill and attention to detail — who turn a trip into a lasting memory. Increasingly, success depends not just on the quality of the product, but on the strength of the workforce behind it.
A key part of this work is Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme (EEP), designed to help businesses, particularly SMEs, improve recruitment, retention and workplace culture. The programme provides a practical framework for employers to build stronger HR practices, develop talent and create clear career pathways.
Creating, nurturing, flexible, and inclusive workplaces that offers continuous upskilling and professional development and progression opportunities
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Talent and transformation: Driving excellence in the modern tourism
and hospitality profession
Creating a vibrant, positive workplace where team members feel genuinely valued is the cornerstone of great hospitality. The Hoban Hotel Kilkenny has proven that fostering an inclusive, supportive atmosphere directly translates into world-class guest experiences, earning it the Best Employer: Culture and Work Environment award.
A short walk from the heart of the historic city, this stylish four-star property is named after James Hoban, the Kilkenny-born architect of the White House. Following a major contemporary renovation of its guest rooms and the popular 1801 Restaurant & Bar, the hotel has firmly established itself as a vibrant hub. However, its true distinguishing feature remains its down-to-earth workforce, who pull together as one cohesive team. General Manager Hugh Fitzpatrick said, “Winning this award gives everyone the confidence to know that we're on the right path and doing the right things. It proves that we can continue with the journey we are on, while continuing to grow and get better.”
Avoiding complacency, management actively fosters an atmosphere of development and self-improvement. Through the Employer Excellence Programme, the Kilkenny team has championed transparent communication, continuous peer support, and a healthy work-life balance that drives long-term employee retention.
Reflecting on how the framework reshaped their workplace culture, Hugh Fitzpatrick added, “The big difference for us is being able to look at everything openly and understand that every single person is so important. Everyone has their own story and wants to be supported to get better. It is a great initiative to be involved in; the confidence your team gets from seeing their own incremental growth breeds true happiness in their roles, and when your team is happy, your guests are happy too.”
Jenny de Saulles, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Sector Development, says the ambition is to reposition tourism as a profession, not simply a job. “We want people to see that you can come into the sector, evolve, and build a career,” she explains. “The awards are about celebrating those successes and showing tourism as a great place to work.”
The Fáilte Ireland Employer Excellence Awards, held at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin on 10 June, recognised many of the businesses who have embedded these standards into their operations. By investing in people, leadership and progression, these employers are showing how strong workplace cultures can drive recruitment, performance and exceptional visitor experiences.
Open lines of communication and a genuine commitment to keeping staff involved are the bedrock of trust in hospitality. Winners of the Communication and Involvement award, Talbot Suites at Stonebridge have proven that a well-informed team creates an atmosphere in which every member of staff feels heard and valued.
Area General Manager Robert Millar was equally proud of the milestone, noting how the framework actively drives day-to-day workplace transparency. “The programme has really been the propeller for our business, ensuring that we are communicating openly, honestly and transparently with our team. It has given us the opportunity to unlock the raw talent we have within the organisation, allowing us to go from strength to strength while getting the absolute best from our colleagues and friends,” he said.
By introducing monthly meetings to ensure a constant channel of communication, the management team has helped staff feel valued for the long haul. Encouraging other operators to take a similar path, Jane Cahill concluded, “The Employer Excellence Programme gives you a concrete benchmark to strive for every year. Without it, you run the risk of rolling out well-intentioned initiatives that don’t actually align with what your staff want. It provides much better, clearer feedback on what their needs are, which ultimately helps us perfectly align our employee experience with our overarching business goals.”
The Gateway Hotel, Dundalk
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT
The programme has really been the propeller for our business, ensuring that we are communicating openly, honestly, and transparently with our team
Investing in the growth and future of your workforce is the ultimate sign of a forward-thinking business. Returning to Dundalk with the Employee Development Award, The Gateway Hotel has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to nurturing talent, proving that when you give people the tools and confidence to grow, the entire business thrives.
This striking 14-storey Co Louth landmark features 129 beautifully designed bedrooms and panoramic views of Dundalk Bay. Following a major rebranding and a stylish multi-million-euro refurbishment, the property has completely transformed its guest experience. Crucially, the hotel's leadership has been just as ambitious behind the scenes. It has combined a physical upgrade with a deeply embedded focus on developing the skills of its team on the floor, ensuring everyone has a clear, rewarding path for career progression.
Reflecting on the sheer pride this national win brings to the property, General Manager Gaurav Joshi said, “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award. Standing alongside such high-calibre hotels and hospitality groups is a real honour, and this accolade is going to give us incredible momentum as we continue to attract and recruit top-tier talent to the region.”
Rather than treating training as a simple box-ticking exercise, the hotel has focused on genuine mentorship, offering practical learning opportunities that help staff master their roles and build long-term careers. This continuous support rewards talent and leads to greater employee retention. People and Culture Manager Majella Gorman added, “Because this is specifically an employee development award, the team back home will deeply appreciate this recognition. A lot of our guys have developed with us from the ground up and have been with the hotel for ten to fifteen years. This win is a wonderful testament to their dedication and our culture of growing our own talent.”
We are absolutely delighted to receive this award. Standing alongside such high-calibre hotels and hospitality groups is a real honour
True leadership is about more than setting direction; it is about creating an environment in which people can thrive. Aspect Hotel Park West has embraced that philosophy, with a broad, forward-thinking view of its responsibilities. The team has demonstrated that the best leaders don't just dictate from an office; they lead by example, creating a transparent environment where every staff member feels supported to do their best work. This empowering philosophy earned them a spectacular double victory at the national ceremony, capturing both the Management and Leadership award and the coveted Best Employer: Dublin title.
Rather than relying on rigid management hierarchies, the leadership team at Aspect Hotel Park West has focused on everyday mentoring, clear career pathways, and keeping lines of communication wide open. Giving her perspective on how the Fáilte Ireland framework serves as a strategic differentiator in recruitment, PREM Group HR Manager Louise Barry added, “The Employer Excellence mark is definitely something that is going to set us apart from our competitors in retaining and attracting talent going forward. In a challenging labour market, people recognise this brand and it means something when they are looking for a job. Tourism businesses need to take the opportunities Fáilte Ireland are presenting to shout about what good employers they are, using this invaluable support to become even better.”
Fairness is an essential part of building long-term trust, respect and team loyalty. Securing victory in the Fairness Award, PREM Group has proven that a successful hospitality enterprise is built by treating every single employee, regardless of their role or rank, with absolute dignity, transparency and respect.
By focusing on transparent management, equal access to development, and open-door policies where every voice carries equal weight, the group ensures that staff feel genuinely valued and supported, driving long-term retention. Offering advice to other operators looking to elevate their operations, Jim Murphy concluded, “I would tell other businesses to just go for it because the internal benefits are enormous. The Employer Excellence Programme has been stellar at fostering a true people culture across our organisation by opening up feedback loops from every single level, whether it is senior full-time management or transition-year students coming in on work experience. You learn so much by listening to your team and acting on their feedback. It builds a fairer, happier workplace, and as CEO, I can confirm it absolutely benefits the bottom line.”
For more information about the Employer Excellence Programme, visit failteireland.ie
As a prominent self-catering property within the Talbot Collection, the Wexford-based operation manages a distributed footprint where team members can easily work in isolation. To counter this, the leadership team built a close-knit culture centred on transparent communication, removing operational silos. This is further supported by a cross-property mentorship scheme that fast-tracks progression into leadership roles.
Anticipating the celebrations with the team back in Wexford, HR Executive Jane Cahill said, “This is a massive achievement for all of us and something we have been actively striving towards for a number of years. Our internal metrics and results have improved year on year, so to finally earn this national recognition is incredible. Our General Manager, Margaret Cahill, couldn't be with us tonight, but I know she and the entire team are going to be absolutely delighted.”
The Employer Excellence Programme has been stellar at fostering a true people culture across our organisation
by opening up feedback loops from every single level
CULTURE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNICATION & INVOLVEMENT
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP AND BEST EMPLOYER: DUBLIN
FAIRNESS
CATEGORIES:
Hugh Fitzpatrick, The Hoban Hotel, Kilkenny
Category
WINNER
Aspect Hotel Dublin Parkwest
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP AND BEST EMPLOYER: DUBLIN
The Hoban Hotel, Kilkenny
CULTURE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
Category
WINNER
Talbot Suites at Stonebridge
COMMUNICATION AND INVOLVEMENT
Category
WINNER
Aspect Hotel Park West
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
AND BEST EMPLOYER: DUBLIN
CategorIES
WINNER
PREM Group
FAIRNESS
Category
WINNER
Founded in 1996 and celebrating its landmark 30th anniversary this year, Dublin-headquartered PREM Group is one of Europe’s leading hotel management companies, overseeing a superb portfolio across Ireland, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. Having already seen its sister properties scoop major titles at the ceremony, the parent group took the overarching national award for fairness, having successfully maintained a personal, transparent approach to workplace equity across its entire international network. Reflecting on what this stamp of approval means for the company's foundational ethos, CEO Jim Murphy said, “An accolade centred on fairness and respect is something I deeply value and treasure as a leader. We have been involved in this framework since the very beginning, but my personal philosophy goes back to starting out as a trainee chef in the 1980s. I learned then that you must treat people exactly the way you want to be treated yourself. We have built a 30-year culture around doing the right thing for our stakeholders and guests, but that process always starts with our workforce. Hospitality simply does not function without good people.”
From left: Caroline Bocquel, CEO, Fáilte Ireland, presenting the Best Employer: Employee Development award to Majella Gorman and Gaurav Joshi, The Gateway Hotel, Co Louth
From left: Caroline Bocquel, CEO, Fáilte Ireland, presenting presenting the Best Employer: Fairness to Sarah Marr and Jim Murphy, PREM Group, Dublin
Talent Cultivation
Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme provides a practical framework for employers
Here, we turn the spotlight on five of this year’s standout award recipients, profiling the exceptional businesses setting the benchmark for the modern tourism and hospitality workforce.
The contemporary four-star property — proudly managed by the PREM Group — has earned a stellar reputation for its warm hospitality and seamless guest service. Following a stunning multi-million-euro ground-floor transformation and bedroom refurbishment, the hotel has elevated its offering to premium status. Crucially, the hotel's leadership matched this physical upgrade with a cultural one, focusing heavily on building an inclusive, open-door environment where employee voices are valued and milestones are celebrated. Reflecting on the momentum this double success brings to the property, General Manager Andrea Wallace said, “We are incredibly proud and honoured. For me, the anonymous employee survey is a fundamental part of this programme because it allows the team to have their say openly, showing us exactly how we can make this an even better place to work. It fosters a deep sense of camaraderie, which keeps our key management and frontline staff with us for the long haul, directly driving our commercial performance.”
From left: Caroline Bocquel, CEO, Fáilte Ireland, presenting the Best Employer Management & Leadership Award to Louise Barry and Andrea Wallace, the Aspect Hotel Park West, Dublin.
Jane Cahill and Robert Millar, The Talbot Suites at Stonebridge, Wexford