Cork hotels win at Fáilte Ireland Employer awards

THE Trident Hotel Kinsale and The River Lee Hotel scooped prizes at the inaugural Fáilte Ireland Employer Excellence programme which took place in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

The awards ceremony celebrated businesses who have demonstrated their commitment to making the tourism industry an appealing and rewarding place to work through their participation in Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence programme.

The 11 winning businesses are:

Best Employer - Wild Atlantic Way: Trident Hotel Kinsale, Co. Cork.

Best Employer - Large Business: The River Lee Hotel, Co. Cork.

Best Employer – Outstanding: Sandhouse Hotel – Co. Donegal.

Best Employer - Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands: The Lakeside Hotel, Co. Clare.

Best Employer - Ireland’s Ancient East: The Hoban Hotel Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny.

Best Employer - Dublin: Big Bus Dublin, Co. Dublin.

Best Employer - Attraction: EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Dublin.

Best Employer - Food and Drink: The Reg, Co. Waterford.

Best Employer - Hotel Group: Prem Group, Co. Dublin.

Best Employer - Medium Business: Aspect Hotel Dublin Parkwest, Co. Dublin.

Best Employer - Small Business: Cahernane House Hotel Co. Kerry.

Speaking from the event, Fáilte Ireland CEO. Paul Kelly said: “Tourism has an unparalleled track record of providing a diverse range of employment opportunities in communities the length and breadth of the country.

“The inaugural Fáilte Ireland Employer Excellence Awards are a celebration of the businesses who have set the industry standard for employee engagement and workplace culture in the tourism sector. These Employer Excellence awards will help drive a further improvement in the both the quality and the perception of careers in the tourism sector”

Over 170 tourism businesses registered to participate in the first intake of the Fáilte Ireland programme which launched in September 2022. As part of the programme, a survey was conducted with staff of participating businesses, which gave staff the chance to highlight the strengths of their workplace, along with areas for further development. Fáilte Ireland is now supporting these businesses to implement actions identified in their survey to further enhance employee engagement. The winning businesses were chosen based on this employee feedback.

Jenny De Saulles, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Sector Development added: “We know there are excellent employers and great workplaces in the industry but to attract and retain the best people to work in tourism, we need to highlight the best of careers and employment in the sector.

“A key element of Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence programme is putting the views of tourism employees front and centre and tonight’s winning businesses have all been chosen based on employee feedback.

“More than 20,000 tourism employees have already been positively impacted by the initiative. So, it’s fantastic to gather together for these awards to showcase the best-in-class examples of employers along with those professionals who are thriving in the industry.”

Tourism businesses who are interested in joining Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence programme can find out more at https://www.failteireland.ie/employerexcellence.aspx”