The following assestment of the CSO figures about the travel patterns of the Irish comes from the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation . It makes interesting reading . ·       It may seem like a long time ago now, but the comprehensive Household Travel survey for the 3rd quarter of 2007 has just been issued by the CSO, and as usual it contains some interesting information about the travel patterns of the Irish. It covers the peak travel period of July, August and September. ·       Domestic trips increased by 6% to almost 2.5 million, bednights grew by 7% to 11.5 million while the all important revenue increased by 10% over the same quarter in the previous year to €595 million.  Impressive though that appears, it was well below the growth rates experienced in the first 6 months of the year. ·       Domestic holiday trips were up just 3% for the 3rd quarter on the previous year but the strength of demand in the first half of the year (+22%) meant that holidays were up 13% for the first 9 months of the year.Holiday trips to overseas destinations were up 13% in the quarter and 17% for the first 9 months, somewhat ahead of the domestic growth. ·       Yet again, growth was entirely due to the extraordinary appetite for travel amongst the over 50’s. ·       Unbelievably, the number of domestic trips taken by the over 50’s was nearly half as great again as in the corresponding quarter in 2006. This age cohort accounted for 43% of all domestic trips and probably even a higher proportion of the holiday market. It is likely that, with the economic slowdown, the 50+ segment will become even more important over the coming 12 months. ·       In sharp contrast, those aged between 20-49 years took 13% fewer domestic trips in the 3rd quarter than in the previous year. It is worth noting that domestic trip-taking by those aged between 20-49 has declined for eight successive quarters i.e. since the 4th quarter of 2005.So while overall growth continued from the domestic market, the rate of growth decelerated in the 3rd quarter, and we can be pretty sure that this trend has continued since then. ·       The growth in holidays abroad remained strong, up 13% in the 3rd quarter on 2006.  While this is less than the exceptional growth rate in the first 6 months (+20%) it is still significant and is on a par with the sort of growth seen since 2000. ·       Expenditure on travel abroad at €2.4 billion was up 12% on Q3 2006 while expenditure for the first 9 months at €5.5 billion was up 17% on 2006.  Or to put it another way, expenditure on travel abroad for the first 9 months of last year exceeded total expenditure for all of 2005. ·       The most popular destinations abroad and their performance relative to the same quarter a year earlier were:  Spain +8%, Great Britain –9%, France +19%, Italy +33% and Portugal +26%.  Good to see trips to Northern Ireland increase by 12% in the quarter. ·       The growth dynamic in the abroad market can be attributed to – yes, you guessed it – the over 50’s. The number of trips abroad by this group was up by over one-third on the corresponding quarter in 2006, and for the first 9 months of the year recorded a massive 44% increase on the previous year. In contrast, there was no growth of note in the number of trips abroad taken by those in the 20-49 age groups. ·       By any yardstick, the buoyancy in travel by the over 50’s age group is quite phenomenal. Irrespective of destination, home or abroad, in the first 9 months of last year the over 50’s took almost 1.8 million more - yes 1.8 million more trips - than they did just one year earlier (one million extra trips in the domestic market and 800,000 abroad). ·       In contrast, the 20-49 years age groups took some 600,000 less trips in the first 9 months of last year compared to the corresponding 9 months in 2006, with the domestic market suffering marginally worse than trips abroad. ·       The use of the Internet for booking domestic trips continues to increase in popularity and now accounts for one-third of all prebooked trips (half of all domestic trips are prebooked). ·       For trips overseas, the Internet is the most popular method of booking, being the preferred choice for two-thirds of overseas trip takers. ·       Interestingly, although small in the overall scheme of things (4%), trips to second homes abroad for the first 9 months numbered 259,000 whereas 5 years ago there were just 80,00 trips to second homes for the whole year. February 26th 2008
Irish Tourist Industry Confederation

I was saddened to read the reports in the media over the weekend of the falling out between Developer Sean Dunne and Hotelier John Brennan. Business is tough enough without having to deal with problems under the gaze of the national media. Mr Dunne had recruited John Brennan to reopen and manage the three former Jurys Doyle Hotels in Ballsbridge. Some newspapers claimed that the split was “extremely acrimonious”. PREM Group operate a number of Hotels under management contract and are all too aware of the challenges that such contracts can bring. It is essential that both parties fully understand the concept of a management contract from the outset. Certainly if the relationship is not managed from the outset difficulties can arise very quickly. Good communication is essential especially in the early months while both sides are getting to know each other. Once the business settles down (usually after over a year), relationships between the owners and managers become more relaxed. These relationships take a lot of time and effort from both parties, good communication is critical in developing the trust between both parties. Whatever happened in Ballsbridge it would be great if the detail could be kept out of the media and whatever differences the parties have could be sorted behind closed doors. The problem the rest of us Hoteliers in Dublin have is that these Hotels are dumping hotel stock onto the market at very low rates. The Burlington Hotel is about to reopen in the near future and already they have stolen some Tour Group business from one of our Hotels.  The problem in Dublin is that room rates have hardly grown since 2000 while costs have risen substantially over the same period. These hotels are not in the business for the long haul and they could potentially inflict serious damage on hotels in the Dublin market who are trying to meet their commitments in a market that is sluggish to say the least.

The Jameson Dublin Film Festival opened last Friday night with the Premiere of Martin McDonaghs film “In Bruges”, see movie trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mR-sIf-w1w Given that we have a Hotel in Bruges, and the strong Irish connection in the movie we managed to get a few tickets for the Premiere. It is hard to beat the buzz created by a Movie Premiere especially when the main stars are in attendance. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Clemence Poesy certainly created a stir when they arrived at the Savoy Cinema on O’Connell Street in Dublin. Colin Farrell in particular, looked every bit the movie star with the long brown hair, suntan and designer beard. You can see for yourself from some of the photos of the night featured at the end of this post. The movie itself was hilarious, a dark comedy thriller that may not be to everybody’s taste. Some of the humour may be lost on some audiences. I wonder if our friends in Belgium will get it? One of the real stars of the movie is the Medieval City of Bruges. The city is breathtaking and the movie will help attract a lot more tourists. Certainly most people I spoke to after the movie had added Bruges to their list of cities that they must see. Having been there once I am looking forward to returning in the near future. The film is a very dark humour comedy about two Irish hit men sent to Bruges by their boss for two weeks after a hit goes very wrong. One is a young hothead who does not get the point while the other, older, gentler, more curious buys a guidebook and enjoys the idea of being a tourist. The script is very intelligent, combining great sadness and poignancy, times of abandon, times of goofiness and some really funny humour. Overall we had a great night, a good movie, some star watching and a few beers, not a bad end to a week. If you are traveling to Bruges check out our Hotel, Crowne Plaza Bruges at www.premgroup.com

I recently came across the following article courtesy of the Daily Mail  . You got to hand it to Travelodge ,they certainly know how to get publicity ,as for the pyjamas , I am not so sure !

Sci-fi suit? Actually, it’s my Travelodge pyjamas

Feb 06, 08 | 1:54 am

By Nick McDermott

Snuggling up in your pyjamas doesn’t usually look like this.

But check into a Travelodge and you could find yourself slipping into what the motel chain calls the “ultimate sleepwear.”

Its sleepsuits, which look more scifi-than snoozy, are being tested by the firm in the hope of helping its guests have a more restful stay.

They are made from a type of natural knitted silk said to allow the skin to breathe, reducing the risk of itching or irritation.

Leigh McCarron, Travelodge’s “sleep director,” said yesterday: “We are constantly investigating innovative ways of how we can help our customers attain a good night’s sleep.

“Something as simple as changing your bed attire can dramatically affect your quality of sleep.”

Something white at night: The Travelodge sleepsuit

The company came up with the futuristic design after questioning 3,000 adults about sleepwear.

Almost one in four said their night clothes made them itchy, while two thirds complained of feeling too hot or cold as they tried to sleep.

Travelodge said guests would be allowed to keep the sleepsuits, which look disarmingly like the costume Woody Allen wore playing a sperm in the spoof 1972 movie Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask.

The company believes the accompanying hood, gloves and socks will combat the loss of body heat during sleep. But Professor Jim Horne, director of Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre, dismissed the suits as little more than a gimmick.

“I think it’s a great bedtime story,” he said. “To be honest, I’m sceptical about the company’s claims.

Sleep tight: The motel chain thinks the hood, gloves and socks will combat the loss of body heat

“Tight clothes and a hood could, if anything, make sleeping worse. The body needs to cool down slightly when you go to bed. Allowing your face and neck to be exposed is quite a good way of cooling down because the rest of the body is covered by the bedclothes.

“I would recommend people stick with what they are comfortable with. A pair of loose cotton PJs are more than adequate.”

Five hotels are taking part in the trial. They will contact customers before their arrival to offer them a sleepsuit.

A Travelodge spokesman said: “The pyjamas are currently free of charge. Once customers have worn them, we are more than happy for them to take them home and continue to enjoy them.”
 

Some of my colleagues have quite rightly pointed out that I have ignored the UK in my blog so far. This oversight was not on purpose; in fact I was waiting until after the England versus Ireland Rugby International on the 15^th March to indulge in a little gloating on this blog.  But why wait? And besides Ireland might lose and I would be left without something to write about. Last September PREM Group opened our first boutique Hotel in Sheffield. This Hotel was a work in progress for three years and when it opened there was a huge sense of satisfaction at what we had achieved. Leopold is truly a special Hotel as you can see from the Hotels website www.leopoldhotel.co.uk A lot of planning went into this Hotel as we felt that if we got it right, the concept was such that we could repeat the process elsewhere. A lot of credit is due to Evelyn Haran, our UK Operations Manager who took ownership of this project from day one.  We have taken the Leopold Hotel Sheffield and have created a new brand which we plan to roll out throughout Europe over the next few years. Leopold Hotels will be 4 star city centre property with a maximum of 150 rooms, the focus will be on great rooms with an emphasis on providing each guest a personalised service. We expect to have the second Leopold Hotel open in Belgium in 2008 followed by Dublin and other major cities in 2009. So, if you happen to be in Sheffield for the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre in April, why not stay a short walk from the championship at the Leopold Hotel. I will give regular updates on our exciting expansion plans for Leopold Hotel over the coming weeks.

What a lovely weekend weather-wise, there was a real feel of spring in the air. With the evenings beginning to stretch and the daffodils beginning to appear I decided it was time to dust off the golf clubs and head to the driving range. Unfortunately every other ”fair weather” golfer had the same idea . On arrival at the range I was welcomed by a large sign “RANGE CLOSED - WE HAVE RUN OUT OF GOLF BALLS”. Disappointed, I decided instead to bring the dog for a walk. I am fortunate to live in County Meath close to quiet country lanes that are great for walking. But there is a problem in our countryside which needs to be addressed and that is the issue of illegal dumping of illegal waste. On Sunday I came across a TV, fridge ,washing machine and assorted bags of household rubbish dumped in the hedgerow. One weekend last year a burnt out car was dumped in a ditch near our house.  It saddens me to see the country lanes around Co. Meath becoming the dumping ground for so many of our countrymen and women. This problem is not confined to county Meath, this is a nationwide problem. Who are the culprits? I never see people deliberately throw rubbish away. Most people I know bring home their litter after a day out. Unfortunately not enough people care. As a nation we need to wake up and the take responsibility for the wonderful resource we have within our country. We have a duty of care for future generations to ensure that our environment is maintained and looked after. Tourism is vital to the Irish economy and will be hit badly if our indifferent attitude to the huge litter problem does not change.The following assessment of this country by Johann Keller, an Environmental Auditor who advises Scandinavian travel agents is quite damning.Here’s what he had to say about Ireland: “I have been visiting Ireland since the mid-1980’s and I can say that Ireland has never looked so littered and unclean…. I know from my colleagues with other travel groups in Europe that the unclean state of Ireland is becoming the single most important complaint they receive. Yet, every year that I visit, I hear of more anti-litter projects and, still even with all of these, I find Ireland is getting increasingly more littered year by year. Our Scandinavian customers visit Ireland because of the country’s strongly marketed Green Island image. Golf, fishing and activity holidays in Ireland are quite popular with Swedes, Danes and Norwegians but how long this interest in Ireland remains is now in doubt as we receive more complaints about the polluted rivers and lakes, unclean streets and countryside.”We as hoteliers are not without responsibility. We need to lead by example and embrace environmental strategies in our properties. We need to be leaders in our communities by getting involved in action groups to promote the importance of looking after our surroundings. We need to educate our staff to be aware of the damage litter can do to our tourism Industry.I would like to see our Hotel Managers becoming more active on this issue. We should be active locally, we should get into our schools and educate our children about the importance of tourism to their area and the need to be aware of and protect the environment.It is totally unacceptable that the citizens of the country should be allowed to abuse the countryside to the extent that it is happening today. The tourism industry needs to be more proactive in its approach to the litter problem. We cannot afford to be complacent on this issue; we have more to lose than most”. 

More investment to support long-term growth

Fáilte Ireland cautiously optimistic about 2008 season

Fáilte Ireland, the body responsible for developing tourism in the region, Tourism Ireland, the body responsible for promoting the island of Ireland overseas, and Dublin Tourism met with tourism industry interests in Dublin this week to outline their plans for developing and promoting Dublin City and County over the coming season.

Attending the meeting, Mr Shaun Quinn, Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland said the fundamentals underlying tourism in Dublin City and County remained relatively healthy although more investment in cultural and business tourism would be necessary for sustained growth over the longer-term. Turning to the coming season, Mr Quinn said that while 2007 appeared to have been another good year for Dublin generally, conditions in 2008 could be more difficult in light of economic challenges internationally. “We cannot ignore the potential impact of stock market volatility and exchange rate movements on our business but it is much too early to speculate on any impact at this stage. We can only strive to offer the very best value we can and make every effort to minimise costs without compromising on quality.” He noted that with the short break market, which was important to the city, there is potential to achieve further growth over the short term particularly from Mainland Europe.

Commenting on Fáilte Ireland plans for the coming season, he said that the priority is to increase investment in both business and cultural tourism, both of which were important in Dublin. He said that there would also be an increased investment in new and existing tourist attractions and related infrastructure. Fáilte Ireland would also provide more practical business supports to tourism enterprises, many of which are experiencing difficult trading conditions. This would include helping the industry to develop more overseas business and ensuring that a strong web presence was in place. Mr Quinn also indicated that Fáilte Ireland is to launch its biggest ever ‘Discover Ireland’ campaign, which aims to encourage Irish people to take a break at home including Dublin.

Tourism Ireland Chief Executive Paul O’Toole said that overseas tourism contributed a record €3.9 billion in revenue to the Irish economy in 2007, €1.5 billion of which was generated in the Dublin region. “2007 was another good year for overseas tourism and in particular for the Dublin region, with preliminary figures showing a significant increase in overseas tourism revenue. On a cautionary note for 2008, Paul O’Toole pointed to a challenging year ahead for overseas tourism. “Global economic uncertainty, the weak dollar and a softening in consumer confidence generally all make for a more difficult business environment. Every year brings new challenges and I am confident that, working in close partnership with Fáilte Ireland, Dublin Tourism and the industry, we can overcome these hurdles and succeed in growing tourism to the island of Ireland again in 2008. It will be more important than ever, however, that our tourism product and service is top class and above all that the consumer gets good value for money,” said O’Toole.

Speaking at the meeting Ann Riordan, Chairman of Dublin Tourism said: “We have a modest marketing budget compared to other cities that we are in direct competition with and I am pleased that we are increasing our marketing spend in 2008 with the support of the four local authorities and Fáilte Ireland. As a result, we will be expanding our marketing efforts in 2008, enabled by Tourism Ireland. She also added, “in the context of today’s meeting, we are very conscious of Dublin’s role as a gateway to the rest of Ireland. Indeed, 50% of all visitors to Dublin go on to visit the other regions of Ireland”.

Dublin City and County

Preliminary figures for overseas visitors in 2007 suggest that Dublin City and County experienced above average growth with an approximate six per cent increase on 2006. Mr Quinn noted the region’s excellent performance in the domestic tourism market where total domestic visitors increased by eight per cent on the previous year. Shaun Quinn said, “The spatial development of tourism across all regions including Dublin continues to be a key priority for Fáilte Ireland. The continued development of the Dublin market, which is a key gateway, is of paramount importance for the sustained growth of tourism throughout the country. We are continuing to invest significantly in upgrading and expanding the range of tourist attractions and activities across regions to broaden visitor appeal. This is necessary in order to ensure that the long-term development of tourism in Ireland is secure. The new regional tourism strategy, which was launched by Dublin tourism earlier this year, provides a road map setting out how all of the industry, including both the public and private sectors, can most effectively contribute to the further development of sustainable and economically beneficial tourism.”

The promotion of festivals throughout the country continues to be a focus for the tourism authority and during 2007 over €1.6m was allocated to festivals through Dublin City and County. These included the St Patrick’s Day festival, Taste of Dublin, the Festival of World Cultures, the Dublin Fringe Festival and the Street Performance World Championship.

For 2008, Tourism Ireland has extended the number of overseas marketing opportunities available to the industry in Ireland and has developed a range of new marketing packages which will enable industry, big or small, to promote their product or service directly to the overseas consumer. “In an increasingly competitive climate, with new and emerging destinations fighting for share, consumers are spoilt for choice. If we want to convert ‘lookers’ into ‘bookers’ we need to tempt them with attractive and compelling offers,” said Paul O’Toole.

We believe that Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland are on the right track and we wish them well with there endeavors

 The Irish Hotels Federation’s action in challenging in the High Court was successful this morning when the State conceded that we would have been successful on a procedural ground if the legal proceedings had continued. The Employment Regulation Order of 16 November 2007 (against the implementation of which we already had an injunction) has been quashed. Therefore, the Hotels JLC will have to meet again to review wage rates. There is a commitment from SIPTU built into the settlement that the “double whammy” method of adjusting wage rates at the time changes in the National Minimum Wage (”NMW”) Rate will not apply in future. In future, the provisions of the National Wage Agreements will be applied to JLC rates and only in the event of the resulting rate falling short of the NMW rate should they be adjusted upwards to the NMW rate. Our objection to this process been taken in the past was the primary reason for our taking the High Court Proceedings.

I would like to congratulate John Power and Michael Vaughan for taking this action on behalf of the Irish hotel industry .

I came across the following article on the USA Today blog. I am now much happier that we have plastic disposal glasses in our bathrooms. I know of one prominent Irish Hotelier who packs his own glass when traveling. I have attached the Fox 5 video at the end of this article.

“Think the glasses in your hotel room are sanitized? Unless they’re plastic and wrapped, think again.A reader alerted me to a report this week by the investigative team at Atlanta Fox 5 TV. They checked into a half-dozen area hotels and put a hidden camera in the bathrooms. What they found everywhere — from budget to luxury hotels — was disgusting: Housekeepers rinsing glasses in the bathroom sink. In one case, glasses were swooshed out after a housekeeper had been cleaning the toilet; in another, glasses were sprayed with what looked like a toxic mirror-cleaning product before being rinsed and dried. Hotels typically say glasses are put through the dishwasher, but I have observed housekeepers swishing them out in the sink to save time near the end of a shift. Health experts interviewed by Fox 5 said the practice was a violation of rules and that dirty glasses could spread disease. “