Cork Branch Irish Hotels Federation 2018 Employee of the Year

The Cork Branch of the Irish Hotels Federation were delighted to host their 2018 Employee of the Year Awards recently at the five star Castlemartyr Resort and it was Sean Devine of the River Lee Hotel who beat off stiff competition to win the overall award on the afternoon.

The event is always a wonderful occasion with numbers attending up by nearly 30%. This year sees 22 of the best and brightest in the industry nominated for the award, which go from strength to strength, as they aim to recognise and reward hard-working people together with highlighting the diversity of the those that work within the industry and the many talents that contribute to the continued vibrancy of the hotel sector in Cork.

This year the Awards were also delighted to announce that McCarthy Meats had come on board as the main sponsor, Derek McCarthy who attended the event said “this is a great opportunity to showcase the very best of what Cork has to offer with the exceptional quality of Cork produce delivered by outstanding, committed professionals, and we in McCarthy Meats are over the moon to be associated with the Awards.”

Neil Grant, Chairperson of the Cork Irish Hotels Federations said “we are grateful to McCarthy Meats for their sponsorship which this year in conjunction with Cork Institute of Technology will facilitate the provision of industry specific training for the winner. I would also like to acknowledge the support of Wines Direct, our interviewers and of course the wonderful team at Castlemartyr Resort who looked after us all so well on the day”

Congratulations were extended to the all the nominees by the interview panel, Donagh Davern of CIT Hospitality and Tourism Department and Caroline McEnery of HR Suite who acknowledged the high calibre of candidates they interviewed, making their choice extremely difficult and which resulted in a second award for Outstanding Customer Service also presented on the afternoon to Rachel Keohane of Jurys Inn.

The Award certainly increases the profile for the winner and offers a great platform to promote the work of the winning hotel to its customers, suppliers and employees. With the Awards now rolled out by the Irish Hotels Federation nationwide, following on from the Cork initiative, the Cork Branch would also like to extend its best wishes to their 2017 winner, Donna Hennessy who will represent the Branch at the upcoming National Awards