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Revenue management, training and outsource provider Revenue by Design has launched an online learning platform for hoteliers called Revenue Academy, which has been designed to share, build and drive revenue management knowledge and understanding throughout the industry.

Course Details

Revenue by Design stated, “Courses are based on the combined expertise of leading revenue management experts and educators and brought together by Ally Northfield, MD, Revenue by Design. They combine fundamental revenue management principles with practical experience of building profit optimising strategies for hotels and accommodation providers worldwide.

“The modular based, instructor lead courses have been designed so that users can build training programs specific to their needs and objectives. While supporting revenue professionals as they look to advance their skills and knowledge, it is hoped that smaller establishments such as B&Bs and guesthouses, who are looking for new ways to understand and increase both top and bottom-line growth, will also benefit from the online learning. A phased approach sees entry level courses launched initially, with courses for the more advanced revenue practitioner coming soon.”

Revenue by Design Managing Director Statement

Revenue by Design managing director Ally Northfield stated, “This has been a true labour of love for myself and the Revenue by Design team. The pandemic has stopped us all in our tracks, but the requirement for accessible and affordable revenue management learning is needed now more than ever as hotels plan their recovery. We are delighted to launch a solution that can provide a practical and accessible means to share the skills, knowledge and strategies required to transform profitability.”

Further information can be found at www.revenueacademy.co.uk.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

Fáilte Ireland has launched a podcast to help tourism businesses drive efficiency and maximise revenue.

The “Inside Tourism Business Podcast” will offer expert advice, insights and practical tools to help tourism businesses navigate the challenges that they are facing.

Running every Tuesday for seven weeks from today (March 2), series one of the new podcast looks inside food, examining the consumer trends that will shape eating out when businesses can reopen, menu innovation, food costs and how to reduce food waste, improve service quality and drive sales.

Hosted by director of egg&chicken consulting Ruth Hegarty, the podcast, over the next seven weeks, will feature food expert and chef Niall Hill of Niall Hill Foods, hotel operations specialist Joe Quinn and managing director of Neary Marketing & Communications Cariona Neary along with guests from across the industry from chefs to hoteliers who are innovating their businesses to survive the COVID-19 crisis.

Enterprise Development Manager at Fáilte Ireland Amanda Horan stated, “The ‘Inside Food’ podcast series will help businesses reflect and consider ways to further their efficiencies while maximising revenue. Our experts and industry guests will look at how businesses can begin to adapt their offerings now to suit new consumer demands and provide a safe environment for guests when it is safe to reopen.”

Episode one will look at consumer trends that will shape eating out once the industry reopens, and will air today (Tuesday March 2).

Where To Listen

Details about where you can subscribe and listen to the new “Inside Tourism Business Podcast” can be found at www.failteireland.ie/podcasts.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

A number of test case lawsuits are expected to be filed soon by restaurants that have been refused compensation for COVID-19-related business disruption by their insurers.

The news follows a declaration by the High Court in February that the owners of Sinnotts, the Leopardstown Inn and the Lemon & Duke of Dublin, and Sean’s Bar of Athlone are entitled to be compensated by FBD for COVID-19-related business disruption.

As reported by The Irish Independent, despite the outcome of the pubs case, many restaurants, cafés and hotels have not been successful in securing compensation from their insurers for disruptions to business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a number of businesses that have so-called business combined policies, which provide cover for the outbreak of a disease on a premises.

The Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) has written to 12 insurers on behalf of over 400 businesses, but so far only two have committed to paying out on policies.

It is understood that a number of insurance companies have said that the FBD ruling is specific to that insurer’s public health policies.

Correspondence seen by The Irish Independent revealed that one insurer has been refusing to pay out on business combined policy claims on the basis that there was no outbreak on the premises in question and that business restrictions for said premises were not implemented specifically due to an outbreak there.

The RAI members are being represented by Dublin law firm Robinson Solicitors, which is expected to issue a number of test cases soon to acquire court decisions on disputed policy interpretations.

It is thought that many claims will ultimately be dealt with by arbitration.

The RAI has also written to the Central Bank, which regulates financial services providers including insurance companies, to inform it of the association’s intention to join it as a notice party, and the RAI also wants the Central Bank to pay the legal fees involved.

“Circling Its Wagons”

RAI CEO Adrian Cummins accused the insurance industry of “circling its wagons” following the FBD ruling, and said, “Their strategy is a war of attrition. The longer this goes on, the more businesses that will fail. The less pay out they will have to make.

“They will deny it, but to me it is very clear what they are trying to do here.”

Following the FBD ruling, Insurance Ireland said that there is no insurance market in the world that provides widespread insurance coverage for pandemics, and that Ireland is no exception. It described issues about business interruption claims as being “complex”.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

A new €9.5 million hotel called REZz Cork is planned to open this year on the former Windsor Inn site on the corner of Cork city’s MacCurtain Street and York Street.

As reported by The Irish Examiner, REZz Cork is planned to be the first of a series of REZz hotels.

The REZz brand was created by hoteliers and business partners Ray Byrne and Eoin Doyle.

Byrne owns Co. Westmeath’s Wineport Lodge hotel along with his wife, Jane, and Doyle owns Co. Cork’s Eccles Hotel and Co. Wicklow’s BrookLodge hotel.

REZz Cork, which will be a so-called micro-sleeper hotel, will have 72 bedrooms, a top floor penthouse, and a ground floor café and bar with an external courtyard, and, according to Luke Hickson of Meitheal Architects, its interior will have an “industrial aesthetic” with exposed concrete and pipework.

REZz Cork’s regular bedrooms will be between 10 and 20 square metres in size, and its penthouse will have two bedrooms and a lounge.

“Very Much A New Departure From The Traditional Hotel”

According to Patrick O’Toole of Meitheal Architects, who is the director in charge of the REZz Cork project, the new micro-sleeper hotel will be an innovative form of accommodation.

The Irish Examiner quotes O’Toole as saying, “It’s not quite Japanese pod-rooms, but it’s very much a new departure from the traditional hotel.

“This hotel follows the micro-model, with substantially smaller, well-planned, really cute, ergonomically-efficient rooms.”

Filling “A Gap Between Hostels And Budget Hotels”

Meanwhile, Byrne, who is the director of MacCurtain St Hoteliers Ltd, trading as REZz, said that REZz Cork will “fill a gap between hostels and budget hotels”.

Byrne added, “It’s for people who want to be in the town centre without paying town centre prices and who don’t really want to be sleeping in a hostel room with six others, especially during a pandemic.”

Mural

Byrne also said that Deirdre Breen, who was involved in Cork contemporary street art project Ardú, has been commissioned to paint a mural at REZz Cork. The planned mural will begin on one of the hotel’s exterior walls and carry through to the venue’s interior.

Planned Opening Date And Additional REZz Hotels

Byrne is currently hopeful that if COVID-19-related business restrictions are lifted in March, allowing Townmore Construction to get back on site next month, REZz Cork will open on May 22.

Byrne is planning to open an additional four REZz hotels. Planning permission has been granted for one in Kilkenny, and two are planned for Dublin city, pending planning grants.

Planned South Mall Hotel

Additionally, Byrne has planning permission to construct a 58-bed hotel at the site of the former National Irish Bank on Cork’s South Mall. He is planning to proceed with the development of this proposed venue when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

Appeals against plans for two new Dublin hotels have been lodged with An Bord Pleanála.

CitizenM Plan

As reported by The Irish Independent, a plan by a unit of Dutch hotel company CitizenM to construct a 247-bedroom hotel on a site fronting the capital’s Bridge Street, close to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was approved by Dublin City Council in January, was the subject of a significant number of objections.

CitizenM was asked to provide additional information about the proposed development and to address several concerns raised by Dublin City Council about its likely impact on surrounding residential properties.

The council deemed subsequent amendments acceptable.

However, a number of appeals against the council’s decision to green light the development have now been lodged with An Bord Pleanála, and a decision on the matter is due to be delivered by mid-June.

The site of the proposed hotel is currently occupied by an industrial warehouse that was previously a part of Jacob’s biscuit factory, and Molyneux House, which comprises the converted and extended 19th century Molyneux Church.

Cathedral Lane Plan

Meanwhile, Dublin City Council’s decision to approve a plan by Cathedral Lane, which is part of Northern Irish hotel group Beannchor, to develop a 98-bedroom, eight storey hotel on the site of the former Boland’s bakery off of the capital’s Capel Street has also been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

The High Court has declared that the owners of Sinnotts, the Leopardstown Inn and the Lemon & Duke of Dublin, and Sean’s Bar of Athlone are entitled to be compensated by FBD Insurance for COVID-19-related business disruption.

A dispute started last year between the four pubs and FBD over whether the insurer should pay for losses that the pubs experienced due to COVID-19-related closures, and the four pubs entered cases over the dispute into the Commercial Court last May.

As reported by rte.ie, the High Court ruled that FBD’s policy covers the losses that the pubs experienced due to COVID-19-related closures.

The High Court’s decision is a landmark one that affects claims that have been made by over 1,000 other pubs and restaurants in Ireland.

The pubs’ lawyers claimed that the pubs are entitled to have their COVID-19-related losses covered under their insurance policies, however, FBD said that the closures in question were not due to an outbreak of COVID-19 at any of the pubs or within a 25 mile radius of them, but rather were a result of a national situation that was not covered by the insurance policies.

The High Court disagreed with FBD’s interpretation, and Justice Denis McDonald stated that cover was not lost during closures caused by nationwide COVID-19 outbreaks, provided there was an outbreak within a 25 mile radius and that said outbreaks caused the closure.

McDonald said that such outbreaks were a cause of pubs closures in March of last year, and the fact that closures outside of a 25 mile radius were also causes of the decision did not alter that conclusion.

McDonald ruled that the issue of quantifying the losses that the pubs experienced will be dealt with at a later date, and the case will return to the court on February 17.

FBD Response

FBD said that the court’s ruling provided much needed clarity to all concerned, and that it is committed to paying valid claims from pub insurance policyholders and will endeavour to process claims as soon as possible and in line with the judgment handed down.

Rte.ie quotes FBD as saying, “We understand the significant challenges our Public House Insurance policyholders currently face. FBD will arrange interim payments to affected policyholders while awaiting final clarity on quantum.”

FBD said that it will now consider the effects of the judgment with its reinsurers and will revert to the market on the estimated net cost of COVID-19-related business interruption claims in due course, and added, “We expect the cost to be well within the range of considered financial outcomes, with FBD remaining strongly capitalised.”

FBD also said that it believes that the court process was the fairest way to reach a resolution on this matter, and that it tried to ensure that the proceedings were as fast and efficient as possible for the parties involved.

LVA CEO Statement

Reacting to the court’s decision, Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) chief executive Donall O’Keeffe said in a statement published on the LVA’s website, “The LVA welcomes [the] High Court decision in favour of three of our members (Noel Anderson, Chris Kelly Group, Loyola Group) and Sean’s Bar, Athlone, in their case against FDB for COVID-19 business interruption cover.

“These publicans deserve enormous credit as their action will prove critical to pubs with similar policies right around Ireland.

“It was grossly unfair that these family businesses had to go to the High Court against the might of a publicly quoted insurer to have their claims validated.

“We are now calling on insurers to quickly review their business interruption policies in light of [the High Court’s] decision and to promptly pay all valid claims.

“Given the disastrous impact of the pandemic on the pub trade, [the High Court’s] judgement will provide hope to many publicans all across the country.”

VFI CEO Statement

Meanwhile, Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) chief executive Padraig Cribben said in a statement published on the VFI’s website, “This High Court decision is the first good news the 1,100 publicans who are FBD customers have received since the crisis began last March. Publicans took out business interruption cover with FBD in good faith and the decision by the insurance company to challenge that cover caused huge distress for our members at a time when they were at their most vulnerable.

“While the full detail of the court’s 214-page decision is still being analysed, we know that publicans with these policies will now be compensated for the losses incurred by the pandemic. A quantum hearing where the amount of compensation will be decided will be held in due course.

“It now follows that other insurance companies should review their business interruption claims and begin a process of working with publicans to ensure adequate compensation is provided for the interruption of their businesses.”

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

Camile Thai Kitchen has announced the appointment of Brian Caulfield and Andy McCue to the Camile board of directors, the latter of whom will take on the position of non-executive chairman.

Caulfield is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist and angel investor.

McCue served as CEO of Paddy Power before joining The Restaurant Group plc as CEO.

“Really Pleased”

Camile founder and CEO Brody Sweeney stated, “We are really pleased to have attracted directors of the calibre of Brian and Andy to our board. It shows our serious ambitions for Camile and it’s future growth. I’m excited to officially welcome them both to our Camile family.”

“Very Excited”

Caulfield commented, “I am very excited at the opportunity to become a non-executive director of the Camile board. As a Camile fan, it is amazing to see such a strong and globally impactful company coming out of Dublin.”

Meanwhile, McCue said, “Camile provides a very exciting tech-focussed hospitality business model and I look forward to being given the opportunity to help Camile grow further.”

“A Milestone Year”

Sweeney added, “2020 has been a milestone year for Camile. With many restaurants suffering the consequences of pandemic restrictions, we were very fortunate to see a 59% increase in systems sales in the UK and a 40% increase in Ireland. We owe this to our largely suburban, delivery-focussed business model. This growth has enabled us to proceed ahead of time with our drone and robotics-focused tech strategy.”

Expansion Plans

Camile also announced that it has plans to open up further locations in Ireland and abroad, which will be revealed in the next few weeks.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

Dublin City Council has granted planning permission to both Cathedral Lane, which is part of Northern Irish hotel group Beannchor, and hotelier Brian McGettigan’s Vision Wave company to develop new hotels in Dublin.

Cathedral Lane Venue

As reported by The Irish Times, Cathedral Lane has been given the green light to develop a 98-bedroom, eight storey hotel on the site of the former Boland’s bakery off of the capital’s Capel Street.

Last year, plans by Cathedral Lane to develop a hotel on the same site were rejected by An Bord Pleanála, which said that the proposed hotel was of “poor design” and did not constitute “an adequate response to the context and opportunity” of the site.

Cathedral Lane’s newly-approved revised plans for a hotel on the site could still be appealed to An Bord Pleanála. However, one of the main objectors to the plans that were rejected last year, Creekvale Ltd, has not objected to the revised plans.

Last year, Creekvale received permission from Dublin City Council to develop an eight-storey 273-bedroom hotel on the site of Begley’s Fruit Market on Dublin’s Arran Street East and Little Mary Street, despite an objection by Cathedral Lane.

Beannchor owner Bill Wolsey intends to operate Cathedral Lane’s newly-approved hotel under the Bullitt brand, which was launched in Belfast in 2016.

Vision Wave Venue

Vision Wave’s newly-approved proposed Dublin hotel is planned to be developed on the site of several existing buildings between Capel Street and Parnell Street.

It is planned to be seven storeys in height and include 94 bedrooms, a restaurant, a whiskey lounge, a wine cellar, a spa and a private rooftop lounge for residents.

Brian McGettigan received permission from An Bord Pleanála to develop a 65-bedroom hotel on the site in 2019, and subsequently submitted revised plans for approval to increase the room count of the proposed hotel to 121. These revised plans were rejected in Dublin City Council early last year, leading to the submission of the newly-approved plans for a 94-bedroom hotel.

Ringline Rejection

The approvals for the above hotels for the Capel Street area follow the recent refusal to grant Ringline Investments planning permission to develop a 142-bedroom hotel on the corner of Capel Street and Strand Street Little. One of the reasons given for the refusal to green light Ringline’s proposed hotel was an overconcentration of hotels in the area. However, the plans by Cathedral Lane and Vision Wave were submitted before Ringline submitted its plans.

Original article on hospitalityireland.com by Dave Simpson.

Fáilte Ireland announces details of new €55million business continuity scheme for the tourism sector and priorities for 2021 Key industry event ‘Survive to Thrive’ unveils

– €55million Tourism Business Continuity Scheme
– Heavyweight investment in domestic marketing
– Employee, business and sector supports
– Outdoor dining and urban animation investment
– Digital transformation programme

Fáilte Ireland has today (1st February) announced details of its new €55million Tourism Business Continuity Scheme. The announcement was made at a special virtual industry event watched by thousands of operators, providers and employers from across the tourism sector.

The allocation was secured by Minister Catherine Martin TD in Budget 2021 and Fáilte Ireland is responsible for developing and administering the scheme.

The scheme will support those tourism businesses that were not eligible for the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) payment or previous Fáilte Ireland continuity grant schemes.

The National Tourism Development Authority also announced its heavyweight domestic marketing plans, investment commitments in outdoor dining and urban animation and its strategic priorities for the year ahead. The event entitled ‘Survive to Thrive’, provided industry with details of Fáilte Ireland’s plans that will help support resilience and survival in the short term and the recovery of the sector in the long-term.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, Gaeltacht and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., delivered the keynote address. Welcoming Fáilte Ireland’s priorities, the Minister said:

“I welcome Fáilte Ireland’s action plans for 2021 which I am confident will have a positive impact on the industry and will be key to helping it survive and thrive in the year ahead. I allocated €55million to Fáilte Ireland for the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme as part of Budget 2021 and this will be important to help those strategically important tourism businesses that are ineligible for other supports. The Government will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and ensure that appropriate supports are in place. We are now developing tourism for survival through the pandemic and recovery in the medium and long term.” In his address, Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly announced the main priorities for Fáilte Ireland this year to support the tourism industry. Grant schemes to provide financial assistance, domestic marketing at national and county level, urban outdoor investment, business and employee supports with a special focus on mental health and a new digital transformation programme were unveiled.

Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, said:

“This has been the most challenging year tourism has ever faced. The sector’s revenue has declined by a massive €6billion and tens of thousands of jobs have been lost. We are launching the first phase of the €55million Tourism Business Continuity Scheme on February 11th. This will provide those tourism businesses who have not received support through the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) or previous Fáilte Ireland business continuity schemes, with direct financial assistance.
Domestic tourism will be the first to return and we plan to invest significantly in domestic marketing once domestic tourism can restart. Our research tells us that the ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign we launched prior to the COVID-19 pandemic resonates even more strongly with people now and we will be rolling the campaign out at both a national and county level to drive domestic tourism when the country re-opens.

We are also launching two new funding schemes in collaboration with our local authority partners to improve the quality of outdoor dining spaces in our key tourism destinations and enhance urban areas to make them more appealing to visitors.”

Fáilte Ireland has set out a number of key initiatives for 2021:

– A €55million Tourism Business Continuity Scheme1 to help tourism businesses offset fixed costs incurred in 2020 and support them to continue operating through 2021.

– Heavyweight investment in Domestic Marketing to drive domestic tourism once the country re-opens including county-specific campaigns and a focus on Dublin.

– Employee, business and sector supports on areas such as strategy and leadership, finance and cost efficiency, food and beverage innovation, maximising revenue and service excellence to drive performance and help businesses navigate the challenges they are facing, as well as wellbeing services to support employers and employees at this difficult time.

– The enhancement of urban areas through 31 Destination Town2 projects across the country and two new funding schemes – the Outdoor Dining Grant Scheme which will improve the quality of outdoor dining spaces and offer reassurance around safety and comfort, and the Urban Animation Grant Scheme to animate our cities and towns with innovative lighting and art installations.

– Preparing for the return of tourism by working with industry to build improved websites and online booking capability through a new digital transformation programme and continuing to keep Ireland front of mind for overseas buyers through a range of virtual sales events, including Meitheal, one of Ireland’s largest travel trade shows.

Original article on hotelandcateringreview.ie

Has this lockdown you yearning for dainty finger sandwiches, fluffy scones and mouth-watering desserts and treats? Fear not, this Valentines weekend, The Montenotte Hotel has a unique and exciting way for you to treat your loved one from the comfort of your own home.

We all know that Valentine’s weekend is always a romantic weekend in Cork and at The Montenotte Hotel they want to continue a great tradition and allow you still enjoy your weekend at home with some of their tasty delights.

The team at the hotel led by Executive Head Chef Tabrez Shaikh, have enhanced their very popular Call & Collect Afternoon Tea and created a specifically themed Pure Cork Valentines Afternoon Tea for you to enjoy with your loved one.

Like the real thing, this Pure Cork Afternoon Tea will be placed on a Valentines three-tiered carryout box. Priced at €55, it designed to lavishly delight two people, the perfect romantic treat.

The menu is an amazing blend of sweet and savoury and includes:

The Montenotte Valentines Battenberg, Panna Cotta with Kinsale Red Berry Mead, Rhubarb & Griottines Cherry Custard, Bertha Revenge Sloe Gin and Plain Scones. Crab Skagen with Butter Lettuce & Classic Marie Rose on Porter House Bread, Miso Slow Cooked Duck with Onion & Cranberry Jam, Mini Brioche and Ham and Cheese Heart with Bandon Vale Cheese, Homemade Celtic Root Chutney and Honey Baked Ham.

You can add a bottle of “LOUIS PICAMELOT, BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT NV FRANCE” all for €95 which is the perfect aperitif.

General Manager of The Montenotte Hotel Brian Bowler said, “We are delighted to be able to deliver on our promise to #stayunique by offering another way to celebrate Valentines weekend in the comfort of your own home and enjoy our themed afternoon tea. We hope it will provide comfort to those of you seeking a semblance of normality amidst the current restrictions. This special treat is the perfect thoughtful gesture for your loved one this Valentines weekend. We would dearly have loved to have you come and stay or just dine with us, but we will leave this for Valentines 2022.”

The Romantic Afternoon Tea for Call and Collect is available on Friday, Saturday & Sunday 12th – 14th February 2021 with collections from 12noon to 3pm daily. To book call 021 4530050 or visit TheMontenotteHotel.com

Another perfect Valentines Gift: The hotel currently has a package available to purchase as a gift voucher for your loved one this Valentines weekend. Just visit TheMontenotteHotel.com and select the “Romantic Getaway for 2” from their Voucher selection.

For more on The Montenotte Hotel visit TheMontenotteHotel.com

Original article on hotelandcateringreview.ie