Robert McHugh speaks to Aidan Donohue, the general manager of Radisson RED Galway, ‘an excellent fit for this famously cultural city.’
Radisson RED Galway opened earlier this month, to much fanfare. The city’s trendiest new venue aims to incorporate art, music and fashion, to create an unparalleled atmosphere of modernity and sophistication.
Born in Galway, Aidan Donohue has been appointed general manager of the four-star luxury hotel. In this interview, he discusses how it feels to return to his native city.
Please tell us about Radisson RED in Galway.
The most noteworthy point is that it is the first Radisson RED in Ireland.
The brand was established in 2015. The concept is that its brand pillars are based around art, fashion and music. It’s very contemporary, stylish, and a great fit for a strongly cultural city like Galway.
Our lower ground floor of the hotel is dedicated to meetings and events, consisting of 400 square metres. We have nine meeting rooms in total – a mix of boardrooms and training rooms. The Tribe Suite is our largest event space, catering for up to 220 guests, with an adjacent breakout area and bar.
We are located just two kilometres from Galway city centre, surrounded by lots of businesses, so there is a demand for a hotel to accommodate and cater to that corporate market in Galway.
What has excited you the most since opening?
I hadn’t worked in an operating hotel for a couple of months, and you really miss interacting with the guests. You miss welcoming them through the doors. People have a good time in hotels. They are making memories and really enjoying what’s on offer.
That has been the biggest pleasure for me, as well as seeing the new team come together. Every person that comes to be a part of our team gets to know each other while finding their own rhythm.
The last day before opening was a real push to the finish line. Everyone was pulling together. The camaraderie you get in hotels, you really don’t get anywhere else.
Please tell us about your own background – where you grew up, studied, etc.
I grew up about 20 minutes from here, in the town of Loughrea. It is a small town with couple of local hotels in it.
I started working in the local hotel, the Loughrea Hotel & Spa. It had just been redeveloped at the time. I was there when I was 16, collecting glasses, doing odd jobs and a bit of bar work. I always enjoyed the buzz and variety of what went on in a hotel.
I repeated my Leaving Certificate while in Loughrea. I wanted to be a construction teacher – that was the dream, what I wanted to do. I repeated my Leaving Cert to get the points. The points went up, and I didn’t get it. I suppose I was an accidental hotelier. Someone else had a plan for me that I didn’t know about!
I studied in University of Limerick, where I did a BA in business, marketing, and related support services. During that time, I had an internship role with Castletroy Park Hotel, in Limerick, while at the university. I think I was involved in every department! I was the food-and-beverage manager, conference banqueting manager, and deputy general manager.
During Covid, I got a role as general manager at the Athlone Springs Hotel, in Roscommon, where I worked for four years. This was a great all-round experience.
It is great to come back to Galway for this new role. I have family here. Galway is home. It is lovely to be back.
What first drew you to hospitality?
There was one moment I recall, when I was 17, in the first hotel I ever worked in. It was manic at the time. The place was crazy. It was the organised chaos of it. There was a real buzz and a sense of adrenaline around it. People were having a good time. There was never a dull moment.
It is great to be with people during their special moments. You are really on the inside. I am a people person – I really love people. I couldn’t imagine sitting in an office all day long. I have an office here in the hotel that I haven’t sat in for four weeks!
Have you had any mentors who have inspired you along the way?
There have been many strong leaders within the various hotels that I have worked in.
Since joining Radisson RED Galway, Madeline Riley, our CEO, has been a real driving force. She is an incredible leader, inspiring, and very dedicated in what she does.
What makes a great hotel?
It’s all about the people. If the people are right, everything else will come. That is my own belief. People always remember people.
The warmth that you can extend to a guest as they walk through the door, making them feel welcomed and ensuring their experience is a memorable one, is so important. If the culture is right, you can achieve anything.
In Radisson, one of the main pillars of the brand is to say, ‘Yes, I can.’ We actually have mandatory training around ‘Yes, I can.’ It’s about going the extra mile.
We always endeavour to do what we can for a guest. If you forget your tie going into a function, we will take off our own and give it to you.
What are the major challenges at the moment?
The ever-increasing cost of doing business. So many smaller businesses and the exceptional industry professionals working within them are facing that challenge.
The VAT rate has had a massive effect on these businesses, and even larger players. That is a huge challenge, along with food costs and insurance costs.
I was at a career day at a university for hospitality recently. What struck me from speaking to the lecturers that day was that attracting young people into the industry has become more and more difficult. Attracting young Irish people into the industry is a real challenge.
What are the main opportunities?
The main opportunities for our hotel are that we have an amazing, €45 million, brand-new, state-of-the-art hotel with 400 square metres of dedicated meeting and event space, along with 177 bedrooms.
With our location, on this side of town, the demand was there, and it is great for the local community, who have been really welcoming to us. We have had lots of local businesses popping in with gifts and best wishes for us. There is definitely an opportunity for us to welcome our local business community and economy by using our local suppliers.
We have 100 people employed in this hotel. It’s really had a positive impact on the area. We are part of the Crown Square development, which is a 12.6-acre site with 280 apartments and five office blocks.
For local people coming in, we have a stunning rooftop restaurant. The hotel is built on a hill, and Lena’s Rooftop Bar & Restaurant is on the top floor, with panoramic views of Galway.
There is loads going on. This is somewhere where we want people to come, stay, enjoy and celebrate together.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I love trying new restaurants. I like cooking at home as well. It is great to be at home with my family and cook a nice meal, with a good glass of wine.
I like hillwalking. It is great for headspace in an industry that is so full-on. You have to take care of yourself and relax a little bit.
What are your plans for Christmas?
I’m cooking for ten this year! All the family will be around the table – nieces, nephews, everything in between.
I am hoping for a nice, calm Christmas, with the fire on and a good dinner.
