Robert McHugh speaks to Gerard Moore, general manager of the Sligo Park Hotel, ‘in the heart of Yeats country.’
The Sligo Park Hotel is the top rated Sligo hotel on Tripadvisor as of this year. The four-star venue is located on the Wild Atlantic Way, just on the edge of Sligo town, with views of the Benbulben and Knocknarea mountains.
Gerard Moore has been general manager of the Sligo Park Hotel for more than 22 years. The Dublin man is also a board member and director of the Sligo Park Hotel and has been with the establishment for the past 32 years.
The Dublin man is married to Susan, who is a nurse specialist in Sligo University Hospital, and they have three children.
What was your first job in the hospitality industry, and how did that experience shape your passion and commitment to the field?
Originally from Balbriggan in Co. Dublin, I wanted to get into hospitality. Although we didn’t call it hospitality then, I knew I wanted to do something related to hotels and tourism.
I also wanted to go somewhere different so I applied for a course in Hotel Management at the then RTC in Galway. While I was completing my college course, which ran from 1987 to 1990, I worked in a number of hotels in Galway to gain experience and to pay my way.
This time working in Galway hotels made me realise that I wanted to make my career in hotels and it’s been a good life. It has brought its stresses with it, but it has also brought me a lot of excitement and joy.
Who was your first mentor in hospitality, and how did their guidance influence your growth and development as a hospitality professional?
When I came to the Sligo Park Hotel, I was interviewed by then general manager Martin Holohan and deputy manager Michelle Haugh and both of those people ended up being a huge support to me during my career.
Martin, who is now Chairman of the company which owns the Sligo Park Hotel and The Mespil in Dublin, always stressed the importance of delegation and having a strong management team behind you. He also gave me lots of invaluable advice on budgeting and finance.
Michelle took over as GM after Martin and she was excellent at driving high standards and cost control and was so focused on the importance of the guest and the continuous improvement of the hotel. In fact, it was great to see Michelle back recently when her daughter celebrated her wedding at the hotel.
Throughout my career, Lee Kidney former Chairman has been a great mentor and inspiration to myself and all the managers at the hotels owned throughout the years by the Kidney family. He has taught me to work with compassion and professionalism.
Can you elaborate on the factors that led you to decide on your career direction? Were there any influential individuals or experiences that encouraged you to take the route you have taken?
After my first year in college, my first placement was at a family-run hotel in Limerick which gave me a good, rounded experience. It was great to learn so much about how to run a family-orientated hotel.
My second-year placement was at a high-end chateau hotel in the French Alps, close to Geneva on the French/Swiss border. This was 1989 and it was a fantastic experience.
I always remember the Tour de France was on while I was there and we got swept up in it as it was the closest tour in history with Greg LeMond eventually overcoming Laurent Fignon. The job was tough also. It was a tough environment and it taught me a lot about how to manage staff and what it takes to create a high-end experience for customers.
Throughout your journey, could you walk us through the various roles you have held in your career and the significant lessons you have learned from each experience?
After my third year at college, I went to New York and worked in the kitchen at a luxury Long Island beach club. This was the summer of 1990 so I missed all the fun of Italia ’90 at home!!
The place was unbelievable and the members had direct access to the beach. It was the first time they had taken people from Ireland and they had come to the college to interview us. Twelve of us went and we had amazing fun. Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ was in the charts, Ireland and its fans were making a name for themselves at Italia ’90 and the Americans loved us Irish!!
Some of the members invited us to their homes and it was like another world. I loved it and often feel sorry I didn’t work in America for a while longer.
When I came back from the US, I secured an 18-month graduate management programme with Stakis Hotels in Scotland. I worked across three of their hotels. One in Glasgow city centre, one in a ski resort in Aviemore and also at an airport hotel. I really enjoyed Scotland but, in early 1992, I decided to come home.
I had three job offers - one in Dublin, one in Meath and one in Sligo. Although I had never been to Sligo before, I felt that the profile of the Sligo Park Hotel was a good fit for me. I got a good feeling at the interview and thought it would suit me, especially after studying in the West and my love of being close to the sea.
I started off as food and beverage manager before moving on to become deputy general manager and then finally general manager, where I have remained since.
In 2001, I graduated from the Dublin Institute of Technology Cathal Brugha Street with a honours MSc in Hospitality Management. If someone had told me then that I would have been here for 32 years, I would have laughed at them but now this is home for me and my family.
Which industry networks have you been a part of that have provided vital support and contributed to your career progression?
I am involved, and have been involved, in many organisations that are helping to develop the North West region and they have all given me back as much as I have given to them. This includes being co-chair and board member of the Sligo DEDP (Destination and Experience Development Plan) and board member of Ibec’s North West Regional Executive Council.
I am also a member of the Irish Hotels Federation and a board member of Sligo Tourist Development Association. Previous roles I have held that have been of benefit include President and board member of Sligo Chamber of Commerce, Chair and committee member of Sligo Tidy Towns, board member of Sligo Tourism and Fáilte Ireland North West, and board member of the Hawk’s Well Theatre.
As an avid GAA supporter, I am also the current Secretary of my local club - St. Mary’s GAA Club.
In your experience, what are the most significant challenges you have faced while working in the hospitality industry, and how did you navigate through them?
There have been numerous significant events that we have operated through from foot and mouth to ash clouds but the most significant has to be Covid-19.
The government supports to the industry during this time were very important and beneficial but the Sligo Park Hotel’s approach to safety and controlling numbers, once we were allowed to open the doors again, really benefited and we came out the other side successfully.
On a strategic level, Covid-19 allowed us to think about our business in a different way. It allowed us to review our ground-floor business and create a tighter strategy around that. It also sparked new ideas that have supported our business long term, such as building our beautiful Italian-designed luxury pergola.
We also had started refurbishing the hotel in 2016 and this continued at pace after the pandemic which meant we almost had a new hotel when we reopened.
Looking ahead, what are your career goals and aspirations, and how do you envision making a lasting impact in the hospitality sector?
One of the highlights of my career was getting the hotel to four-star status. Another significant milestone personally was achieving my master’s in Hospitality Management in 2001.
More recently in 2021 I completed a Strategic Leadership, Resilience and Innovation programme with Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Cornell University, USA.
Accolades like becoming No 1 Sligo hotel on Tripadvisor, getting certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ and having one of our staff members named National Employee of the Year at the Irish Hotels Federation Awards in 2024, have all been a huge sense of pride to me. Being recognised by Failte Ireland as an Outstanding Employer in their Business Excellence awards was also very rewarding.
I often say that the team at the Sligo Park Hotel is more like family than co-workers. We have managed to buck the trend in terms of retention with many of our staff celebrated annually for their length of service. It makes me proud that we have created the kind of atmosphere that makes people want to stay.
The hotel and hospitality industry is evolving all the time and I would like to be a key part of that, both in terms of my work in the hotel and by developing the North West region through my membership of various important business networks.
