Stacey Bland, a conference and events executive at the Midlands Park Hotel of Portlaoise, Co. Laois, has been named the Irish Hotels Federation's (IHF) "National Employee of the Year".
This is the second year of the award, which celebrates hotel employees who the IHF find have made an outstanding contribution to their workplace.
In a statement on the IHF website, the federation's president, Michael Lennon, said, "Ireland’s tourism and hospitality industry relies heavily on the consistent delivery of a quality product. This award provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate our appreciation for the valuable contribution that hotel team members make each day in providing a world class hospitality product."
An Employee Who "Stood Out In Every Way"
IHF members can nominate a candidate from their hotel/guesthouse to go forward for their regional branch award. When nominating Bland, management at the Midlands Park Hotel asserted that "from her very first day, Stacey stood out in every way, from her friendly smile to her interaction with customers. She truly believes in the values of our business by going the extra mile to ensure our guests have a memorable experience."
The award was adjudicated by an independent panel of judges chaired by Dr. Tony Lenehan from the Centre for Competitiveness and COTRI (Ireland).
The other shortlisted nominees for the award were:
• Beatrice O’Donoghue of the Sandymount Hotel, Dublin
• Martin O’Donnell of The Twelve Hotel, Galway
• Gordon Kavanagh of the Talbot Hotel, Wexford
• Monica Heavenor of Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel, Co. Limerick
• Maura Casey of Aghadoe Heighs Hotel, Co. Kerry
• Sharon Heneghan of Johnstown Estate Hotel, Co. Meath
• Michelle Kilcoyne, Breaffy House Hotel, Co. Mayo
• Donna Hennessy, Castlemartyr Resort, Co. Cork
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
