The chief executive of the Irish Hotel Federation has said that hotels and guesthouses are “struggling to cope” with a two-speed recovery in the sector.
In today’s 9 at 9: Some good news as VAT is lowered; a twist in the Strauss-Kahn case; new developments in the Race for the Áras; and who is a “snotty Miss Fancy Pants”?
Nine things you need to know by 9am: The fallout from the Moriarty report continues; an 8,000 page file on Anglo goes to the DPP and there are calls for a class action suit against the state and its banks by beleaguered homeowners.
HOTEL CHAIN Crowne Plaza has introduced grass to its meetings rooms in a bizarre move to increase creativity.
The chain is rolling out turf based floors across its hotels in the UK and Ireland. The chain’s Northwood Hotel in Dublin will have a grass meeting room available at no extra cost all this week. A spokeswoman for Corwne said that staff will water the grass each evening and that all the usual meeting room facilities will remain the same.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph Angela Whitlock, author of Walk on the Grass, said: “Research has shown that by the age of 25, as much as 98% of our creativity has vanished.
“The look and feel of the grass is said to remind guests of their childhood and therefore free them of societal barriers that restrict creativity.
“Crowne Plaza’s initiative is perfect because it breaks down the self-imposed rules that prevent us from achieving our full potential.”
Lets hope they turn on the air conditioning – we don’t want wet feet and a ‘grassy arse’.
A RECEIVER has been appointed to the company running the well-known Osprey Hotel and Spa in Naas – just a month after another famous Midlands hotel, the Heritage in Killenard, suffered the same fate.
A receiver was appointed to Naas Developments Limited, who operate the 104-room hotel, conference centre, leisure centre and spa, as well as the well-known ‘Time Bar and Venue‘ nightclub.
The receiver, Paul McCann, has been put in place by AIB bank which is owed money by the company. The bank has appointed Hotel Asset Management Services Ltd as the business’s operator for the time being.
It is not believed that there is any threat to the 150 jobs at the hotel.
The hotel will continue to honour all bookings, whether for rooms, conferences or weddings, until further notice.
A MOTION OF no confidence in the Minister for Justice will be debated in the Dáil next week with Fianna Fáil claiming Alan Shatter’s position is now “untenable”.
The opposition party has been fiercely critical of the Fine Gael deputy’s handling of an ongoing row with Independent TD Mick Wallace.
“The Minister has shown extremely poor judgement of late. In particular, he used private information he received from the Garda Commissioner to undermine an opposition TD on Prime Time last week,” Niall Collins charged.
Shatter is currently facing two investigations by the Data Protection Commissioner and the Standards in Public Office Commission over his actions. He was also forced to clarify the nature of an incident where he was breathalysed by gardaí but could not complete the test because of asthma.
Although the motion of no confidence is unlikely to pass (as the government can table a counter-motion), TheJournal.ie wants to know what you think. Is Alan Shatter’s position as minister untenable?
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