HENRY DALY ORLA McCABE

Killashee Hotel

Glandore

ACTIVITY We had a very successful 2022 for our meeting room offering. A lot of our regular customers returned and we also had new business from companies that had switched to fully remote operations and require a base to bring teams together once or twice a month.

FACILITIES We have upgraded our video conferencing and AV services within all of our buildings and meeting rooms to allow our clients to host a mix of in-person and virtual meetings.

TRENDS Many of our clients hire our meeting rooms for days at a time and they want to ensure that the food and beverage offering for employees or clients is of the highest quality. Our busiest days are Tuesday to Thursday, with a lot of people still working from home on Monday and Friday.

TIPS The longer the lead time the better, but we are also geared up to accommodate bookings that come in up to 24 hours in advance. We cater mainly to corporates so they are usually very well organised.

OUTLOOK Our expectation is that business will increase in 2023 as more and more employees start to return to the office more regularly. We provide collaboration space as well as our meeting rooms, and that side of our business has become very popular for brainstorming sessions.

ACTIVITY In April 2022 Killashee Hotel became the sixth hotel in FBD Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio of luxury four-star superior hotels and resorts. The €3m initial investment into the hotel encouraged further growth.

For meetings and events, there was a slow start to 2022 and then business came back strongly. Our bright, airy meeting rooms and large grounds for delegates to enjoy during breaks and outdoor space for team building activities really helped encourage business in 2022.

FACILITIES We installed a studio to host virtual events, which helped drive business throughout 2021 and into 2022. This year will see a continuation of investment in our conference facilities, and AV systems in all our meeting rooms were recently upgraded.

TRENDS Clients are looking for natural ventilation and large rooms to allow additional space for delegates. Outdoor areas for coffee breaks and outdoor team building events have become more attractive for events. We are now catering for more outdoor dining events such a barbeques and outdoor networking events.

We have adapted our food offering to include more individual portions and selections rather than shared platters. There is also a trend of the meeting duration becoming shorter. What would have been a two-day meeting is being done within one day.

TIPS Obtain the dates first, then adjust the requirements and finer details of the event as you gather more information.

OUTLOOK We expect trading to be significantly increased for 2023 as the conference business is strong. International markets have started to recover which is an area Killashee is competitive in.