The manager of the Galway Bay Hotel has said he was surprised to hear rumours that the hotel is in financial difficulty, given the fact that the hotel has seen a year on year increase in revenues despite the downturn. The Galway Bay Hotel is the latest in a series of businesses which have come forward to scotch rumours of their demise.
According to the hotel’s general manager, Dan Murphy, the hotel is bucking the trend and is enjoying one of the busiest post-Christmas periods in its 12-year history. The Galway Bay is one of the few hotels in the country that actually saw an increase in revenue last year.
“We are only a number of weeks into 2011 and we can see a 70 per cent increase in room sales versus this time last year, which incidentally, has been the most successful post Christmas period of selling since the hotel opened its doors in early 1998,” Mr Murphy said.
“The hotel has a diverse and extensive business base and, thanks to a very focused and direct sales and marketing strategy, our conference business is extremely healthy with significant two and three night national conference events being held throughout the 2011 conferencing season. Our wedding business, for which the Galway Bay Hotel has a fantastic reputation, is also a good news story. Already the hotel has more bookings for 2011 versus 2010 and we are still receiving tremendous levels of enquiry for 2011.”
Dan Murphy and the team in the Galway Bay Hotel are particularly looking forward to the next number of weeks when they will receive the much coveted EFQM award, a European Quality Mark of Excellence, initiated by Fáilte Ireland. Just two other hotels in the country have received this. This prestigious award mounts the Galway Bay Hotel on a platform with European blue chip companies such as Siemens and Volkswagen and more besides.
Following this the parent group, which includes the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone and the Sheraton Athlone Hotel, will receive the Delloite Best Managed Company Award for 2011, an award which recognises business excellence in all areas of the hotels. Mr Murphy said there is not a hotel in the whole of Ireland which can boast this level of success already in 2011.
There are currently 110 full time and 75 part time employees in the Galway Bay Hotel and the hotel is in the process of recruiting and interviewing more staff to deal with the business levels over the coming months.
