Veronica Mc Crone celebrates 30 years service at Bloomfield House Hotel in April. Who would have believed as she set out to work in April 1980, that 30 years later she would still be making that same journey.
Veronica is married to James McCrone, who works for Westmeath County Council at Belvedere House & Gardens. She has one son and one daughter, but only her son has followed her footsteps into the industry, having spent time in the bank only to leave for a career in hotels. In a funny turn of events, Veronica’s daughter, who claims to have got sense, started her career in hotels and now works for the bank.
Veronica’s love, second to James, is her work, tending diligently to the top table at all weddings. The phrase “hundreds of wedding to go to” has a different meaning for Veronica.
Outside of the hotel, her passion is fashion, and high heels and designer outfits are her weakness, or so her husband says. This is something she inherited from her late mother who never left the house without her heels.
Veronica McCrone is part of the very colourful history of Bloomfield House. The house, was originally used as a romantic dower house to celebrate the marriage of Dora Bloomfield to George Rochfort, second Earl of Belvedere. In 1932, the Bloomfield property was donated to the Missionary Franciscan nuns. The sisters accepted this gracious donation and set up a convent and school at Bloomfield, which they held until 1979. Veronica is looking forward to welcoming back past pupils from the school for their reunion, which takes place on September 4.
Bloomfield House was acquired by a group of local businessmen who saw great potential in the property as a hotel and transformed the building and grounds into a 29-bedroom hotel. Veronica joined the original team who had just opened the hotel to lay the groundwork in establishing Bloomfield House Hotel as the leading midlands hotel.
Veronica has seen many changes to the hotel. In 1998 the hotel increased in size from its original 29 bedrooms to 65 with the addition of a state of the art leisure club and spa. Further renovations began in 2004, which involved renovating the lobby, bar, restaurant, and bedrooms. The work also included the addition of a new carvery and 46 bedrooms including executive and presidential suites bringing the total to 111, marking the beginning of a new era for this most historic of manor houses.
Veronica has noticed the many changes in traditions, dress, and the whole wedding scene. Standard setups, paper napkins, and grapefruit segments have being replaced with chair covers and bows, linen napkins, and elaborate menus.
A dedicated team complements the facilities at Bloomfield House Hotel. The management are proud to have members of staff working with the company for 30 years and also a large numbers of long-serving staff who have loyal and dedicated service.
Regular guests are welcomed back by many familiar faces. The family atmosphere and camaraderie of the staff is reflected in the many positive comments from guests complimenting the friendliness and warmth of the staff.
“Providing the highest standards of customer service, excellent food, and value for money has always being our utmost priority over the past 30 years,” explains Veronica.“This is a tradition we aim to keep.”
