A Grand Opening Of A Big Hotel On A Little Island!
CORK, Ireland, September 19, 2005. The ninth Radisson SAS Hotel on the island of Ireland, located in Little Island, Cork, has celebrated its official opening, attended by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Mr. Miche'al Martin T.D.
EUR37 million was invested in developing the 129 bedroom hotel which includes the 19th Century Ditchley House. 145 staff are employed by the hotel which aims to take 5% of the local market share in the next two years by placing its priority focus on the delivery of the highest standards of service.
Speaking at the Grand Opening Party on September 15th, Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment, Mr. Miche'al Martin T.D. said "The Radisson SAS' decision to come to Cork is very welcome indeed and reflects the strength of the city's economy and its attractiveness to successful multinationals around the world. I am sure that it will be a welcome addition to the hotel industry in Cork and bring with it the best of international experience and I would like to wish the management team and all the staff every success."
Executive Chef of the hotel, Ken O'Connell spent weeks arranging the Grand Opening Party which was attended by 1,500 people. Catering for the event was a significant undertaking and included preparing 4,000 hors d'oeuvres which takes two days. 60 additional staff were hired for the occasion including 15 extra chefs and one oyster opener to organize tasks which included folding 1,700 napkins in 14hrs!!
To celebrate the opening the senior executive team of Rezidor SAS Hospitality, the parent company of Radisson SAS, were in attendance including Mr. Kurt Ritter, Rezidor SAS President & CEO, Mr. Christian Gartmann, Area Vice President Rezidor SAS UK & Ireland and Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Vice President of Development, Rezidor SAS.
According to the General Manager, Mr. Ruairi O'Connor "Trading in the hotel since we opened has been extremely positive so the Grand Opening is a double celebration really. I would like to thank everyone who has supported the hotel to date and look forward to providing Cork with a new standard in hotel service."
The Radisson SAS Hotel & Spa is owned by local businessmen Rick Fitzgerald, Managing Director of the Oran Group and Des O'Dowd, Proprietor of Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa. It is located just 10 minutes from the City Centre and Cork International Airport. The property began trading on June 21, 2005.
The Retreat Spa & Fitness Centre with its specially designed hydrotherapy pool and nine treatment rooms is proving to be a big draw for the hotel, along with the Island Grillroom restaurant under the management of Executive Chef Ken O'Connell. The hotel also recently announced that all guests, with compatible laptops, can access the internet anywhere within the hotel free of charge - a European-wide initiative recently introduced by Radisson SAS hotels.
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