Gold Medal Hotel Awards 2025 Brochure

WELCOME

Welcome to the 2025 Gold Medal Hotel Awards, held in association with Hotel & Catering Review magazine.

Now in its 36th year, the Gold Medal Hotel Awards stand as the definitive hallmark of excellence, acknowledging and applauding the outstanding achievements within Ireland’s esteemed hospitality sector. This annual event serves as a testament to the industry’s unwavering commitment to high standards, innovation, and exceptional service. As we celebrate over three decades of recognising brilliance, the Gold Medal Hotel Awards underscore the pivotal role played by the hotel and catering sector in enhancing Ireland’s reputation as a toptier destination for hospitality. The awards showcase the industry’s resilience, dedication to quality, and its integral contribution to the nation’s thriving tourism landscape.

Judges for this year’s Gold Medal Hotel Awards received over 1,000 entries in total to consider, representing hotels, guest houses, country houses and castles across the country.

An essential factor in the prestige of the Gold Medal Hotel Awards is the credibility and impartial nature of the judging process. Every property that enters is subject to benchmarking against a strict set of criteria and a blind site inspection conducted by our judging panel. This panel comprises respected industry experts from across the hospitality sectors, ensuring that every accolade reflects a true standard of excellence.

“The Hospitality Sector in Ireland continues to evolve, rising to meet the expectations of an increasingly discerning guests. This year, the judging panel journeyed the length and breadth of the country, experiencing outstanding hotels, castles, and distinctive venues set within vibrant cities, regional hubs, and areas of breathtaking natural beauty. Time and again, it was the people behind these exceptional properties who truly stood out. This evening’s winners are recognised not only for the excellence of their offerings, but—more importantly— for their unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standards of customer service. We proudly commend all of tonight’s finalists for their passion, professionalism, and dedication to excellence.”

Dr Donagh Davern FIHI, Judging Panel Member

On behalf of everyone at the Gold Medal Awards, we would like to wish each of our finalists the very best of luck. We hope you have a wonderful evening celebrating in these truly magnificent surroundings. Your unwavering dedication, constant innovation, and hard work are a great credit to the industry, and we look forward to your continued success in the years to come.

Jill Thornton, Senior Events Manager

Trish Murphy, Sales & Sponsorship Director

The Ashville Events Team

Hotel ThankDrinkssponsors

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Enjoy our MULE OR FILLY as a toast to your achievements

IRELAND’S FOUR STAR HOTEL

IRELAND’S CASTLE & HERITAGE WEDDING

IRELAND’S GRAND WEDDING HOTEL - 101 PEOPLE OR MORE

IRELAND’S COUNTRY HOUSE / GUEST HOUSE EXPERIENCE

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR HOTEL BREAKFAST

IRELAND’S HOTEL BREAKFAST

Hotel

IRELAND’S CITY HOTEL

TOURIST HOTEL OF THE YEAR

CO.WATERFORD

IRELAND’S BEST HOTEL GROUP

IRELAND’S BEST FAMILY RUN HOTEL / HOTEL GROUP

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR HOTEL SPA EXPERIENCE

IRELAND’S BOUTIQUE HOTEL OF THE YEAR

IRELAND’S BUSINESS & CONFERENCE HOTEL

IRELAND’S FINE DINING HOTEL RESTAURANT

IRELAND’S FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTEL

IRELAND’S MENU PROVENANCE AWARD

The future of hotel booking technology

We stop at nothing to give your property an edge. For more than two decades we’ve been empowering Independent, Resort and Group hotels to grow their business through direct bookings.

Our entire product suite is built around your guests.

IRELAND’S GUEST EXPERIENCE

PERFORMANCE YOU

CAN TASTE

CELEBRATING IRELAND’S 5-STAR HOTEL CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE

Exceptional dining begins with exceptional tools. Brodericks and Victorinox deliver unmatched reliability and precision to the kitchens that set Ireland’s standards.

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR HOTEL

Hotel

IRELAND’S HOTEL CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE

IRELAND’S THREE STAR HOTEL

CO.WATERFORD

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR

Hotel

IRELAND’S CHEF OF THE YEAR

IRELAND’S FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM/ TEAM MEMBER

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR AFTERNOON

TEA HOTEL

Virgin Media Business wishes the best of luck to all finalists in the “Ireland’s 5 Star Resort” category.

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR RESORT

Sound to Light specialise in conferences and corporate events nationwide and we are delighted to be supporting the Virgin Media Gold Medal Awards again in 2026.

IRELAND’S FOUR STAR RESORT

Hotel

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR GUEST EXPERIENCE

IRELAND’S SMALL WEDDING HOTEL -

Behind every great experience

AI-powered intelligence across your whole property.

Digital Marketing

Website Design

Payments

Guest Engagement

Guest Voucher

Advanced C&B

Find out more

Check-in Kiosk Distribution PMS

Booking Engine

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR HOTEL

GREEN

IRELAND’S FIVE STAR

FINE DINING HOTEL

RESTAURANT

Hotel

IRELAND’S FAVOURITE PLACE TO STAY

We’re delighted to give the public the opportunity to recognise their favourite hotels right across the country. All hotels, country houses and guest houses that have been named as finalists are automatically included in this category.

This category is divided by province, sparking six weeks of intense public voting. While a winner will emerge from each province, only one property will walk away with the ultimate overall trophy by the end of the night.

IRELAND’S OUTSTANDING SERVICE

The Outstanding Customer Service award recognises a property’s focus on overall customer service. All hotels, country houses, guest houses and catering services were automatically added into this category.

The Judges analysed every aspect of the service provided to customers in terms of staff interaction and the services on offer, from check in to check out.

Particular attention was paid to:

• First impressions (standard of cleanliness, signage, access etc)

• Customer Awareness (acknowledgement of customers by staff including welcome, staff availability and presentation)

• Services (range of activities on offer, comfortable environment)

• Overall Experience (the customer experience and lasting impressions)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises and honors an individual’s outstanding contribution to the hospitality industry over a significant period of time. The recipients, chosen annually by the Judging Panel, will be held in high regard within the hospitality community and will have significant accomplishments in the hotel industry to their credit

IRELAND’S SUPREME WINNER

The Supreme Winner Award is the Irish hospitality industry’s highest accolade. The recipient of this award is chosen by the Gold Medal Awards Judging panel following a review of all winning entries in the awards this year.

The Supreme winner Awards acknowledges outstanding service and exceptional achievements within the Irish hospitality industry. The recipient of this award is and establishment that offers first-class hospitality, superlative customer experience, and stands out from the other prestigious awarded winners as a result of their dedication to the highest standards.

Hotel

THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 GOLD MEDAL HOTEL AWARDS JUDGING PANEL

The Gold Medal Hotel Awards simply wouldn’t be possible without the expertise and dedication of our esteemed judges. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the panel for taking time out of their demanding schedules to ensure every entrant was given the attention they deserve.

From meticulously reviewing every application to conducting on-site inspections across the country, their commitment was second to none. Narrowing down such a talented field to our finalists and winners was a monumental task—filled with deep analysis and more than a few passionate debates! Thank you for your integrity, your passion, and your tireless work.

Eamon Barrett

• Contributing Editor McKennas Guides to date

• National Judge, Restaurant Association of Ireland

• Owner, Altitude Waterford

Sue Campbell

• Food Service Consultant

Paula Carroll

• Former Director Marketing / Sales at Ashford Castle

John Carty

• Lecturer and Researcher, Atlantic Technological University (ATU)

Dr. Donagh Davern

• FIHI. Lecturer, Munster Technological University

Noreen Gannon

• Owner of Gallaghers Cork

• Owner Moody Cafe Vin Cork

Colin Gilligan

• Lecturer in Hospitality, ATU

John Healy

• General Manager at Sussey Street Restaurant and Bar

• Former Host ‘The Restaurant’ TV Show

Mark Howell

• COO - Martin Food Equipment

Mary O’Callaghan

• Lecturer on BA Culinary Arts, TU

Lucinda O’Sullivan

• Restaurant and Hospitality Critic, Sunday Independent

Patrick McArdle

• Food and Beverage Consultant

Shane McLave

• Managing Director

- Excel Recruitment

Eugene McSweeney

• Consultant Master Chef

Sybil Mulcahy

• Group Digital Editor DMG Media Ireland

Gina Murphy

• Chairperson of Tourist SOS, and a Board Member of Kylemore Abbey Trust

Maria Murphy

• Lecturer at GIHS, Atlantic Technological University (ATU)

Oliver Sheedy

• Catering and training consultant and national tour guide

Michael Vaughan

• Proprietor Vaughan Lodge Hotel

• Former President of the Irish Hotels Federation