Westport’s Plaza marked for excellence

Westport’s Plaza marked for excellence


Áine Ryan

WESTPORT’S luxury Plaza Hotel was last week honoured at the prestigious FΡilte Ireland Optimus Awards, held in Galway. The hotel, which is owned by the Corcoran family, received the Mark of Best Practise in recognition of their  ‘ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and business excellence.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Mr Tony Lenehan, of FΡilte Ireland said: “I would like to congratulate the Westport Plaza Hotel on their achievement. Not just on the accolade that they have received today but on their business acumen which has seen them embrace a management framework that brings tangible business benefits.”
He announced that the 20 winners hailed from establishments right around the country – from 12 counties in all – and, therefore, reflected well on ‘the tourism industry’s willingness to embrace change and innovation towards self-improvement’.
Responding afterwards, Ms Sinead Conway, Deputy General Manager of the hotel, told The Mayo News that:  “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award. It allows us to become more customer-focused, efficient and competitive, which is essential in the current climate.”
Commenting on the significance of Optimus in the current difficult trading climate, Mr Redmond O’Donoghue, Chairman of FΡilte Ireland, told participants: “I would like to commend your willingness to take on Optimus at a challenging time for tourism. This demonstrates your ability to embrace challenges and deal with them proactively.  For our part, we in FΡilte Ireland are committed to working with you and others in the industry to overcome the challenges posed by the current economic climate.” 
“Indeed, 2010 will see us enhancing our level of practical business support offered to tourism enterprises,” he added.

Optimus Programme
THE Optimus programme is a national quality standard and business improvement tool for the Irish tourism industry. The programme helps enterprises understand their performance and assists in the identification of establishing priorities.
Established in 2004, the programme helps tourism establishments – including hotels, restaurants and visitor centres – achieve excellence in every aspect of their business by providing a practical approach to improving the quality, value and delight that visitors experience during their stay in Ireland.