Giving your business the edge

Receiving the Business Excellence Award were (l. to r.): David and Linda McConn, The Dualway Group; Tony Lenehan, Fáilte Ireland; Nicola Slyne and Rory Concannon, Delphi Mountain Resort.

Twelve tourism establishments receive award

Fáilte Ireland’s Optimus Awards for quality and efficiency held in Dublin
 

Delphi Mountain Resort, Connemara and The Dualway Group in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, was amongst a group of 12 tourism establishments honoured at the Fáilte Ireland Optimus Awards held today in Dublin’s Clontarf Castle Hotel. These top tourism establishments received the ‘Business Excellence Award’ as special recognition for their ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and a first class customer experience.

The Optimus programme, developed by Fáilte Ireland, aims to help tourism establishments - including hotels, restaurants and other tourism providers - 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. 

Speaking today, Tony Lenehan, Head of Food, Hospitality and Standards, Fáilte Ireland, congratulated the award winners:

“These 12 achievers have undergone a full assessment based on the Optimus framework. This assessment confirms the performance of these organisations and their ability to embed the principles of continuous improvement across their business while transforming these principles into tangible results.

Today’s recipients are located throughout the country, representing seven counties in all, and reflect well on the tourism industry’s willingness to embrace change and innovation towards self-improvement. I would like to commend your willingness to take on Optimus at a challenging time for tourism. For our part, we in Fáilte Ireland are committed to working with you and others in the industry to overcome the challenges posed by the current economic climate." 

He continued: “The evident drive and commitment of all today’s winners is very clearly demonstrated by this award. They deserve to be proud of the results they have delivered in raising the profile of quality management within the Irish tourism industry.”

The individual performances of the award winners reflect well on the tourism industry’s willingness to embrace change and innovation towards self-improvement by providing a practical approach to improving the quality, value and delight that visitors experience during their stay in Ireland. 

Rory Concannon, Delphi Mountain Resort, Connemara, Co. Galway, said:

“The Optimus programme, through Fáilte Ireland, is an extraordinary programme that takes a 360 degree look at the business. We managed to restructure the whole company and we are focused now on continuous improvement as a result of successfully completing it. The programme helps us to deliver 100% on the promises we give to our customers, our staff and our suppliers. Our employees are focused on our vision and mission. I cannot emphasise enough how much it means to us and we now look at the business differently but we have managed to keep our ethos and philosophy at the same time. There is more team unity and morale is at an all time high. I would highly recommend the Optimus programme to any tourism establishment.”

David McConn, Director, The Dualway Group, said:

"The achievement of Business Excellence is one of a number of great results The Dualway Group has experienced since adopting the Optimus model of excellence tool in mid 2009. The potential of Dualway's management team and staff has grown ten-fold since first embarking on the Business Excellence journey - we are more united, more dynamic and more innovative - serving us well at a time when the Irish tourism industry's faces its greatest challenges." 
 

ENDS

Notes for editor

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