8 November 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The team at the 4 star Carrigaline Court Hotel are celebrating the silver anniversary milestone, with the hotel being open 25 years this November.
To celebrate, the hotel is offering 25% off bedrooms on certain stay dates across weekends in November, including Saturday 11th November, the date when the Collins family first opened the hotel at the heart of the Carrigaline community back in 1998. The hotel is also celebrating on the day by offering 25% off to customers who dine in the Bistro restaurant on the evening, or who have breakfast in Collins Bar in the morning.
Carrigaline has changed immensely in 25 years, and is now the largest town in County Cork, with the hotel at the physical and social centre of a thriving population of over 18 thousand people. Some things however, remain unchanged. Remarkably, the hotel still has 5 members of staff who have been on the books since the opening day, tallying 125 years of service between them. Orla McKenna, Barry Duggan, Eilis Howard, Keith Collins, and Kate Goulding are all celebrating 25 years in employment with the hotel.
Working across various departments, the team have noticed huge changes in both the hotel and development of the town. Kate Goulding, Head Receptionist and a native of Carrigaline recollects: ‘I remember hearing about the hotel opening on the old pottery site, which created a great buzz around the town. I was working in a B&B at the time in Cork, but being from Carrigaline, the hotel offered a great opportunity for me to develop my career, and I knew of the Collins family from their involvement in Supervalu and how supportive they were to the community. We had about 2 weeks training, and I remember fondly the buzz around the place during the opening day, and even the name of the first customer that checked in!’
The hotel has gone from strength to strength, with an extension to the bedroom wing occurring a few years later in 2003 to bring the hotel up to 91 bedrooms. In 2019, the hotel undertook a multimillion Euro refurbishment project, with continual investment being undertaken to this day, and spend currently exceeding €6m. In recent years, the hotel has opened Sallys Tea Room, the new look Bistro Restaurant, and has recently revamped its Alders Suite Ballroom and leisure facilities.
Jerry Healy, General Manager of the Carrigaline Court comments: ‘I have been with the hotel for the past 15 years, and its fantastic to see how both Carrigaline and the hotel have developed over time. We are delighted to celebrate such a milestone, and want to reward both regular and new guests by offering a fantastic 25% off across a range of our Food and Beverage and Accommodation products.
Peter Collins, Managing Director of the hotel, adds: ‘The fact that 5 members of our staff have been with us since day 1 speaks volumes of the team culture at the Carrigaline Court Hotel. We are proud to support over 140 staff from the community in full and part time employment, and have been accredited by Failte Ireland with their ‘Employers Excellence’ programme, recognising our efforts in supporting and developing the growth of the team at the hotel.