What can Irish Design do for Tourism?

In the latest of her series on the Year of Irish Design and its importance for tourism, Aileesh Carew highlights the award for Design in Tourism at the inaugural Irish Tourism Awards.

In April, I was honoured to be involved in the inaugural Irish Tourism Awards, where the award for Design in Tourism went to Inis Meáin Restaurant and Suites. The judges’ comments described the remote destination as a high quality, genuinely Irish experience, attributes that are carried through in every detail, from the building itself to the food and services offered, the company’s website and their communications strategy.

This was a product that someone would travel half way around the world to enjoy. Inspired by their enthusiasm, I decided I had to try it myself and planned that my family and I would visit this summer. Imagine my surprise to find there were just two rooms available for the remainder of the season and, thanks to my husband’s GAA commitments, neither date suited, so it is now on the bucket list and I am eagerly awaiting the opening of their 2016 booking calendar.

The website is exquisite and convincingly sells a not inexpensive product, especially as there is a minimum stay of two nights required. In light of this example of the evident benefits that good design can bring to a business, this month’s article will explore the benefits of design to the hotel sector.

In a crowded market, design is an invaluable tool to differentiate one hotel from another and help guests make a choice. Guests are often willing to pay extra for good design. “The importance of individuality can make a big difference to your profit margin,” explained a spokesperson of Furniture Realm in a recent article on www.hotel-industry.co.uk. “Your clients are looking for that something special that appeals to them. It is vital for you to show them you are not a pack animal following the crowd - dare to be different!”

I interviewed Marie-Thérèse, one of the owners of Inis Meáin, on her background and experience of design in their business. Over the course of a very interesting conversation, she told me that the business was inspired by their desire to live on the beautiful island of Inis Meáin and the need to create a business there. Her husband Ruairí is the chef (and if I need another reason to lure my husband away from the GAA, the restaurant was selected as one of the 12 Best Restaurants (worldwide) by Nicholas Lander of the Financial Times in 2011).

Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites was created by Marie-Thérèse and Ruairí de Blacam with the aim of enabling guests to best experience their unique location. Eight years ago, Marie- Thérèse and Ruairí felt the market on Inis Meáin was already was well serviced with B&Bs and they needed to create something different.

Luckily, they both had a keen interest in design and wanted to do something very special and unique. What has been established has been born out of love, dedication, vision and lots of hard work. With such a short season, the couple double-jobbed for many years to make ends meet while they built up the business.

Their hard work has certainly paid off - the Aran Islands are already listed as a place of great natural beauty in every guidebook to Ireland, but this very special place has attracted travellers to the region who would never have heard of it or considered coming if it were not for such incredible accommodation and restaurant. As testament to the quality of their design offering, many of the guests are from the creative industry.

What makes this establishment so special, and differentiates it from all of the beautiful boutique hotels that have sprung up worldwide, is its contact with nature and a design ethos that suits its location.

According to the owners, every last detail comes from the surroundings – as just one example, the pattern in the stone walls inspired the logo of the business. Architect Shane de Blacam really understood the terrain and designed a place that would allow guests to truly engage with the spectacular landscape.

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http://www.irishdesign2015.ie/liminal/
http://www.irishdesign2015.ie/programme/single/appetite-for-design
http://wearedesigngoat.com/

* ID2015 is delighted that the inaugural Irish Tourism Industry Awards have included a special award to highlight good design in Tourism. For more information http://www.irishtourismindustryawards.ie/categories/

* Irish Design 2015 partners include Founding Partner - MCO Projects; Accommodation Partner - The Doyle Collection; Venue Partner - OPW; Exhibition Partners – DAA. Technology Partner - IBM

An overview of the core programme of events can be found at www.irishdesign2015.ie

Aileesh Carew is the Tourism Advisor for Irish Design 2015. Her role is to provide advice and management of the tourism programme for the year of Irish design 2015, to communicate and animate interest in the Year of Design – nationally & internationally - and engage with tourism industry partners to raise awareness for Irish Design 2015. She has spent most of her career managing hotels, most recently opening Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois, putting it on the international map as one of the best small hotels in Europe. A graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management, with an MBA from Copenhagen Business School and Business Management Coaching from Scandinavian Leadership, she loves to travel, read cookery books, occasionally cooking from them, eat out and spend time with her family.

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