Michael Rosney
MY WIFE, Geraldine, and I opened Killeen House Hotel in Killarney in 1992. We have 23 bedrooms. Over the past couple of years we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Irish guests, which is terrific, because it helps balance up an even more dramatic decrease in the number of overseas visitors.
In 32 years in business this is the most difficult trading environment I’ve ever encountered. Things are tough, but no more so than in any other sector. Tourism is a great barometer for the wider economy.
We live a couple of minutes’ drive from the hotel and I get here between 8am and 9am. My first job is to make sure the guests are all happy. Ours is a real Mom-and-Pop operation so loads of our time is spent meeting and greeting. Then it’s a question of sorting arrivals and departures, and checking correspondence to see if there are any special arrangements to be made, tours to be booked, transport to be organised or dietary requirements to meet.
It’s a seasonal job in that we open from April to October and work a seven-day week during that time. The rest of the year we boogie! We travel a lot, for a start.
We visit somewhere new every year and also like to go the US every year. It’s an unorthodox schedule, but it works for us.
During the season we work a split shift so we’ll finish up at 1pm and head home. I’ll either doze on the couch or play nine holes of golf before heading back to the hotel around 6pm.
I adore the hospitality sector but the downside is the absolute drudge of the paperwork that comes at you from all directions. I’ll have to spend some time getting on with that.
In the evenings our restaurant is open to both guests and non-residents so we’ll be busy seeing to that. We get a lot of people coming for special occasions. If it is, for example, an anniversary we’ll take one of the kids off to the kitchen and dress them up as a chef, so they can present their parents with a special anniversary cake.
Our aim is to have guests have a smile on their face even after paying the bill. It’s all about the satisfaction of the guests. We’ll stay at the hotel as long as is required but most nights we’d be home by midnight. It’s a hard day but satisfying. I’ll be in bed by half past midnight and I sleep as well as any businessman in Ireland right now.
- Michael Rosney is the owner of Killeen House Hotel. See killeenhousehotel.com
- In conversation with Sandra O'Connell