The JP McManus-owned Adare Manor hotel and golf resort in Co Limerick will step up its staff recruitment programme this week in advance of its re-opening in November following a multi-million euro refurbishment.
The resort will host three separate recruitment days in Adare over the coming week seeking staff across a number of departments, including food and beverage, chefs, housekeeping, and front of house.
The five-star hotel has been closed for the past 16 months to allow for a major restoration of the property, including the addition of 42 bedrooms.
Adare Manor's chief executive Colm Hannon said the resort's senior management team is already in place and the group now wanted to begin filling other roles.
Some 350 staff will be employed at Adare Manor when it opens, and Mr Hannon said training of between four and eight weeks would be offered to the new recruits depending on their roles.
"We'll be starting to open in October . . . it'll be a soft opening to make sure that everything is running smoothly before we open fully for paid guests in November," he told The Irish Times.
Bookings
Mr Hannon said the resort would fill as many staff roles as possible locally but “for certain positions, we will have to go further afield”.
In terms of advance bookings, he said Adare Manor already had 28 weddings confirmed for the newly-refurbished hotel. “The wedding market is very important to us,” he said.
He attributes this strong level of bookings largely to its new ballroom, which enjoys a riverside location and can now cater for up to 350 guests. “The overwhelming response is that this is a wonderful new facility.”
The hotel’s website is currently taking bookings for rooms from November 23rd, with rates ranging from €325 for a “classic king room” to €1,995 for a “signature suite”.
60,000 visitors expected
Situated close to the village of Adare, the resort is estimated to contribute more than €15 million to the local economy annually, with its owners expecting to attract 60,000 visitors annually.
Mr Hannon said it was targeting visitors in Britain, the US and continental Europe. “We’ve had a lot of interest in the product and we’re very optimistic for next year.”
Adare Manor was acquired by Mr McManus and his family in 2014 and earlier this year the Limerick businessman revealed that he’d like to bring the Ryder Cup to the resort, possibly as early as 2026.
