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Irish restaurants and hotels are struggling to cope with a flood of holiday bookings ahead of their busiest weekend of the year.
Some 50 million euros will be spent on hospitality over the next three days as people seek to make the most of Covid-19 restrictions that will be relaxed for the hospitality sector.
In Cork alone, about 10 million euros will be wasted as Irish independent a survey of several restaurants in the city revealed little or no availability in fine dining restaurants and pubs.
Data from the real-time online booking network Opentable.com also shows that many of Dublin’s most popular venues are fully booked tonight, with only limited outdoor seating available at some locations.
However, this occurs when the country faces icy, windy and humid conditions over the weekend.
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Martin McCAffrey, Owner of Hole in the Wall
But hospitality business owners, who have been desperate to open after eight turbulent months, anticipate profitable days.
The Hole in the Wall pub on Blackhorse Avenue in Dublin, a place famous for its spectacular Christmas decorations, is no longer accepting online reservations after its system crashed on Wednesday.
Owner Martin McCaffrey told this newspaper that they received more than 1,500 emails in two days from customers looking to reserve a table at the longest pub in Europe.
“We had to put two employees at the switchboard to call people and confirm reservations, it was crazy,” McCaffrey said.
The Shelbourne hotel, where a night will cost you around € 500, is fully booked for the weekend.
“Many choose to mark or celebrate Christmas at The Shelbourne and while this year the celebrations will be different and the gatherings smaller, our guests are happy to adapt their tradition as needed,” said Yvonne Donohue, Director of Sales and Marketing.
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Staff Lauran O’Reilly and Morad Gharib from Luigi Malones Restaurant, Cork City. Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney / Provision
This weekend will turn out to be one of the busiest of the year for the hospitality industry, as families and friends gather to celebrate the end of a six-week shutdown.
A Cork restaurant, Luigi Malones, revealed that it had all reservations available for dinner on Saturdays until the New Year ended in just three hours after its reservation system went live.
Luigi Malones general manager Morad Gharib admitted that they were surprised by the level of interest.
“We went ahead for reservations after it was confirmed that restaurants could reopen during the holiday season. It was absolutely crazy. We thought that the reservation system could fail because the demand was huge. “
Cork members of the Irish Hotel Federation, the Restaurant Association and the Cork Business Association said December 4-5 could become the most important business periods of the year for retailers affected by the pandemic.
A survey of ten Cork restaurants did not reveal a single reservation available for a Saturday night on December 5 and 12.
Many of Dublin’s most popular fine dining restaurants and bars are sold out tonight, with only limited outdoor seating available at some restaurants.
Cafe en Seine on Dawson Street received 140 reservations yesterday alone via Opentable.com.
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La Peniche restaurant manager Shiful Islam is shown ready for customers at the Grand Canal restaurant on Mespil Road. Image: Frank McGrath
Some business owners learned harsh lessons after the last reopening, and many lost out due to no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
La Peniche restaurant on the Grand Canal, like many other restaurants, now requires deposits.
“Since the restaurant is on a ship, we don’t store our food and we have to buy it fresh every day,” said the restaurant’s marketing manager Wayne Lawlor.
“The last time there were 11 no-shows and cancellations in one day and the owners lost a lot of money.”
Tony McMahon, who operates the Bellissimo restaurant in Waterford, said reservations have been heavy for Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sunday nights.
“One of the difficulties we have faced is that the table numbers are restricted to six, and many people want to reserve tables for eight, ten or 12 people,” he said. “Add to that the fact that many restaurants are already operating with limited capacity.”
Hotels are also seeing an increase in demand, despite being stalled by the inter-county ban that remains in effect until Dec. 18.
Honor Byrne, commercial director of the Cliff at Lyons Hotel in Kildare, said reservations “look great” for the weekend.
“We have a few rooms left but I think they will be full because there is so much interest. The people of Kildare are ready for a break or a night off after the lockdown, and they can’t wait to treat themselves or their loved ones before Christmas. “
Kingsley Hotel General Manager Fergal Harte said his Cork restaurant, Fairbanks, has been booked for every Saturday through the New Year.
“We are delighted because it has been much busier than expected,” he said.
Strong mid-week bookings have also been recorded for gatherings such as afternoon tea.
Harte said the reserve tsunami is being led by families who finally want to celebrate long-overdue birthdays, anniversaries, engagements and other special occasions.
Trigon Hotels director Aaron Mansworth said there have been heavy bookings of people eating and drinking, but overnight accommodation has been limited by a cross-country travel ban.
“We have had good reservations, but especially for after the December 18 period,” he said.
“About 70% of hotel bookings come from out-of-county customers, so the inter-county travel ban has obviously had an impact.”
Allen Flynn, one of the three Flynn brothers who owns The Flynn Hotel Collection, said they have been “overwhelmed by the response from our loyal guests and new customers.”
Successive closures have hit the local hotel industry in Galway.
But Padraig Lally, owner of the legendary Taaffes Bar on Quay Street, is optimistic for a busy December.
“It was strange, it was unsettling to see how quiet it was, particularly during the first lockdown, ”said Mr. Lally.
“It was like a ghost town. This weekend, you see, people are in stores. Galway is waking up again and it’s great to see. “
Paul Donnellan, the owner and head chef at Gemelle’s on Quay Street in Galway city center, says reservations have come in quickly.
“We open tomorrow and most of the weekend is already reserved. We must be very busy this weekend.
“People have been locked up for so long that they are dying to get out and we are dying to reopen.
“I think people will come out to support us. Most of our reservations are made online and I have seen them flow in the last few days. “
Adrian Cummins, executive director of the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI), said it has been a “hectic” few days as the hospitality sector prepares to reopen.
“December generally represents 30% of the hotel sector’s profits, so this weekend it will only represent 10%.
“We expect at least € 50 millions across the board. “
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