The second annual Irish Hospitality Perspectives Conference by Cliste Hospitality informs with key learnings for the year ahead with 78% of attendees confident about the Irish hospitality sector for the coming 12 months
Cliste Hospitality brought together an audience of hoteliers, investors, banks, and other key tourism industry stakeholders at their second annual conference on Thursday October 19th at Dublin Royal Convention Centre, with a full house of almost 400 industry professionals. With a theme this year of Embracing The Future, exploring significant areas of discussion and disruption across hospitality, the focus was firmly on AI, sustainability and future technologies with John Mullins, Executive Chair at Amarenco, an independent green energy producer, highlighting the need for a coherent national energy policy.
With a thoughtful and focused series of curated panel discussions, talks and presentations MCed by Anton Savage, Paul Armstrong, the future technology advisor who is a trusted voice for some of the world’s leading global media outlets, gave a useful and frank presentation on the short term impact of AI in hospitality encouraging attendees to be bolder, figure out the first thing to be solved in their business with AI, start small and expand from there. Speaking after the conference Paul said, “AI has the potential to make and save the Irish hospitality industry hundreds of millions of euros when applied sensibly. The challenge to the companies is to focus on the right jobs for AI to be applied to both inside and outside their businesses. Most of all, the opportunity to be bold and show the world what great Irish hospitality can look like with AI is one not to be squandered.”
There were a series of polls taken throughout the day using the Slido App with 54% of attendees saying they already use AI in their business to some extent, 21% saying they never use it and 25% reporting they rarely use it.
The afternoon session included a Hospitality Experts panel with John Brennan, Chairman of Klarnet Hospitality and former CEO of Amaris Hospitality and Jury’s Inn, Geraldine Rosney, former proprietor of the award-winning Killeen House Hotel, Killarney, Mary Fitzgerald, founder and director of Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel, Adare and Pat McCann, former CEO of Dalata with the key take away being that AI can co-exist with traditional human aspect of hospitality.
“We are really happy to have a full house and with the level of positive feedback from attendees,” said Paul Fitzgerald, CEO of Cliste Hospitality, after the event. “The engagement throughout the day with each panel discussion and presentation produced some great learnings, particularly around AI and future technologies (opportunity to add some info from the day here). Building on last year’s inaugural conference, we feel that we have achieved this conference’s goal of helping attendees to have a clearer view of both the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead for hospitality on this island.”
“We were delighted to deliver this second annual conference to our industry colleagues and to build a panel of speakers that could really tackle the theme this year of Embracing The Future,” said Sean O’Driscoll, Director of Hotels, Cliste Hospitality. “It has been an extraordinary few years for the industry and we understand that there are still many challenges ahead, but we hope that attendees have left today feeling they have a deeper understanding of how technology can help their business and understand also where caution is advised.”
Clistehospitality.ie
Notes to editor:
Full Slido poll results from the day
| Poll Question | Poll Option | Results Percentage |
| How would you rate your confidence in the Irish Hospitality Sector in the next 12 Months? | Confident | 78% |
| How would you rate your confidence in the Irish Hospitality Sector in the next 12 Months? | Very Confident | 21% |
| How would you rate your confidence in the Irish Hospitality Sector in the next 12 Months? | Not Confident | 1% |
| Given the ongoing challenges with the supply of Hotel Rooms in Ireland. What is your prediction on Hotel Room supply in the next three years? | There will be more Hotel Rooms | 70% |
| Given the ongoing challenges with the supply of Hotel Rooms in Ireland. What is your prediction on Hotel Room supply in the next three years? | There will be less Hotel Rooms | 11% |
| Given the ongoing challenges with the supply of Hotel Rooms in Ireland. What is your prediction on Hotel Room supply in the next three years? | Same number of Hotel Rooms | 19% |
| Are you currently using AI in your business? | Always | 5% |
| Are you currently using AI in your business? | Very Often | 16% |
| Are you currently using AI in your business? | Sometimes | 33% |
| Are you currently using AI in your business? | Rarely | 25% |
| Are you currently using AI in your business? | Never | 21% |
| Do you believe Artificial Intelligence will negatively impact the delivery of Traditional Hospitality? | Strongly Agree | 6% |
| Do you believe Artificial Intelligence will negatively impact the delivery of Traditional Hospitality? | Agree | 17% |
| Do you believe Artificial Intelligence will negatively impact the delivery of Traditional Hospitality? | Disagree | 61% |
| Do you believe Artificial Intelligence will negatively impact the delivery of Traditional Hospitality? | Strongly Disagree | 16% |
| What do you think is the one key thing hospitality businesses need to focus on to be successful in the current climate? | Recruitment & Retention | 39% |
| What do you think is the one key thing hospitality businesses need to focus on to be successful in the current climate? | Enhancement of Guest Experience | 33% |
| What do you think is the one key thing hospitality businesses need to focus on to be successful in the current climate? | Managing Cost Inflation | 23% |
| What do you think is the one key thing hospitality businesses need to focus on to be successful in the current climate? | Investment in Sustainability | 4% |
| What do you think is the one key thing hospitality businesses need to focus on to be successful in the current climate? | Use of Smart Energies | 1% |
Cliste Hospitality in numbers
- 1,600 Employees
- 1,400 Rooms
- 22 Bars & restaurants
- 78 Meeting & event Spaces
- 9 Convention centres
- 450 Happy wedding couples each year
- 7 Leisure centres
- 6 Spas
