The Red Carnation Hotel Collection has announced three new promotions for long-serving staff members at The Ashford Estate.
The announcement includes the appointment of Mr Niall Rochford as Managing Director of The Ashford Estate. Niall joined the Ashford Estate family in 2002 where he has served as General Manager of Ashford Castle for the past 21 years. His new position as Managing Director will see Niall lead the estate and the two hotel properties on the estate’s grounds, Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford Castle, to new heights.
The hotel group also announced the promotion of Lisa Toomey to Hotel Manager at Ashford Castle and Peter Fergus to General Manager of The Lodge at Ashford Castle.
Lisa’s promotion to Hotel Manager at Ashford Castle will see her responsible for the day-to-day operation of the business, leading and working closely with all heads of departments to ensure the consistent achievement of service delivery in accordance with the hotel’s Forbes 5-star rating. Hailing from Bunratty in Co Clare, Lisa started her career at Ashford Castle in 2017 as Director of Food and Beverage and was promoted to Director of Operations in 2019.
Meanwhile, Westport-native Peter Fergus joined the Ashford Estate family in 2018 as Hotel Manager at the four-star Lodge at Ashford Castle. Going forward, as General Manager, Peter will be responsible for the sustained growth and reputation of the hotel both at a local and international level. His promotion comes at a time of great transformation on the estate with the opening of a new state-of-the-art fitness centre offering even more amenities to guests at both hotels on the 350-acre estate grounds.
Jonathan Raggett, the CEO of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, said of the promotions: “Ashford Estate is a jewel in the crown of our 21 properties within the Red Carnation portfolio. At Red Carnations, we strive to ensure our hotels are run by warm and caring people that share a passion for outstanding hospitality. Nowhere is this more evident than at Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford Castle and so I’m particularly thrilled to announce the promotion of Niall Rochford, Lisa Toomey and Peter Fergus to their new respective positions. We wish them every success as they lead both properties to new heights.”
