The team at Tara Lodge, Belfast are celebrating today after being chosen as the winners of Guest Accommodation of the Year for Northern Ireland 2015 at the AA B&B Awards. The prestigious award was presented to General Manager Nora Douds and owner Conor O’Donnell at the ceremony in the Landmark Hotel in London on Tuesday 12 May 2015.
Martin Slater, AA inspector for Northern Ireland said ‘ …………
With Belfast currently enjoying a surge in overseas visitors and high occupancy rates, Tara Lodge has been riding the wave of success. The Belfast business has above average occupancy rates, with over 80% of guests from out of state and 40% from overseas. Turnover has grown year on year since 2011 and 2015 looks to continue the upward trend. Manager Nora Douds, puts the business success down to the growing reputation of Belfast as a destination with signature projects such as Titanic Belfast and the soon to be opened Gobbins walking route on the Antrim coast and the expansion of the Waterfront, Belfast is fast becoming the go to city for both leisure and business travelers. Nora says of the business prospect’s ‘Tara Lodge has a fantastic team who offer gold standard customer service and an owner is isn’t afraid to constantly reinvest in the product, ensuring we stay ahead of the competition. This award from the AA is the culmination of many year of hard work by the team and the constant development of the bedrooms and food offering of Tara Lodge, to provide a fantastic experience for our visitors’.
Tara Lodge are no strangers to winning awards but this recognition from the AA is of special significance with recognition on a national level. Opened by Conor O’Donnell in 1998, Tara Lodge has developed from a 19 bedroom B&B into a 34 bedroom stylish, boutique style property. Managed by Nora Douds since May 2004 Tara Lodge has featured in the Top 25 UK Hotels in the Tripadvisor Travelers Choice Awards 2011, 2012 & and was listed as 12th in the Top UK Hotels in 2013.
Conor O’Donnell said on receiving the award ‘I am delighted and honoured by this award from the AA, a long-time partner and supporter of our work in Tara Lodge. I am vastly proud of the work that Nora Douds, our General Manager and her team have put into the success of Tara Lodge. I am pleased that their diligence, hard work and loyalty have been recognised by the industry. We are delighted to be setting the standard for excellence among the guest accommodation providers in Belfast and the wider region of Northern Ireland.’