This West Cork gem has been named Ireland's top wedding hotel

Cork hotels lead the way in Irish hospitality Oscars

Fernhill House.

Several hotels in Cork city and county claimed awards yesterday at the leading independent awards programme for the Irish hospitality industry, considered by many to be the Oscars of the hotel industry.

The Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards recognise and reward excellence in hospitality and catering operations across the island of Ireland, from hotels and restaurants to spa and leisure facilities as well as individuals and teams.

The winners of all categories were revealed at a ceremony hosted by former RTÉ broadcaster Ann Doyle in the Lyrath Estate, Co Kilkenny.

Clonakilty's Fernhill House was named the top wedding hotel in Ireland and has paid tribute to its patrons and staff on social media: “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of our team, guests and friends over the years for the wonderful support to win this prestigious award. You are the best and the reason Fernhill won.”

Hayfield Manor

Hayfield Manor was “beyond delighted and so honoured” to be named Ireland’s top five-star hotel while Castelmartyr Resort and Fota Island Resort claimed silver and bronze in the five-star hotel spa experience category. The country’s top four-star hotel is the Kingsley, which was “thrilled” to be awarded gold in the category, while the hotel also earned a bronze for its four-star hotel spa experience.

In the best city hotel category, The Imperial Hotel emerged as the gold award winner. General Manager Bastien Peyraud has paid tribute to the entire team and says it was a great boost after the difficult Covid-19 years.

"We are blown away by the win and it’s a testament to the incredibly hard-working Imperial family who go above and beyond every single day,” he says.

The last few years haven’t been easy for our industry, but we used the time to renovate, improve and innovate, which is being rewarded here this evening.

Garryvoe Hotel and Hayfield Manor were awarded the two top prizes for casual dining experience in a hotel while the menu provenance award went to Ballymaloe House, which also received a gold award for best country house and guest house experience.

Two top Cork chefs were recognised at the ceremony, with Fota Island Resort's head chef, Maris Urbanovic scooping gold for the Chef of the Year, and the Blue Haven Hotel's head chef, Meeran Manzoor, receiving bronze.