Several local attractions win Awards of Excellence

HOTEL and visitor destinations in Dublin have been celebrating after winning 20 Awards of Excellence.

The CIE Tours International Annual Awards for Excellence, which are now in their 30th year, recognise the best hotels and tourist attractions across Ireland based on feedback from over 25,000 customers throughout the year.

Each winner achieved a customer satisfaction rating of over 92 per cent from CIE Tours International visitors with Gold Award Winners achieving the highest satisfaction ratings in their categories.

Teeling Whiskey Distillery won a coveted Gold Award in the ‘Best Visit’ Category.

Other Dublin visitor attractions winning Merit Awards included; Dalkey Castle Heritage Centre, Cooks Academy, Malahide Castle, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Kilmainham Gaol, EPIC the Irish Emigration Museum and Glasnevin Museum.

Dublin hotels that won Merit Awards included The Shelbourne Hotel, Ashling Hotel, Herbert Park Hotel, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Radisson Blu St Helen’s, Maldron Hotel Pearse Street, Clontarf Castle Hotel, Croke Park Hotel, Academy Plaza Hotel, The Gibson Hotel, Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and Clayton Hotel Burlington Road.

The honours were presented by Fiona Ross, Chairman and Elizabeth Crabill, Chief Executive Officer, CIE Tours International.

In total, 84 hotels and tourist attractions from across the island of Ireland won awards, with 13 overall category winners being awarded a Gold Award.

Speaking at the presentation, Elizabeth Crabill said: “Some 30 years ago CIE Tours International introduced its annual Awards of Excellence to recognise Ireland’s hospitality ambassadors.

“Since then Ireland’s tourism sector has changed utterly and grown in reputation but the demand for excellent experiences remains constant.

Ireland remains an attractive tourism destination for visitors from North America drawn by the diversity and richness of the experiences.”