Long time no Blog !

How the time has flown. Summer has come and gone and it's soon Christmas. Our three kids are so excited about Santa and of course are hoping for snow, while we are hoping it will only snow from the beginning to the end of January when we take our annual break from the crazy world of hotel keeping !

Looking back at the year so far, business has been good and we enjoyed welcoming back so many of our regular guests as well as meeting many new guests from all over the world. Highlights of the year included our famous Dinner Cabaret Show, the Harvey's Point Bluestack Challenge and of course, winning the overall award for 'Best Customer Service' from Hospitality Ireland. We opened our new Clarins Beauty Rooms and our new Boardroom on the fourth floor as well as building a new snug with more dining tables overlooking the lake.

We even built a Marquee for civil weddings and BBQ's and private parties.

Currently we are finalising budgets for next year and while the pressure is still on for all businesses, we are optimistic for growth next year. We are working on our sales and marketing plan which will have a strong focus on the use of digital marketing. It's all very exciting and I am so lucky to have my darling husband Marc who is keeping me trained up. I attended an excellent course on this area today, hence the revisit to the blog ! Tomorrow I am heading to Dublin to hear the famous speaker Marcus Child and meet my fellow Cornell colleagues for dinner in the Cliff Townhouse. Could be a session ?

To be continued...

Harvey's Point Bluestack Challenge

Last Saturday, Marc and I joined 400 other walkers in a 40km hike up the Bluestack mountains. Harvey's Point was the sponsor of this charity event which raises much neeeded funds for children with special needs. It was a fantastic experience and well worth the blisters and aching limbs for days after! Following the 10 hour walk, we all retreated to Harvey's Point for a big meal and lots of liquid ! The sun was shining and it was like being in the south of France, sitting outside on the lake shore. What made the day so special for me personally was to see the smiling faces of the special children who make you realize just how lucky we all are. I was also proud to see how well our team took care of the organisation of the event. It's great not be needed !

Harvey's Point Dinner Cabaret

Just 5 weeks to go until the Opening Night of our Summer Cabaret ! Our national, regional and local marketing campaign has started and bookings are looking good. We are very excited to present this year's show as there are so many new acts and there is something to suit everyone's tastes - from Michael Bubble, to Elvis, to Pavarotti, not to mention the great Matt Mc Granaghan on violin and our amazing Tango Dancers, Kristina and Julien. Simon Casey will round off an exceptional evening with dancing till till late. Special overnight pacakges available as well as great offers for midweek breaks.

Donegal Live

Hi,
Had a fab day at the 'Donegal Live' event yesterday in the Iveagh Gardens. There was a great buzz and the word is spreading that Donegal is the new 'in' destination. We are promoting 'Home-made Holidays at Harvey's' whereby you can spend four or five days enjoying the beauty of Donegal from your base at Harvey's Point. There is a host of attractions in the area such as the Donegal Bay Waterbus, Slieve League, Glenveigh National Park and lots more. We can organise walking trips, fishing, golf, horseriding and much more. In house, we have wine tasting, cookery demonstrations, storytelling and entertainment most evenings during the summer.

Update

Well, we won 'Best Customer Service', Donegal at the RAI Awards night at the Merchant. We had a lovely night but I had to go early as I had an early trip to Dublin the next morning for the Meitheal workshop in Dublin. Had a great two days selling to international tour operators and it was encouraging to see the interest in tourism in the North West.

Harvey's Point is fully open now for the season and we have had a great start so far with increased bookings compared to last year. Easter is just around the corner and we are planning lots of activities with our guests, such as wine tasting, cookery demonstrations, easter egg treasure hunt, rambles around Lough Eske and much more.

Mother's Day, Golf Convention, Restaurant Awards

Hoping all Irish Mammies had a lovely Mother's Day. Harvey's Point was full to the brim with lots of families celebrating in style at our Sunday Carvery Lunch. No cooking, no dishes, - great ! On Friday we hosted the Failte Ireland / IAGTO Golf Convention which brought international golf tour operators to the North West and it was very encouraging to see the interest in our region as a top quality golf destination. I will have to learn to 'speak Golf' ! This week we have an educational conference from the US and we also will be welcoming our dear friend, Dermot Kelly and his painters for four days of watercolour painting. Artists of all ages and levels come to enjoy painting in a relaxed and fun environment. I am off now to Belfast to attend the RAI's Annual Restaurant Awards. We have been nominated for 'Best Hotel Restaurant' and Best Customer Service' in Donegal. It should be a fun night in The Merchant with lots of good food, wine and networking.

Hoteliers promoting Ireland in the US

I spent a great week of sales calls in the US with my colleagues, John Hehir from Dromoland Castle, Alan Maloney from Mount Falcon and Jonathan Epstein from Celebrated Experiences. It was most encouraging to see the interest in the West and North West of Ireland as a tourist destination for visitors from the US.

The Golf market is developing rapidly in our region since North & West Coast Links Golf has been voted “European Golf Destination of the Year 2011” by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO).

Love is in the air

Marc and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary on Valentine's Day. Many romantic couples attended our Wedding Fair last weekend and we were blessed with a super Spring Day. You could almost hear the daffodils beginning to bloom!

Spring is in the air and I have made Marc promise to take me away for a wee break sometime soon.

Happy Days

Just back from a fabulous holiday in South Africa. Delicious food, fine wine and lots of sunshine. Picked up some new ideas for Harvey's Point. Refreshed and ready for a busy season ahead.

Burn's Supper was enjoyed by a great crowd with dancing until the wee hours !

'Break the Ice Party' this weekend which will be for those who missed out on their Christmas Office Party. Should be a great night.

Romance will be in the air for Valentine's Weekend and of course Marc and I will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary on the 14th.

Wedding Fair on Saturday 19th February. A special day to showcase the unique selling points of Harvey's Point and representation by the top wedding suppliers in the North West.

Annual Burn's Supper at Harvey's Point on Saturday 29th January

A date for the diary is our Annual Burn's Supper at Harvey's Point on Saturday 29th January. This is a special evening of fine food, great fun, music, poetry and lots of dancing. This is an event not to be missed so get working on the wardrobe and find some tartan and perhaps you could win a prize for the best dressed lady or gentleman.

The Burns Supper at Harvey's Point was born from an idea by my Daddy, the late Joe Mc Glone, who shared the same passion as Burn's for food, wine, poetry and people.

Proceeds go to Donegal and Northwest Hospice. Tickets are priced at €55 and there are special overnight rates from €149 pps.

So, come along and we guarantee you a great night out in aid of a very good cause.

http://www.harveyspoint.com/events/default.asp?Id=1

Wedding Fair - 19th February 2011 - Wedding Venues Ireland

To celebrate 22 years of welcoming wedding guests, Harvey's Point proudly announces a

NEW EXCITING RANGE OF WEDDING PACKAGES

with amazing great value prices. Enjoy the luxury and romance of Harvey's Point without breaking your budget ! With our new palette of menu choices and prices ranging from €59 to €75, Harvey’s Point retains its exclusive status as market leader in the Northwest while remaining affordable for all guests.

http://www.harveyspoint.com/events/default.asp?Id=16

Harvey's Point will host its Annual Wedding Fair in association with some of the top wedding service providers on Saturday, 19th February 2011 between 12 - 6pm.

Exhibitors on the day include formal wedding wear, photographers, flower arrangements, jewellery, wedding cars, wedding stationary, beauty salons, hairdressers, honeymoon information and entertainment all on show for you.

All are welcome to come and meet our Wedding Coordinator. A full show around of our Wedding Facilities will be available on the day and you can discuss some of our great packages on the day.

Happy New Year

New Years Resoultion to get blogging. Christmas at Harvey's Point was magical, enchanting and the house was full of lovely guests who enjoyed a relaxing break in their 'home from home', Harvey's Point.

Personally, I enjoyed a beautiful blend of hotel time and home time. Santa came to our three kids and it was a time of great excitement not to mention noise. Thankfully the hotel was busy despite the cancellations due to the weather. In addition to the eating, drinking activities, we hosted many events such as a cookery demonstrations, napkin folding demonstrations, a fashion show and even a dog show which was held in our own private bar at the stables, - a bar with no till !

Romance was definately in the air with engagments and lots of winter weddings.

Harvey's Point will go into hibernation now until the end of January when we re-open with a big Scottish Burn's Supper, - a special night of great music, song and dance.