Madam, - Kathy Sheridan, in "Making a meal of tourism" (July 3rd), made various comments on the Irish Hotel and Catering Institute, levels of customer service in the hospitality industry and prices and wages in the sector.
The Irish Hotel and Catering Institute (IHCI) is the professional body for managers in the hospitality industry in Ireland. The role of the IHCI as a professional body is not, as may have been inferred in the article, to act as a trade protection organisation or lobby group for the industry in general.
In fact, the IHCI's role is to assist our 1,200 members to improve themselves, their management skills, their organisations and thereby, our industry.
It was somewhat disingenuous of the author to infer that the Irish hospitality industry in general offers bad service at inflated prices. Without doubt there exist some examples of failings in service in the hospitality industry but this does not imply that this holds true for the whole industry.
In relation to rising prices, many correspondents in the media have been unduly harsh in their efforts to single out the hospitality industry. To some extent all parties and all sectors in Ireland have responsibilities to address this issue.
Ms Sheridan's article would imply that many hospitality professionals are profiteering based on the prices they are charging.
Recent research by Howarth Bastow Charlton counters this argument.
Its annual review of the hotel industry highlights that net profit margins have fallen by almost 6 per cent in the last 12 months, due primarily to an increase in fixed costs of almost 27 per cent.
These profit margins are falling because hospitality operators have, contrary to popular belief, not passed on the full increase in costs they are facing to the customer.
It should also be pointed out that prices and service levels addressed in isolation from each other mean little, but that value for money is a more compelling measure. Ireland is not, and may never again be, a cheap destination but by continuing to increase service levels it will return to a position of competitiveness.
In the article the hospitality industry in general was targeted in connection with low rates of pay, quoting a trade publication which outlined a case of two employees allegedly being paid €4 per hour by one hotelier.
The legal national minimum wage is currently €6.35 (soon to be increased).
The IHCI cannot, nor can any of our members, condone anyone who doesn't remunerate their staff fairly.
Any member of the hospitality industry breaching this and other employment legislation should be dealt with by the legislature as it sees fit.
Again, it is somewhat disingenuous of Ms Sheridan to imply that a small number of examples of unfair treatment in relation to salary is reflective of the industry in general.
If this was the case it would seem strange that four hospitality companies were included in the recent national listing of the top 50 companies to work for in Ireland as adjudicated by their employees.
One of those hospitality companies went on to be included in the European top 100 companies to work for.
Like all industries, the Irish hospitality industry has establishments which may engage in unethical, unprofessional and irresponsible practices.
It is surely incumbent on us all as customers, employees, Government, and the professional bodies to ensure that these enterprises do not tarnish the good name of our businesses and country.
Consumers of goods and services, and employees, should vote with their feet, not accept shoddy practices, and go elsewhere where they can and will receive good value in their purchases, and fair treatment in their employment. The hospitality industry, in the main, can and does offer this. - Yours etc.,
KARL REINHARDT,
Chief Executive
The Irish Hotel and Catering Institute,
Goatstown Cross,
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.