By Sean Moriarty

One of Killarney’s best known and respected hoteliers has been named as the vice-chair of the Irish Hotel Federation (IHF).

Bernadette Randles, who is the current chair of the Kerry Branch of the IHF, was elected at the IHF’s national conference recently.

Her family are steeped in the hospitality industry in Kerry and have operated both the Dromhall and Randles Court hotels on the Muckross Road for years. The family is also involved in the motor industry and operate main dealerships in Killarney and Tralee.

“I am thrilled to be representing Kerry at a national level and to be able to voice the opinions of the hospitality sector. We can achieve so much locally but we need to sit at the national level to instigate change. I will continue to do my best for our industry that runs deep in my DNA,” she told the Killarney Advertiser.

Ms Randles has been a long-time advocate of reducing the VAT rate from 13.5% to 9% for the hospitality and service industries. During the recent General Election campaign she called on candidates to relax work permits and to commit to insurance reform.

This was all before the current novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.

“Let’s be positive,” she added.