CELEBRATING: The Lake Hotel has received five prestigious Irish Hotel awards. Pictured l-r were: Alan McGough, Samir Bettayeb, Vinshant Sharma, Jelena Jerkovic, Noel Enright (front) Executive Head Chef, Dominik Krpic, Stanislav Gnjatovic, Dominika Gustafikova, Owen O’Mahony, Josh Harrison, Kacper Malinowski, Florian Lekndreaj, Pavol Slauka, Kara Huggard, Anthony Barber (Restaurant Manager), Ashley Dunlea (Revenue Manager), Asta Penggai (Breakfast Chef) and Sheila O’Callaghan (Sales & Marketing Manager).

By Michelle Crean

The Lake Hotel receives five prestigious Irish Hotel awards – a welcomed boost as the hotel reopens its doors.

Just as they reopened their doors post-lockdown one local hotel was thrilled to learn that they had secured not one - but - five Irish Hotel awards.

The great news for The Lake Hotel, Killarney, comes following a rigorous inspection earlier in the year by The Irish Hotel awards who celebrate the amazing commitment and dedication of the hospitality industry in Ireland to providing simply outstanding guest experiences.

They won four provincial “Best in Munster” accolades: Fine Dining Hotel of the year, Great Irish Breakfast, Country House Hotel of the year and Anthony Barber was awarded Munster’s Restaurant Manager of the year. The Lake Hotel also received a Great Place to Stay Quality Award, in recognition of the overall quality of the product and service provided.

An awards ceremony was due to take place in March, however due it was postponed due to the lockdown restrictions at the time. The awards came as a lovely surprise and is an uplifting boost just as the team prepared to restart the business.

“We are extremely proud of our team," Sales and Marketing Manager, Sheila O’Callaghan said this week.

"To be recognised for excellence across so many categories is a fantastic achievement. These awards are a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our outstanding team.”

She said to receive the title of Munster’s Fine Dining Hotel is a phenomenal accomplishment.

[caption id="attachment_33006" align="alignleft" width="292"] Executive Head Chef, Noel Enright and Restaurant Manager, Anthony Barber. Photo: Don MacMonagle[/caption]

The Lake Hotel’s Castlelough Restaurant is a multi-award winning entity, previously awarded Best Hotel Restaurant, retaining a 2AA Rosette for five consecutive years and now recognised as Best Fine Dining venue in Munster. The success of The Lake Hotel’s dining space is due to the experience and commitment of Restaurant Manager, Anthony Barber, Executive Chef Noel Enright and both their teams. Award winning Chef Noel Enright is highly committed to delivering culinary excellence with delectable seasonally attuned menus, using the best of locally sourced produce.

Anthony Barber, winner of Munster’s Restaurant Manager of the year, has led the food departments at The Lake Hotel for seven years.

"He is passionate about providing an exemplary customer service experience and takes great pride in his work. Anthony is also an accomplished wine connoisseur, pairing wines beautifully with varied dishes.

The Lake Hotel also received Munster’s Great Irish Breakfast award; this is owed to the faultless work ethic of the superbly talented breakfast chef Asta Penggai. Asta has been serving up breakfast at The Lake Hotel for five years and is a true asset to the team."

[caption id="attachment_33005" align="alignleft" width="278"] The Lake Hotel, Killarney Breakfast Chef, Asta Penggai. Photo: Don MacMonagle[/caption]