The award, hosted by the B&B Ireland umbrella group and now in its second year, is, said O’Donnell, about recognising the lengths hosts go to deliver the hospitality “that Ireland is famed for”. From a shortlist of 10, Mary McKenna’s Gallows View B&B in Bunratty, Co Clare, collected the top prize – a welcome accolade for the 30-year-old business. Tourism Ireland data showed a drop in visitors from the UK cost an estimated €60 million to the general market last year. Bernadette Frayne’s Ardfield Farmhouse in Ballinhassig, Co Cork, caters principally to American, German, Swiss and French guests, often specifically seeking out the B&B experience over hotels. “The B&B experience is all about the host, and the welcome and the interaction that they have with the visitor,” said B&B Ireland chairman Maurice Pratt.

Source: The Irish Times April 19, 2018 17:48 UTC