Is Irish Tourism at a crossroads?
Keys in Lock Boxes v Welcome by real people
Being a positive person I am not one for the negative blog and have always preferred not to write about a place or an experience that hasn’t lived up to expectations. However, I feel that I should put pen to paper about what may an important crossroad for our historical Irish welcome.
What is happening to our Irish Bed and Breakfast/Guesthouse sector, which has been the bedrock of Irish hospitality for as long as I can remember. I was in Donegal attending the McGill Summer School in Glenties earlier this summer. Just to be clear I was not staying in Glenties village as the local hotel was booked up well in advance of this highly regarded event.
We were booked into Guesthouse accommodation in a nearby village. Before arriving we received a text from the owner directing us to a Lock Box outside the front door, accessed by a code. Inside was the key to our bedroom. The bedroom was pretty basic and petite is a polite description for its size. The beds (small double and single) were tightly squeezed into this tiny space and were dressed in cheap polyester (a pet hate).
The soulless Drawing Room on the ground floor was devoid of anything resembling personal furnishings, books, magazines, ornaments, pictures etc. It was never a home in any sense of the meaning. The small kitchen had a kettle, two cannisters half filled with tea and coffee. I didn’t check the fridge for milk but somehow I felt that there would be none. It was depressing to say the least. The owner did pop in for five minutes whilst we were sitting in the Drawing Room to inform us that there was no breakfast (in other words it was B without the other B).
However, I was pretty horrified to see the price list for this offering at over €180 per night. We were booked for three nights but left after two. To quote three of the five reviews on Trip Adviser ‘No Service’ ‘Avoid at all costs’ ‘Impersonal’. The listing on several websites refers to the establishment as a ‘Guesthouse’. The Failte Ireland classification for a registered Guesthouse states that it should serve breakfast. Are there any inspections made of premises? Fortunately there was an excellent coffee shop nearby that served breakfast.
My initial reaction was to shrug the whole thing off as being unlucky, until we met up with some Canadian friends who were here on a 5 day visit touring Ireland. Imagine our dismay when they informed us that one of the places they stayed in – a Guest House in Kilkenny city – was akin to an almost identical experience of ours. Except theirs was worse; the room hadn’t been cleaned and they met nobody at all. They were unable to contact the owner and ended up sleeping on top of the bed which they covered with additional clean towels they found in a cupboard. Again no breakfast and nobody to talk to. Plus the money was long gone as paid at time of booking.
What has happened to Ireland and its historic tag line of having ‘100,000 Welcomes’. Just one welcome would be good but it is patently obvious that many of the guest house/bed and breakfast offerings are now just a business with owners not bothering to look after their guests. It is not even Airbnb but Airb with no breakfast. In fact if you google lock boxes you will see that this product appears specifically aimed this market.I would have grave concerns for Ireland. It is time for statutory bodies such as Failte Ireland along with organizations such as ITIC to intervene. There are classifications in place for accommodation providers to ensure that there is a minimum standard in place. I am hoping that it is not already too late to stop the rot and reverse this trend towards a race to the bottom. 
Glenties and Donegal is stunning. I intend to return but will make sure that I am staying in quality accommodation where hopefully I will be welcomed with a smile.
The big question is will Irish hospitality take the right (and correct) turn at this crossroad or is this the start of the slow death of our traditional welcome?
