Leading Kilkenny venue named Ireland’s best Family Friendly Hotel at 2020 Georgina Campbell Awards
KILKENNY’S Newpark Hotel has been named Ireland’s leading Family Friendly Hotel at the 2020 Georgina Campbell Awards.
It’s just the latest accolade for the four-star Kilkenny hotel, which is renowned for its family-friendly facilities. In 2018 Newpark won the Gold Medal Award for Ireland’s Best Family Friendly Hotel, and has again been nominated in the same category of this year’s awards, which take place at the Lyrath Hotel outside Kilkenny on September 24.
The combined awards are a glowing recognition of the Newpark Hotel’s exceptional family and child friendly facilities. These include the Newpark Adventure Trail, Tree-Top Adventure Playground with Zip Line, the Newpark Mini Wildlife Farm, on site Go-Karting, the Newpark Fairy Train, Newpark Adventure Fen Trail which is a 2.5-mile nature walk, ‘The Zone’ indoor games room and the Crazy Cats Kids club. For the adults, Newpark boasts an impressive array of health and leisure facilities, including a luxurious spa and fantastic eateries with Gulliver’s Restaurant, Scott’s Bar & Brasserie and a new contemporary terrace area.
There was also some good news for two other Kilkenny businesses at the 2020 Georgina Campbell Awards, which took place yesterday afternoon at Dublin’s InterContinental Hotel, in association with AIB.
Restaurant Lady Anne in Castlecomer was “highly commended” in the Newcomer Hospitality Business of the Year category, while Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Thomastown won a Natural Food Award (fish).
Elsewhere, the annual food and hospitality awards saw Aimsir – a 24-seater that opened just this May at the Cliff at Lyons in Co Kildare – win the overall Restaurant of the Year.
Chef of the Year went to Mickael Viljanen of The GreenHouse, a Michelin Star restaurant in Dublin, while Belfast-based chef Michael Deane won Ireland’s Hospitality Hero of the Year Award.
Georgina Campbell paid tribute to Irish sourcing and provenance, celebrating the legacy of Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House – who died last year – alongside other pioneers of the Irish food and hospitality industries.
“It’s a challenging time to be in food and hospitality right now, but it’s also a very exciting time and, in the main, standards are increasing at every level from ground-breaking new restaurants to casual dining destinations, street food trucks, cafés and bars,” Ms Campbell said.
List of 2020 winners:
- Hotel of the Year: Marlfield House Hotel, Co Wexford
- Restaurant of the Year: Aimsir, Co Kildare
- Chef of the Year: Mickael Viljanen, The GreenHouse, Dublin
- Taste of the Waterways:Wineport Lodge, Co Westmeath
- Seafood Restaurant: King Sitric, Co Dublin
- Outstanding Guest Experience:Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites, Co Galway
- Host of the Year: Mary Sweeney, Castle Grove, Co Donegal
- Business Hotel of the Year: The Shelbourne, Dublin
- Wine and Drinks Experience: Chapter One, Dublin
- Pub of the Year: The Roadside Tavern, Co Clare
- Newcomer of the Year: Kileavy Castle, Co Armagh
- Family Friendly Hotel: Newpark Hotel, Co Kilkenny
- Pet-friendly destination: The Lodge at Ashford Castle, Co Mayo
- Hideaway of the Year: The Hideaway at Dromquinna Manor, Co Kerry
- B&B of the Year: Glasha Farmhouse, Co Waterford
- Ethnic Restaurant: Grano, Dublin
- Casual Dining: James St, Belfast
- Cafe of the Year: Grow Cafe, Co Waterdford
- Street food: The Garden Cafe Truck, Ballymaloe, Co Cork
- Country House: Ballyvolane, Co Cork
- Guesthouse of the Year: Perryville House, Co Cork.
