Galway’s glamorous and unique g Hotel headed up by General Manager, Triona Gannon, has double cause to celebrate today having been awarded a highly impressive 5 AA Stars plus 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence. The g Hotel, designed in collaboration with the renowned milliner Philip Treacy, joins an elite group of only 12 other AA 5 Star properties in Ireland and is one of only 2 AA 5 Star properties in Connacht. Particularly impressive, the g Hotel attains the award less than two years after joining the AA Accommodation Grading Scheme.
The AA Five Star classification is much sought after within the Irish hospitality industry and in order to achieve 5 Star Status a property will receive a series of unannounced visits by the AA Inspection Team and must demonstrate a consistent 5 star level of service and hospitality, before they are awarded a 5 Star Hotel Classification. The hotel must maintain a consistent 5 star standard across all areas of the operation at each visit. As part of an AA inspection there is a particular emphasis placed on Hospitality, Cuisine and Service.
Commenting on the superb award, Triona Gannon, General Manager of the g Hotel said “we were absolutely delighted to get the fantastic news that we had received this huge award for both our hotel and our restaurant, knowing that these awards are much sougt after in the hospitality industry. We have a superb team here at the g Hotel who have worked very hard to ensure our guests have a memorable stay. This award is a result of the dedication of all our one hundred plus staff, as without them these awards would not of been achieved”.
“The g Hotel embodies the highest international standards and is the first new hotel in Ireland to achieve 5 AA Star status since 2010,” says Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy, AA Ireland. “Following a series of unannounced visits by the AA Inspection Team The g Hotel is a much deserved addition to our list of AA 5 Star properties. Congratulations to the management and all their staff on their tremendous achievement.”
Matching the property’s 5 star rating, the g Hotel’s visually striking gigi’s Restaurant, led by renowned Executive Head Chef, Regis Herviaux of Brittany has been awarded 2 AA Rosettes to become one of just three restaurants in Galway to be distinguished by the grade.
To secure 2 AA Rosettes gigi’s Restaurant impressed the AA Hotel Inspection Team with their skillful cookery of quality local ingredients such as delicious scallops harvested from Clew Bay and black pudding from artisan producers in nearby Oughterard. Breads and baked items are all made in-house and an overall emphasis on seasonal ingredients is evident throughout the menu. The AA Hotel Inspection Team also praised the very personable service, highlighting it as one of the important components in their awarding of 2 AA Rosettes.
To specifically achieve a 2 AA Rosette Award, innovation, greater technical skills, consistency and judgement in combining and balancing ingredients are required. 2 Rosettes are only awarded to those restaurants which aim for and achieve higher standards. They must exhibit greater precision in their cooking and selection of quality ingredients.
Photographs: To view more pictures from the above photo shoot at The g Hotel click here
Please note that Triona Gannon, General Manager of The g Hotel, is available for interviews upon request. Please contact Sinéad Cassidy, Sales and PR Manager, The g Hotel on: 091 778456 / 087 2888562 to arrange.
About AA Five Star Hotels:
- The AA Five Star classification is much sought after within the industry.
- AA Five Star Hotels are those hotels setting the highest international standards for the industry:
- Hotels seeking an AA Five Star Classification must execute flawless guest services, professional attentive staff, technical and social skills of the highest order.
- Staff must demonstrate outstanding levels of product knowledge, service skills and provide the highest standard of customer care.
- The hotel must provide spacious and luxurious accommodation and public areas offering the highest international standards of accommodation, facilities, services and cuisine.
- High quality menu and wine list, properly reflecting and complementing the style of cooking and provide exceptional quality with staff showing excellent knowledge of food and wine.
- In order to achieve 5 Star Status a property will receive a series of unannounced visits by the AA inspection team and must demonstrate a consistent 5 star level of service and hospitality, before they are awarded a 5 Star Hotel Classification.
- There are 10 AA Ireland Approved 5 Star Hotels currently. The last property appointed at 5 Star level was in 2010.
About AA Rosettes
AA Rosettes are awarded annually to hotels producing fine cuisine. The aim of the Rosette scheme is to provide AA Members, its guidebook readers and the general public reliable information about where to eat. Rosettes are awarded on a rising scale of 1 to 5.
AA Rosettes are awarded solely for the quality of a restaurant’s cooking. Consistent standards are expected across all dishes on all menus, at all meal times, every day throughout the year. All Rosette-awarded restaurants demonstrate a use of ingredients that are fresh and of sound quality. Flavours are well-balanced and each dish is appropriately presented; and the menu reflects an obvious enthusiasm and commitment to promoting good quality food.
The AA has been awarding Rosettes since 1955. There are currently 105 Rosette Award winning restaurants in Ireland, of the 105, 35 Restaurants hold a 2 Rosette Award.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud adjoining the Merrion Hotel, Dublin is the highest rated restaurant in Ireland with Four Rosettes, amongst the highest rated restaurants in the UK are Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck .
Profile of an AA 2 Rosette Award:
Innovation, greater technical skill and more consistency and judgement in combining and balancing ingredients are all required to achieve a 2 Rosette Award. 2 Rosettes are awarded only to Restaurants, which aim for and achieve higher standards, where a greater precision is apparent in the cooking and where there is an obvious attention to the selection of quality ingredients.
