Family-owned Northern Ireland hotel celebrates long-serving employees who have achieved 780 years of service

An Enniskillen family-owned hotel has celebrated some of its longest serving team members with over 40 members of staff recognised for their combined 780 years of service.

The directors and management of the Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel and Lodges held a champagne reception and dinner to celebrate long serving staff members who have each been employed for over 10 years representing all hotel departments from conference and events, food and beverage, finance, housekeeping, reception to health club and spa. Guests at the ceremony were presented with a goodie bag including a personalised long service plaque and professional photo taken on the evening.

Jacqueline Wright, finance director of Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel & Lodges, said: “As a family owned independent hotel for over 46 years, we are very proud of the reputation we have for providing our guests with a first-class service.

"Our people are at the foundation of everything we do, so it gives us great pride to share and celebrate their dedication, hard-work and commitment. They are key to our success and it is important for them to know how much we value and appreciate them.

“Many of our long-serving team have built their careers at Killyhevlin and helped to develop our product offering over the years, along with implementing our continuous improvement plan. Highlights include guestroom renovation projects, expansion of our conference and event facilities, the launch of our Woodland Lodges and Lakeland Studios.

“We are delighted to recognise and thank some of our longest serving team members for their, in some cases, decades of dedication including accounts manager, Patricia Kavanagh who is also retiring after 43 years, duty manager, Declan McGovern (45 years), conference and event team member John McCordick (30 years) and 27 years of service for our general manager, David Morrison along with function team members Tommy McNally and Rodney Woods.”

Leigh Watson, HR director of Killyhevlin Hotel, added: “As an Investors in People accredited business, our people are our most important asset and we are committed to helping them realise their full potential and progress and develop their career. The efforts of all of our employees are very much appreciated and I would like to thank every single team member for their hard work and the vital role they play in helping Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel & Lodge go from strength to strength.”

Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel and Lodges employs over 170 staff and currently have a number of exciting career opportunities to join the award-winning team.