Did someone say BINGO

BINGO WEEK!

Bingo Week at Westport Woods Hotel – Fun, Entertainment, and Prizes Await!

Looking for the perfect blend of excitement, relaxation, and prizes? Welcome to Bingo Week at the Westport Woods Hotel, where you can indulge in a week full of thrilling bingo games, live entertainment, and top-notch hospitality!

What’s in Store for You:

Join fellow bingo enthusiasts for an unforgettable week, complete with 3 thrilling evenings of bingo featuring cash prizes and surprises! Whether you're a seasoned player or new to the game, you're in for plenty of fun, laughter, and entertainment – all in the charming surroundings of Westport.

Your Stay Includes:

• Big Bingo Evenings: Enjoy bingo on three exciting nights, with one book per night included.

• €5,000 in Cash Prizes: Play for your chance to win amazing cash prizes each evening!

• Nightly Live Entertainment: After bingo, the fun continues with live performances to keep you entertained.

• Luxurious Accommodation: Relax in comfort and style at our beautiful hotel.

• Delicious Dining: Start your day with a full Irish breakfast and indulge in a three-course evening meal each night at our Lakeview Restaurant.

• Beech Club Leisure Centre: Complimentary access to our leisure facilities, including a gym, 18m swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, and steam room.

• Complimentary Parking and Wi-Fi: Enjoy free on-site parking and stay connected with complimentary Wi-Fi.

Mark Your Calendar:

Bingo Week Dates: Sunday, 26th January 2025
Don’t miss out on this special week! With €5,000 in prizes up for grabs and nightly entertainment, this is a week of fun you won’t want to miss.

Bookings Call 094 93 84875 or 087 0505773

Bridge & Whist Breaks at the Westport Woods Hotel

Bridge & Whist Breaks

Bridge and Whist breaks are enjoyable pastimes where you can meet like-minded companions. We guarantee that you will have a fun enjoyable week and may go away with some new tricks following our Bridge and Whist Sessions 

The 5 Nights Package includes:

Table D'hote Evening Meal each night

Full Irish Breakfast each morning

Daily Bridge or Whist Sessions  Entertainment on Selected Nights with Live Music, Bingo etc...

The package also includes complimentary use of our Leisure Centre with 18m swimming pool, Jacuzzi, Sauna, and Steam Room. You can also call into our Spa where our experienced team will help you with some relaxation in your downtime.

We are looking for players of all abilities, so if you are new to the game you can look forward to a week full of fun and learning.

Call 094 93 84875 for Bookings

Dates for your Diary

Bridge Breaks - €319.00pps

Sunday 6th October 2024

Sunday 9th March 2025

Sunday 5th October 2025

Whist Breaks

Sunday 3rd November 2024

Sunday 19th January 2025

Sunday 11th May 2025

Sunday 2nd November 2025

Prices from €319.00 per person sharing

Single Room Supplement is €25 per night

Mike Denver Kicks off the Country Music Week - Sunday 14th April 2024

Date for your Diary:

Mike Denver & Band Live at the Westport Woods Hotel

Sunday 14th April 2024

Doors 9.30pm

Price: €15.00

The Westport Country Music Week has become one of the stand-out weeks in both Spring and Autumn. This wonderful package includes 5 Nights Dinner, Bed, and Breakfast with Live Music and Dancing each night courtesy of Ireland's best Country music artists!

Westport Woods Country Nights are becoming famous with dancers from all over Ireland coming to see the live music each night in our Mulberry Suite. Our stage has been shared by some of the best in the business.

 Your stay includes:

• Full Irish Breakfast each morning

• Three Course Evening Meal each night in our Lakeview Restaurant

• Complimentary use of our Beech Club Leisure Centre including Gym, 18m Swimming Pool, Sauna, Jacuzzi & Steam Room

• Entry to each live act every night of Country Music

• Complimentary on-site parking

• Complimentary wifi

 5 Night Package - Just €359 per person sharing

Booking call 098 29303 or 087 0505773.

Mike Denver

Trevor Moyles

Sean Corrigan

Nigel Livingston

Sinead Black

Groups Welcome

March Weekend Madness at Murphys Hotel Sligo

Come and stay with us March Weekends

Murphy's Hotel gives you the perfect combination of traditional Irish hospitality with modern comforts and facilities. With many years of experience showing guests the best hospitality and the best of South Sligo, and now they are delighted to offer you a relaxing March Weekend "staycation", in their completely refurbished hotel.

Ideally located in the heart of the West of Ireland in Tubbercurry just a 20 min drive from Sligo town, the ideal base to discover all that Sligo and the surrounding counties have to offer you this Spring.

They would very much like to welcome you to Murphy’s Hotel. The hotel has been in their family for over 35 years and they are delighted that you are planning a visit to Sligo. Enjoy Live Entertainment every Saturday and Sunday

Please book direct on their website www.murphyshotel.ie

or call 00353 87 0505773 or reservations@murphyshotel.ie

Bridge Hotel Break at the Westport Woods Hotel

BRIDGE BREAKS

Bridge breaks are an enjoyable pastime where you can meet like-minded companions. We guarantee that you will have a fun enjoyable week and may go away with some new tricks following our Bridge Sessions 

The 5 Nights Package includes:

Table D'hote Evening Meal each night in our Lakeview Restaurant

Full Irish Breakfast each morning

Daily Bridge Sessions  Entertainment on Selected Nights with Live Music, Bingo etc...

The package also includes complimentary use of our Beech Club Leisure centre with 18m swimming pool, Jacuzzi, Sauna, and Steam Room. You can also call into our Spa where our experienced team will help you with some relaxation in your downtime.

We are looking for players of all abilities, so if you are new to the game you can look forward to a week full of fun and learning.

Call 087 0505773

Dates for your Diary

Bridge Breaks - €319.00pps

Sunday 10th of March 2024

Turkey & Tinsel Hotel Break at the Sligo Southern Hotel & Leisure Centre

Turkey and Tinsel at the 4 Star Sligo Southern Hotel

The 4 Star Sligo Southern Hotel in Sligo Town is a family owned and operated hotel with a blend of elegance and intimacy of a more gracious age, with the best of modern comforts. Originally constructed by the Southern Railways in 1928, as a resort hotel and then Great Southern Hotel was one of the first resort hotels in Ireland.
Located beside both the train and bus station in the heart of Sligo. The Sligo Southern Hotel is the only 4 star town centre hotel in Sligo with a full Leisure Centre & pool, a children’s pool, sauna, steam room and a fully air-conditioned gym.

 Our rooms are tastefully decorated to the highest standards. Accommodation comprises of 93 well-appointed bedrooms and suites, with a direct dial telephone, multi-channel television, hair dryer, tea and coffee making facilities and complimentary Wifi.

Sunday 10th November 2024

Sunday 17th November 2024

Sunday 24th November 2024 - Limited Rooms Available

The package includes 5 nights, dinner, bed & breakfast with welcome reception traditional Christmas Dinner, lots of fun, festive nightly entertainment & free use of Leisure facilities. 

Price: €289.00 per person sharing.

Call Tara on 087 0505773

tara@irelandshotelplanner.ie

Sinead Black and Friends at the 4 Star Westport Woods Hotel

Join Sinead Black and Friends at the Westport Woods Hotel, Spa and Leisure Centre this March for great 3 Days of Live Music and Dancing, commencing on Tuesday 19th March enjoy 3 Nights Dinner Bed and Breakfast complementary use of Leisure Facilities, discounted rates in the Spa and to top it off live music and dancing each night.

Tuesday 19th March - Olivia Douglas

Wednesday 20th March - Sinead and Alex Black

Thursday 21st March - John Molly

So Time to polish off those dancing shoe’s and call Tara to book on 087 0505773.

Rate: €255.00 per person sharing

Active breaks in early 2022 – the benefits of off-season travel

You may be back in touch with your group again and even meeting up, but you may still be wary of travelling just yet. That is understandable, and it is important that each person is comfortable with moving around and mixing with others when they decide to do so. However, hopefully the idea of an active break is beginning to seem possible to you. If so, then a break away in early 2022 might be just the thing.

The benefits of off-season travel

Off-season travel has many benefits and if you have the flexibility to travel in this period then you could end up with the best experience of all. Prices are lower; availability and selection of dates is greater; activities and amenities are not as busy allowing for easier social distancing; and by its very nature, the less busy the property you stay at the more personal the service is likely to be.

Hopefully by then the restrictions under which we are now living might be a thing of the past but if not, you can relax in the knowledge that you will not be subjected to long queues, large groups or busy amenities if you travel from February to April 2022.

Look forward to a spring break in the west

Spring is such a hopeful season, and a wonderful time to plan a break that lifts the spirits and gives something to look forward to through the winter months. Though the temperatures may not be what you would wish for, the scenic locations where you can choose to holiday with Ireland’s Hotel Planner will easily make up for any inclement weather.

In conjunction with some of the most established hotels in Counties Mayo, Sligo and Donegal we can help you organise the perfect break away for your group. We can include the activities that most interest you and advise you of all there is to see and do in the local area.

So much to see and do in Mayo, Sligo and Donegal

Many of the hotels with which we partner have excellent leisure facilities which are always popular with Active Retired Groups. You will have the chance to remain active and unwind even if the weather is not suitable for the great outdoors.

But when the weather does allow, you will be spoilt for choice - the Ceide Fields and the sea stacks at Downpatrick Head in North Mayo; the endless sandy beaches at Enniscrone and Rosses Point in Co Sligo; and the stunning landscape of Glencolumbcille in south Donegal are just a few of the attractions of this area.

Of course, the hotels in which you stay will also have organised activities for your group depending on the type of break you choose, be it dancing to the best of country music, whist, bowls or bridge.

Feeling positive about 2022!

So, if you are not quite ready to travel yet and feel you have missed out on Summer/Autumn 2021 don’t worry as we can assure you that Winter/Spring 2022 has a lot to offer. Hopefully we will all be feeling a lot more positive and ready to start the year with a leap forward. A return to the memorable holidays in the west of Ireland that you once knew are a part of that!

Staying in Co Mayo and what to see and do during your stay

Co Mayo is the third-largest county in Ireland by area but has a population of just over 130,000. This means there is plenty of space, less traffic, more stunning scenery to be enjoyed, and a slower pace of life. However, there is no shortage of beautiful places to stay and interesting things to visit and do, should you choose a break in the county.

Ireland’s Hotel Planner works with a selection of Hotels in Mayo, giving you the choice of where in the county you would like to base yourself or your Active Retirement Group.

Mayo has a long and dramatic coastline featuring cliffs, blue-flag beaches, and sea caves as well as mountains, bogland, a national park, and numerous offshore islands. It truly is a magnificent county to visit.

Ireland’s Hotel Planner has compiled its own top eight list of places to visit/things to do. Hopefully, they will help you decide whether Mayo is the place for your next group holiday and if it is, help you begin to plan your visit.

1. Achill Island including the Atlantic Drive, Keem Bay, and the Deserted Village. Here you will get to see the most dramatic of Achill’s scenery and learn of its often harsh and tragic past.

2. Downpatrick Head and the Ceide Fields. Located in North Mayo this area features all the majesty of the edge of the world and the roaring Atlantic combined with an ancient archaeological wonder.

3. Croagh Patrick, the National Famine Monument, and Murrisk Abbey. All located at the same site just south of Westport. There is much to do, whether you plan to climb the holy mountain or would prefer to learn more about the history of this stunning area. Extensive views of Clew Bay are yours even after just a short climb!

4. Mayo’s museums. Great examples include the National Museum of Country Life just outside Castlebar, the Michael Davitt museum in the village of Straide, and the Jackie Collins Collection in Ballina.

5. Westport Town and House. Westport town is an award-winning and very picturesque town that retains it’s friendly, market town feel while boasting an array of cosmopolitan shops and restaurants. There is always a buzz of entertainment in this town both summer and winter! Westport House Estate is well worth a visit with its beautiful grounds and grand estate house.

6. Mayo’s villages. There are many interesting villages and small towns to visit while in Mayo. These include Foxford (home of the woollen mills), Louisburgh (on the shores of Clew Bay) and Cong (on Lough Corrib and just outside the walls of Ashford Castle).

7. Ballina’s ruins. There are many impressive ecclesiastical ruins in and around the town of Ballina. These include the friary of Moyne Abbey, Rosserk Friary and Rathfran Abbey, among others. Ballina also boasts the gothic St Muredach’s cathedral located on the banks of the River Moy.

8. Entertainment. Mayo is a fantastic county for entertainment with theatres, many traditional music sessions in the pubs, classical music performances and everywhere you go there is a warm welcome for all visitors.

   (Due to Covid 19, restrictions are presently in place in Ireland, please call ahead to clarify these before you confirm your plans)

   Use Discount Code TARA below for a further little discount with rewardingbreaks.ie

Coach Trip from Dublin to Sligo - Sunday 28th June 2020

Sunday 28th June 2020 – Coach Trip from Dublin to Sligo

This four-night break in the west of Ireland is the perfect getaway from the big city to scenic Co Sligo. Discover a friendly, welcoming atmosphere as well as activities, entertainment and relaxation at our 4 star town centre hotel in Sligo.

Included in this great value package

Luxury coach transfers depart the Skylon Hotel in Dublin at 11.00am on Sunday 28th June to bring you directly to the 4 star Sligo Southern Hotel. Included for you are four nights’ accommodation in a comfortable, tastefully appointed bedroom with a full buffet breakfast on each morning and a four-course dinner each evening in the Garden Room Restaurant.

Nightly entertainment is also provided and includes live entertainment and dancing. We also offer you complimentary access to our leisure facilities including swimming pool, sauna, steam room and modern gym, throughout your stay.

You will return to Dublin once again via luxury coach transfer, after a leisurely breakfast, on Thursday 2nd July. The Package is Priced at only €279.00pps for further details and bookings call Tara 094 9384875

Explore and discover Sligo

Sligo is the home of Yeats and Countess Markiewicz; of country houses and endless coastal views; the Lake Isle of Innisfree and the striking silhouettes of Benbulben and Mullaghmore. You will have the chance to explore a selection of the many visitor attractions of this part of County Sligo with the Surprise Day Tour which is included and fully organised for you.

With our town centre location, you will be able to enjoy all that this vibrant town has to offer in boutique shops, riverside eateries and cultural attractions, within a short walk. Ideal for those travelling alone, for couples, small or large groups and clubs, contact us today to secure your booking on this popular summer break.

Tips to enhance your marketing strategy in the hospitality sector

No matter how good your product or service no one will ever buy it or use it if they do not know about it. Marketing in the hospitality sector is crucially important to stay ahead of competitors, of which there are so many. Whether you are a six-bedroom B&B or a 200-room hotel the importance does not lessen.

In my 20 plus years as a sales and marketing professional in the hotel industry I have seen many radical changes to the practice of marketing from the dependence on print advertising to the almost complete switch to digital marketing.

The arrival of social media has also had a huge impact on the way in which we must engage with our customers. Previously we simply told them about our product or service whereas now we must engage with the customer or lose them to another. It has always been so important to know who your customer is and to build a relationship with them, a trust, that will ensure that they return to you time and time again. This might be as simple as creating a blog, telling a story, a Facebook page or email surveys to gather their feedback or let’s just use the telephone and call them, keep it personal - as long as we communicate regularly and listen to what they are saying in reply.

Based on my past and ongoing experience I would like to share with you a few marketing tips which I hope will be of use to you in growing your hospitality business.

1. Create a marketing plan if you do not already have one. If you already have a plan, ensure that you consult it regularly, update it as the year goes by and your business needs change and realise that it is a very valuable tool. If you are not sure how to go about creating a plan help is out there, so do not be afraid to ask.

2. Do not take on more than you and your business can afford in terms of resources. This could include money, time, staff or all the above. For example, there is no point in trying to update four different social media channels when really you only have time to update one. It is better to have one engaging and regularly updated account than four which look abandoned.

3. Do not try and do everything yourself and do not be afraid to ask the experts. Marketing may be a foreign language to you and be the last thing in the world you want to spend time on and that is ok. However, do prioritise it and instead of struggling alone ask for help from those with experience. It will be worth it for the future success of your business.

4. Everything the public see, hear and experience of your business is part of your marketing – it establishes your brand and influences your customers. Therefore, present your product well, present yourself well and engage professionally with every customer, supplier and staff member.  

5. Believe in what you do and how you do it. If you are not 100% behind your product or service, you can never convince anyone else of its value. This self-belief could be your most important marketing tool and from this you will make your product or service the best that it can be.

6. Good luck! Remember it’s all in the planning.

Staying in Co Sligo and the best places to visit during your stay

Co Sligo is steeped in history and literature and is framed by its stunning coastline and the unique silhouette of Benbulben. Renowned for its association with WB Yeats and Countess Markiewicz, it is a romantically beautiful place to visit. Sligo town is a bustling centre for shopping, dining and entertainment which retains the friendly, welcoming atmosphere of a much smaller town.

Ireland’s Hotel Planner has chosen to work with two hotels which offer superb facilities and are also close to both town and coast, attractions and sites.

If your group decide to make Sligo your next destination for a holiday in the west of Ireland then read on for Tara’s seven favourite places to visit in the county:

1. Drumcliff. W.B. Yeats’ burial place lies under the tree at the church door in Drumcliff, the same church where his father officiated. Tucked beneath the shadow of Benbulben it is a restful place.

2. Lissadell House & Gardens. This was the childhood home of Countess Markiewicz and visited by Yeats, the house and gardens are well worth a visit and have been beautifully restored by Edward Walsh, Constance Cassidy and their seven children, for whom this is now home.

3. Mullaghmore. A seaside village, Mullaghmore is surrounded by striking scenery including Classiebawn Castle and Benbulben mountain. The village itself offers several seaside cafes and bars allowing you to sit and enjoy the views of the Atlantic Ocean.

4. Archaeological sites. Co Sligo offers plenty to see for those interested in archaeology and even if it is not your particular interest you could not help but be wowed by the court tombs, cairns and ruins which are strewn across the landscape.

5. Lough Gill. You can visit the fully restored 17th century Parkes Castle or take a boat trip to view the Isle of Innisfree, made famous by the Yeats’ poem.

6. The beaches. The Sligo coastline and the wild Atlantic Ocean that breaks upon it have created stunning beaches for walking, swimming and watersports. These include Strandhill, Enniscrone, Easky, Rosses Point and Culleenamore, among many others.

7. Sligo Town. Sligo is just the right size for a day of browsing shops and enjoying lunch or a coffee at its riverside eateries. A lovely way to spend a day and a change from all that scenery!