Representatives of the very best of Irish hospitality gathered at Bord Bia in Dublin today, for the announcement of the 2011 Georgina Campbell Awards, associated with the respected Georgina Campbell’s Ireland independent hospitality guides, and Ireland’s most popular independent hospitality and travel website www.ireland-guide.com.

Unlike most other award schemes, the Georgina Campbell Awards are completely independent, and in no way affiliated with trade associations or marketing groups; it is this independence which has earned them special respect in the industry, and public trust.  The event was anticipated especially keenly in yet another challenging year for the hospitality sector, as accolades from a respected independent guide are not only a source of encouragement, but very good for business too.

In line with the growth in popularity of accessing our guides digitally and indeed now while on the move, Georgina Campbell Guides’ focus is continuing to drift from printed guides, initially to the internet with ireland-guide.com and now towards the rapidly growing mobile technology area with a hugely successful app for the iPhone that was developed to ‘test the water’. This paved the way for a new version of the iPhone app with lots of new areas & functionality and for apps for Samsung, Blackberry and Nokia devices, which will all be live by the end of 2010, thus ensuring that Georgina Campbell’s Ireland remains the clear trail-blazer in relation to hospitality & travel guides in the mobile internet arena.

Yet whether accessed through a traditional paper guide or through a mobile phone app the ethos remains the same, every year Georgina Campbell and her team of experienced assessors comb the country’s hotels, country houses, guesthouses, restaurants, pubs and cafés, seeking out the best consumer experiences for their readers.

Ms Campbell, “We have maintained our rigorous programme of anonymous assessment visits throughout the season as usual, and the reports are gradually go through directly to the website, ireland-guide.com and as a result on to our apps.  As always, we’ve kept a sharp eye out for those exceptional establishments which are right on top of their game and going the extra mile for customers.”

Commenting on the Awards, Georgina Campbell said, “Every year a special theme emerges, depending on ‘the year that’s in it’ – this year the theme might have been  expected to be survival, against the odds. In fact – surprisingly - it’s more positive than that, as this year’s awards celebrate those who are bucking the trend, getting on with it – and thriving: so, this is a day to raise a toast, to those who not only survive – but thrive!”