Waterford hotelier Margaret Darrer has been elected National Vice President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), the national organisation of the hotel and guesthouse sector.
Ms Darrer is a Director at the family-owned Dooley’s Hotel, Waterford City. She joins IHF National President Michael Magner and fellow National Vice President Matt O’Connor in representing over 900 hotels and guesthouses, which employ 66,000 people throughout the country.
Ms Darrer has been an active member of the IHF and local South East Branch for 25 years and brings extensive experience to the role of Vice President having previously served as a member of the IHF National Council and as a current board member of the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB).
Commenting on her election, Ms Darrer says: “It is a great honour to be elected national Vice President of the Irish Hotels Federation and to represent our sector, which makes such an important contribution to the economy. I look forward to working closely with my IHF colleagues and engaging with our Government and industry partners to address the challenges facing our sector and wider tourism industry. A particular focus for us over the coming year is the need for meaningful measures from the Government to tackle the very high operating costs of tourism and hospitality businesses, which is an enormous concern in terms of our competitiveness.”
IHF President Michael Magner says: “I want to congratulate Margaret on her election as Vice President. Margaret’s commitment to our sector and extensive experience are a great asset to the IHF as we continue to advocate for members at the highest levels of Government. As Ireland’s largest indigenous employer, tourism plays a vital role supporting over 270,000 livelihoods. It is therefore critical that the right conditions are in place to deliver a sustained recovery for our sector and wider tourism industry so that it lives up to its full potential. I look forward to working with Margaret to deliver our key priorities in relation to economic growth, leadership in sustainability and supporting people development within our sector.”
