Sinead Lawlor – the operations manager at the 4-star Killashee Hotel near Naas – has won the Employee of the Year award at the 2023 Kildare Chamber Business Awards.
Ms Lawlor – who has held numerous top positions in the catering and hotel sectors – joined Killashee in 2013 as duty manager, before swiftly being promoted to conference manager within two months. She has been the hotel’s operations manager since June 2022.
The Killashee Hotel caters for families, couples, wedding and business guests – with 141 luxurious bedrooms, 2 restaurants, 15 meeting rooms, 3 conference and event rooms, a ballroom, 2 weddings venues, an extensive Leisure Club with a 25-metre swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi and a spa with 15 treatment rooms.
Killashee is part of FBD Hotels & Resorts, and the group has invested over €4m into refurbishing the hotel since April 2022. The hotel employs 370 full and part time staff.
According to the hotel group, Ms Lawlor’s “meticulous attention to detail, organisational prowess, and keen eye for ensuring every event runs flawlessly, have garnered praise not only from clients but also from industry peers and colleagues.”
“Sinead embodies the qualities that define the most inspiring, dynamic, and driven employee. Her journey from duty manager to operations manager is a testament to her relentless pursuit of excellence,” it added.
