The Grade B1 listed building, which sits within Derry’s historic city walls in the city’s Cathedral Quarter,  takes its place alongside premium hotels including Claridge’s, The Green Park Hotel, Hotel 41 and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

The hotel’s managing director Ciaran O’Neill said: “When you look at the locations and names of the hotels featured on this list, it is a great statement of confidence in the city’s hotel offering and an endorsement of the commitment and effort by everyone involved.

“This award shines a spotlight on the North West’s premium hospitality industry and will provide a real boost to the international image of the region and a boost to domestic tourism. Derry-Londonderry is a confident, vibrant, forward looking city and district that provides the best of all worlds, offering city, coastal and countryside experiences.”

In TripAdvisor’s UK’s top 25 rated hotels, Bishop’s Gate this year ranked in the top 10 – with the The Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best list compiled on the back of real guest experiences.

Ciaran added:  “It is a reflection of our staff’s enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to excellent customer service. In my opinion, they are simply the best and that’s why Bishop’s Gate has been recognised by the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards five years in a row!

“We believe in delivering a genuine welcome to all of our guests and we aim to ensure every visit is special, whether it is a formal occasion such as a wedding or simply friends enjoying lunch or afternoon tea in The Gown Restaurant. It is extremely encouraging to have this recognised and reflected in visitor feedback.

“This year, we are confident that staycations will be a popular choice for many wishing to holiday at home. At Bishop’s Gate, we work tirelessly to deliver experiences that exceed expectations whilst positioning ourselves as one of Northern Ireland’s leading destinations.”

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We have no fewer than 21 big categories for you this year, including two exciting new titles – the LCN Product Launch of the Year and LCN Hotelier of the – both of which are already attracting strong interest.

Running since 2009, these awards take place in the Europa hotel Belfast in June. Always a sell-out affair, this packed night of celebration is an acknowledgement of the very best venues and individuals in the trade across the country.

Free to enter, it is rigorously and independently judged by Spotcheck NI, meaning that when you take home an LCN plaque and certificate, you know that you’re at the very top of your game. It’s the most coveted award in local hospitality and a true benchmark of success.

The LCN Awards routinely attracts more than 500 entries from the trade and our winners can look forward to national and local media coverage and, of course, the respect of their industry peers.

Along with all that, our finalists will be complimentary VIP guests at the big awards ceremony itself in the Europa on June 5, where you can enjoy the atmosphere and excitement of the year’s best night out.

Enter now on this site, simply click the ‘Awards’ tab at the top right of the screen. It only takes a few minutes, after which you’ll be in contention for the biggest prize in hospitality.

We hope to see you in person on June 5.

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The awards recognise Ireland’s leading hospitality ambassadors – the people and businesses who help put Irish tourism on the global stage. The Culloden Estate & Spa, Grand Central Hotel, Stormont Hotel and Europa Hotel were each honoured by Irish tour operator, CIE Tours International, for consistently exceeding the expectation of guests.

Now in existence for 87 years, CIE Tours International is the largest tour operator into Ireland and winners were chosen according to feedback from more than 25,000 visitors.

Elizabeth Crabill, CEO of CIE Tours International and CIE chairman, Fiona Ross, are pictured presenting the awards to Aileen Martin, sales director of Hastings Hotels; Stephen Meldrum, general manager of the Grand Central Hotel and Andy McNeill, general manager of the Stormont Hotel.

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Named as this year’s LCN Bar Person of the Year, Steven Dodds collected his award during a gala evening at the Europa in Belfast in June, declaring himself delighted with the ‘unexpected’ honour:

Steven, who has been assistant manager at McHugh’s in Belfast for the last five years, added:

‘Working in McHugh’s has been just fantastic and getting to meet new people every day is a great part of the job.’

Steven, who comes from Bangor, first worked in hospitality when he was just 15-years-old. A friend told him about some casual work that was available at the Old Inn in nearby Crawfordsburn and he ended up waiting on tables there. By the time he was 16, he had a set of keys to the venue and was often responsible for locking up.

Steven stayed at the popular hotel until he was 18-years-old and studying for his A-levels, but he admits that he really had no idea what he wanted to do:

‘In those days, it was all about getting a little extra money together for a drink at the weekends with my friends,’ he recalls. ‘But I found that I really liked the work too.’

After a brief stint in retail, Steven found himself at Wolsey’s in Bangor. He initially provided sick cover at the venue, but his clear aptitude for the work quickly led to a full-time job offer and Steven stayed at the popular bar for the next six years.

‘I really did enjoy it, Martin Wolsey was absolutely fantastic,’ he recalls. ‘There was a real family thing there and everyone had their own place within that. It was a real joy to work there, but eventually, I realised that I couldn’t stay there my whole life. I had this notion to go to Canada and I went out there for a couple of months with my girlfriend at the time.’

Ultimately, says Steven, the trip to Canada was something of a disappointment and he was back in NI within a couple of months. The next two years were spent back at Wolsey’s before he took on a post at Coyle’s Bar & Bistro in Bangor, where he stayed for a couple of years.

By then, it was 2005 and in company with a close friend from his Wolsey’s day – Dean Stephens – the pair decided to take on the lease for Belfast’s iconic Rotterdam bar. Running the famous music venue was a dream come true for Steven, who is passionate about music and played in his own band at that time – but the new venture proved to be his biggest challenge:

‘It was a big learning curve,’he admits. ‘I thought I knew everything there was to know about the trade, but I was put right on that within a couple of weeks. It was a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, but we were having a really good time too.’

During Steven and Dean’s tenancy, Irish singer-songwriter, Foy Vance and Belfast musician, Ken Haddock became weekly staples at the popular venue:

‘From a young age, both Dean and I had known that the Rotterdam was a big name on the music scene and when we took it over, we wanted to make sure that it stayed a music venue of note,’ says Steven. ‘We were successful in that to some extent, just not enough to let us keep the doors open.’

Landlord, Bill Wolsey, eventually sold the venue on for redevelopment and Steven, who admits to being a little disillusioned, moved away from the trade for a while and spent some time in a labouring job. After a few months, he took on a few shifts at McHugh’s in Belfast and ended up on full-time hours, He’s been there ever since. He says that the atmosphere in the bar reminds him a lot of his days at Wolsey’s.

‘I’m behind the bar as much as possible,’ he adds. ‘I like the interactivity and being part of people’s experience, especially if they’re here on holiday. A lot of people, when they come to work in a bar, they forget what it’s like to be on the customer’s side. We’re part of the experience for them. Let’s face it, people aren’t coming to NI for the weather and I know a lot of them are coming over here just for the people.’

As for ambition, Steven is passionate about beer and he’d love to be more involved on the micro-brewing side of things.

‘I’d love that,’ he says. ‘I do a little bit of it at home but I’d love to be able to do something bigger at some stage.’

Steven recommends…

A perfect pairing…

‘For this, I’ve gone with a pint of Belfast Black stout from the Whitewater Brewery in Castlewellan. It’s creamy and smooth with delicious coffee notes and is supremely satisfying. Also very natural, no artificial colouring or preservatives. On the side is a measure of Yellow Spot whiskey from the Midleton distillery in Cork, very smooth, slightly sweet then spicy.’

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June 7 was the biggest date in local hospitality when more than 450 guests converged on the Europa Hotel in Belfast for the 10^th annual LCN Gala Awards, presented by Sarah Travers and Joe Lindsay and featuring a live stage show by NI singing sensation, Peter Corry.

See if you can spot yourself in our gallery of the evening – more pictures will follow soon.

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