HappyChef Daily · Today's restaurant news
The Fitzwilliam Returns To Profit As Malta Weighs More Hotel Rooms
- Ireland
- Malta
In Short
- The Fitzwilliam Hotel in Dublin made a €1.6 million profit in 2025 after a loss the year before.
- A new hotel sustainability label launches as Ireland's rules on vague green claims take effect.
- Hotels in Kerry and the South West took a big share of the Irish golf tourism awards in Tralee.
- A Dutch tour operator will fly holidaymakers weekly to Kerry Airport from April 2027.
- Malta has approved 220 tourist accommodation projects since 2024, with 5,235 extra rooms.
- Ryanair's boss expects European fares to rise by up to 20% next year, a worry for Malta's tourism.
In Ireland today, the news was about hotels doing better, and about the new rules on green claims that every hotel and restaurant now has to respect.
In Malta, the debate is about how many more hotel rooms the islands can take, and what dearer flights could mean for visitor numbers next year.
A Dublin Five-Star Hotel Is Back In The Black
The company behind the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen's Green made a profit of €1.6 million in 2025. A year earlier it lost €1.3 million.
Turnover grew 10% to €22.2 million. The directors say a three-year refurbishment of rooms and public areas was finished in the first half of the year, so all rooms were back on sale.
Staff numbers fell from 211 to 200, and payroll costs dropped 18.5% to €7.5 million.
Sources: The Irish Times
Vague Green Claims Can Now Cost A Hotel Up To €60,000
Since 27 September, Irish law bans general environmental claims that are not backed up. A sustainability label must come from a public body or a certification scheme that meets legal rules. Breaches can bring fines of up to €60,000.
Two Irish firms, Fifty Shades Greener and Agent 4 Change, have launched a certification for hospitality with an independent audit and four levels, renewed each year. Booking.com recognises it.
The Mespil Hotel in Dublin is one of the first, with a gold award. A free webinar on the new rules for hospitality businesses takes place on 12 November.
Sources: Hotel & Restaurant Times
South West Hotels Win Big At The Golf Tourism Awards
Golf tour operators, hoteliers and course managers met in Tralee on 18 and 19 October for the IGTOA conference and awards.
Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa won the service excellence award, and Killarney Plaza Hotel was named large golf hotel of the year. The organisers called golf tourism a vital source of income for regional communities.
Sources: Travel Extra
Dutch Holidaymakers Get A Weekly Flight Into Kerry
Dutch tour operator BBI Travel will fly every Thursday from Groningen to Kerry Airport, from 29 April to 9 September 2027. Sky Alps operates the flights.
BBI sells full packages with flights, accommodation and local transport. Kerry Airport is 15 minutes from Killarney and Tralee, so local hotels and restaurants can expect some extra Dutch guests next summer.
Sources: Travel Extra
Planners Delay Again On A Tall Hotel At Balluta Bay
Malta's Planning Authority postponed its decision on turning Palazzina Vincenti in St Julian's into a four-star hotel with 130 rooms. It is the second delay this year.
The plan restores the modernist house and adds ten new floors, with restaurants, a spa and a rooftop pool. Several owners on the site said they never agreed to the project, so the architect must first clear up who gave consent.
More than 1,000 people objected, and heritage groups want the building to get the highest level of protection.
Malta Has Approved Over 5,000 New Tourist Rooms Since 2024
Environmental group FAA says 220 tourist accommodation projects were approved from the start of 2024, adding up to 5,235 rooms. That is 62 hotels and 158 guesthouses.
At its conference on tourism, the CEO of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association linked the rise in capacity to investment in short-term rentals. He asked for a clearer tourism identity and more consistent enforcement.
Sources: Newsbook
Dearer Flights Next Year Could Hit Malta's Visitor Flow
Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary expects European airfares to rise by up to 20% in 2027. Many airlines' fuel deals end early next year, and oil is close to $100 a barrel.
More than half of Malta's tourists in 2025 came from Europe, so higher fares could make a trip to Malta more expensive. How much demand will drop is still unclear.
Sources: Illum
What Does This Mean For Your Restaurant?
If your website or menu calls your business eco-friendly or green, check that you can prove it. The new Irish rules apply to restaurants and cafés too, not only hotels.
In Malta, more rooms and dearer flights may pull in different directions next year. Keep an eye on bookings for spring before you plan staff and stock.
Sources
This edition summarises the articles below. Read them for the full details.