The Montenotte Hotel announces completion of an extensive Employee Facility Project to elevate its workplace experience, unveiling a new Employee Restaurant, Changing Facilities, and Relaxation Area
The Montenotte Hotel, Cork’s urban resort and one of Ireland’s leading hotels, has today officially opened its new Employee Facility, elevating its workplace experience for staff. Featuring completely renovated changing facilities and an entirely new wing of the hotel to house the Employee Restaurant and Relaxation Area, The Montenotte is committed to ensuring the best work life for its employees. While already recognised as a Silver Recipient of Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme and A Great Place to Work® Certified™, The Montenotte Hotel identified a further opportunity to enhance the employee experience with an investment project of €700,000 to create an unparalleled workplace for staff.
The philosophy behind the overall Employee Facility Project has been that hotel employees are deserving of ‘back-of-house’ spaces that are the same calibre as those areas offered to hotel guests. The design brief for creating the welcoming employee environment was to keep it in aesthetic alignment with The Montenotte Hotel’s design driven ethos, while also making it highly functional for the needs of team members. The new extension maximises natural daylight, through panoramic windows that showcase the best of the views of Cork below. A dedicated relaxation area named ‘The Library’ is outfitted with lush loungers, comfortable sofas, and beautifully detailed wall panelling housing an ever-expanding employee library, chosen by the in-house Employee Book Club.
The new Employee Restaurant extends The Montenotte’s relaxed yet holistic approach to dining with an extensive kitchen featuring hot and cold pantries as well as vibrant furnishings personally curated by proprietor Josephine Whelehan in an eclectic contemporary style reminiscent of the hotel’s rooftop bar, The Glasshouse. With weekly changing menus overseen by The Montenotte Hotel’s recently appointed Executive Chef, Rudi Liebenberg, employees will enjoy internationally inspired dishes that incorporate the freshest ingredients and are centred around local, seasonal produce. Passionate about sustainability, Rudi is renowned for his conscious approach to cooking and places high importance on the quality of vegan and vegetarian offerings for the Employee Restaurant. With this project, The Montenotte Hotel is not only improving its staff’s work life, but are also showcasing the amazing experience on offer, making the team better equipped to serve guests and also inspire its staff to be passionate and proud about the work they do for the hotel.
Frits Potgieter, General Manager of The Montenotte Hotel, says; “We pride ourselves in setting the benchmark for the best employee experience. To attract, retain, develop, and nurture the very best talent, we are committed to developing and maintaining a truly employee-driven culture. In 2023, we’ve invested in multiple product enhancements for our guests including a renovation of The Residences, our luxury private apartments, but our most significant capital investment has been into this Employee Facility Project, underpinning an acknowledgement that our people are ultimately the most important driver of the guest experience and overall business success.
Emma Jacobs, People and Culture Manager at The Montenotte Hotels adds; “Working in luxury hospitality, we recognise and appreciate the value of a welcoming environment. With our beautiful new employee spaces, our team are able to enjoy an environment that reflects how highly valued they are. By offering our employees the same level of hospitality and care we provide to guests, we create a culture that naturally carries into the impeccable guest experience The Montenotte Hotel is known for. Back-of-house is an important social and relaxation area for our staff and the new space is conducive to the socialisation and connections we want both our longstanding team members and those new to us to enjoy. We want an environment in which we can nurture people throughout their careers from entry level right through to Head of Department or even Hotel Manager.
The Montenotte Hotel employs 170 employees representing 29 nationalities and cultures and prides itself on a commitment to staff wellbeing, as well as professional development.
