Peter Fergus’s Vision for Genuine Hospitality and Empowered Teams at The Lodge at Ashford Castle
Peter Fergus, the General Manager of The Lodge at Ashford Castle is a local Mayo man and is therefore in a unique position to fully appreciate this luxury property’s charm, character and surroundings.
At the helm of The Lodge since 2018, Peter began his career in hospitality at the Castlecourt Hotel in Westport, where he worked for a number of seasons. For the teenager he was then, it was a case of love at first sight between him and the hospitality industry.
“I couldn’t believe that I was getting paid to go into work,” he recalls; “to go into a hotel, meet guests, be nice to them, and have a great time doing it.”
A Passion for People and the Heart of Service
On the advice of an astute career guidance teacher, he succeeded in getting his first-choice course at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, setting him on his way to a career in hotel management.
His 2nd year placement brought him abroad – to the 5-star Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel in Interlaken, Switzerland. It opened his eyes to the simple essential components at the heart of hospitality:
“I received fantastic training there,” recalls Peter, “from working in the cellar looking after the stock to working in the kitchen with the chefs and into the bar and restaurants for service. It was wonderful to witness the genuine pride in service there, and how it’s truly valued as a profession, that really stood out as something special.”
Peter believes the heart of hospitality lies in its people, being kind, caring, and offering every guest a truly warm welcome. Get that right, he says, and the finer details can be built upon.
“Exceptional service starts with engaged employees,” Peter points out, adding, “We recently partnered with Empowered, a platform that gives us confidential and actionable insights into employee engagement. It helps us understand how our teams are feeling, spot areas for growth, and build a more supportive, inclusive culture. With this, we’re committed to making sure every team member feels heard, valued, and motivated to deliver the experiences our guests expect.”
Peter considers himself fortunate to welcome local talent to The Lodge at Ashford Castle each season, joining a diverse team of nationalities who together uphold the highest service standards.
“That local element is hugely important to us,” says Peter. “It’s wonderful to see young adults join us, perhaps a little shy at first, and by the end of the summer they’ve truly become part of the team. It’s phenomenal to see these young minds grow and to see them build their personalities in hospitality. They gain a lot of confidence while working with us, learn to converse with ease, engage warmly, and create meaningful connections with our guests.”
Peter’s passion towards the training of future hospitality professionals is shared with senior leadership across the wider Ashford Estate and inspired the founding of the “The Ashford Academy,” a hands-on training programme that runs from June to August each year, offering real-world experience in Accommodation and Food & Beverage. The programme covers customer service skills, core values training, and mentorship and offers flexible hours and competitive rates, ensuring that trainees are well-prepared to succeed in their future careers within the Ashford Estate and wider hospitality sector.
The Lodge at Ashford Castle was originally the Estate Manager’s house and was built by the Guinness family in 1865.
“It was always a place of welcome” Peter points out, “when guests of the Guinness family came to stay at the estate, they would have stayed in The Lodge as well – for pheasant shooting, fishing and excursions. In many ways, it’s come full circle, back to doing what it was always meant to do.
“There’s something truly special about real, heartfelt hospitality. Hospitality is something that happens for you, and when there’s no hospitality, things happen to you. We have to anticipate our guests needs and understand what they are, who they are and what they want to experience. If we meet that with kindness and diligent service and the curiosity that’s within us of the local area, there’s no better place to stay.
“When you walk the floor and hear the team using the guests’ names and engaging with the guests, that’s special and that’s where engagement is; they are taking that time to know who their guest is and to know what they want.”
Sustainability Increasingly to the Forefront
With a quality operation such as this one, the sustainability function is a vital component of the hotel’s operation:
“We have a great sustainability team working across the estate with great influence and support from our Owners who take great interest in the area,” says Peter. “We look at our energy consumption, our water consumption and waste consumption. That comes right through to the kitchen as well.
“With the support of our VP of Sustainability, Michelle Devlin, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection is currently focused on achieving an international qualification in sustainability. It’s a process that spreads right through every aspect of the business,” Peter says, “right down to the choices made in produce such as the paper products they use and the removal of cling film in the kitchen.
“It’s a huge task and something that we’ve all taken on,” says Peter. “We’ve cut down our waste by 60% in food alone, over the last few years. We have adopted a system called ‘Winnow’ which records the food waste and takes a picture of the waste while we’re dumping it, so that it’s all carefully monitored and measured.”
Increasing Weight of Running Costs
In common with all businesses across the hospitality sector, Peter says that they are also “feeling the pressure” of the sharply increasing cost burden in recent years.
“We’re an industry and an important one within the economy of the country,” says Peter. “I know that local politicians we’ve talked to here are hearing our concerns about (what’s happening to) the sector and they’re raising it for us.
“That’s important. It’s hugely important that it’s taken to the Government and discussed correctly. It is (the VAT rate increase from 9% to 13.5%) something that needs to be rolled back and put in line with European standards. If we look at the fact that we’re an island country on the periphery of Europe, having the appropriate VAT Rate for our industry it needs definite consideration and movement.”
Peter points to the huge numbers of restaurant closures that the country has endured over the last couple of years, but also to the even more devastating number of pub closures. It’s something that we should be more concerned about, he says, as it’s a large part of our unique culture and our story that we’re losing.
“Pubs are not just about drinking,” he says. “They’re the centre of a community, just like churches are too.” A community outlet where people meet and socialise.
For all the challenges, however, there are always core values that don’t change and that keep the business in Ireland thriving and moving forward. One of the most welcome developments in his sector in recent years has been the improved work/life balance for those working in hospitality.
“The day of the split shift is mostly gone,” he says, “even though that’s something that I grew up with. Employees are measuring you as an employer, I think that it’s a strength that’s coming through in our profession. It’s right to ask these questions, to ensure that people are cared for and that there is good work/life balance and that there’s a social aspect to our business as well.”
The other great change in the business that he had witnessed in his 20 years+ career is the growth in diversity of different disciplines within the industry – from sales & marketing to finance, HR and various other areas.
For now, Peter is certainly satisfied with his working life: “I don’t think that there’s anything else I wanted to do. When I was 16 or 17, I made the decision to go into this business, I picked the industry that suited me and hopefully I’ll have another 20 years in it, I think that the industry is changing at the moment, at a rate that’s faster than it has ever been and I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops over the next few years.”
