The family-run hotel supports staff recognition while keeping spend within the local economy.
Sligo Park Hotel has shown its support for the town using the Love Sligo Gift Card in its reward and recognition programme. The card can be spent with over 270 local businesses – with over €2.7m in cards sold to date.
The Family run hotel has invested over €30,000 into the town through an innovative reward and recognition program.
The Sligo Park Hotel moved from national gift cards to the Love Sligo Gift Card to recognise staff providing exceptional service to guests.
Backed by Sligo BID, the Love Sligo Gift Card can be spent with around 270 local businesses. Over €2.7 million of cards have been sold to date, with the cards popular for gifts and as employee rewards and incentives.
Mary Halton, HR Manager at Sligo Park Hotel said:
“At our hotel, we have a thoughtfully designed reward and recognition program aimed at celebrating exceptional service. After each guest’s stay, we send out a questionnaire to gather insights about their experience. This feedback form not only enquires about their overall visit but also highlights specific moments or staff members who contributed significantly to their memorable stay.
“When our dedicated staff members are recognised through these surveys, they receive a €25 Love Sligo Gift Card as a token of appreciation for their outstanding efforts. This programme serves as a powerful incentive for our team to go the extra mile in providing exceptional service. By using the Love Sligo Gift Card, we’re playing a part in keeping our local economy bustling and ensuring that our community remains vibrant.
“As a family-run business, we prioritise buying local whenever possible, and providing the card to our staff further motivates them to explore Sligo’s diverse offerings. It invites them to discover new businesses they may not have visited before, fostering a sense of community and loyalty. This simple act not only enriches their experience but also contributes to the sustainability of local entrepreneurs. Together, we are all part of a larger effort to keep Sligo’s charm alive and thriving.
“The Love Sligo Gift Card has seamlessly woven itself into the fabric of our staff incentive program, becoming a cherished reward for our team. It creates a win-win scenario for all involved: our customers enjoy exceptional service, our staff feel motivated and recognised, and our business thrives.
“We also take part in a Transition Year program where young people come to Sligo Park Hotel for work experience, and we’ll gift the young person a €50 Love Sligo Gift Card for their work and they are thrilled. We’ll also recognise staff who are going above and beyond day to day, such as covering for someone on their day off. I think it’s vital to recognise these moments.
“It simply makes sense to motivate your team to spend their rewards locally rather than directing their spending to businesses in another town or city. Promoting local commerce not only benefits your employees but also strengthens the economic fabric of your community as a whole.”
Gail McGibbon, CEO at Sligo BID said:
“This is such a thoughtful and innovative use of the Love Sligo Gift Card by Sligo Park Hotel, demonstrating the wide range of use cases for our local gift card – from employee rewards to staff incentive programs, client or volunteer thank you gifts to customer incentives. Choosing the Love Sligo Gift Card ringfences reward spend into our economy, for the benefit of our business community.”
The Love Sligo Gift Card is part of the multi-award winning Town & City Gift Cards initiative active across Ireland, with over €17.4m in sales in 2025 which will drive an estimated 335,000 visits to high streets this year.
Mark Cunningham, Love Sligo programme coordinator and business development manager for Miconex Ireland says:
“There are numerous advantages to organisations of using the Love Sligo Gift Card over the national cards. The primary goal of the Love Sligo Gift Card is to revitalise the town’s economy by encouraging residents and visitors alike to spend their money within Sligo, ultimately supporting local businesses and securing jobs for its inhabitants.”
Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex added:
“The trailblazing Love Sligo Gift Card continues to go from strength to strength thanks to the support of organisations like Sligo Park Hotel. The Love Sligo Gift Card is the ultimate ‘shop local’ Gift Card, blending unbeatable local choice with unrivalled support for local – and it is this choice and support for local that makes it ideal as an employee reward or incentive.”
The Love Sligo Gift Card is available to purchase online at www.lovesligocard.com and in person at the Sligo Tourist Information Centre and Mullaneys. ‘Grab and Load’ cards can also be picked up and loaded with value at 6 locations in Sligo: Centra, Sligo Credit Union, Conway & Sons, Healthwise Pharmacy, Ward’s Pharmacy and Centra Castle Street.
