Kildare clinches two major titles at national hospitality awards
Winners of the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2026 were announced this week
Ireland’s gold-standard food and hospitality champions were celebrated as the winners of the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2026 were announced this week, with two key awards going to Kildare.
Now in their fourth decade, these are the longest-running awards of their kind in Ireland. Established by food & hospitality writer Georgina Campbell, they recognise excellence across the country, with winners selected through independent, year-round assessments by a team of experts.
ABOUT THE KILDARE WINNERS
Georgina Campbell Business Hotel of the Year 2026: The K Club Straffan Co Kildare
Set on 550 acres in lush Kildare countryside, with beautiful formal gardens, extensive grounds, two championship golf courses and with an elegant French-flavoured manor house once owned by the Barton wine family at its heart, the K Club is only half an hour from both Dublin airport and the city, yet feels a world away from both.
The scale of the property allows it to handle everything from small meetings and private dining for a dozen or so guests up to conferences and major corporate occasions for 500 with style, and without impacting on other activities – and the exceptional amenities on-site and in the surrounding area make it an ideal destination for team building and incentive groups.
The golf and the estate setting offer great opportunities for informal networking and downtime – and, with everything being so enjoyable, a working visit can easily become a rewarding stay… And the exceptional dining options might well sway the decision to stay on for a break - notably the experience in the beautiful main restaurant, The Barton Grill, which has been recently reinvented to create an elegant and atmospheric setting for Executive Chef Gary O’Hanlon and Head Chef Adam Leahy to showcase local and Irish produce, while The Palmer, The Drawing Room, Henry Lounge, South Bar & Restaurant, offer a range of very different options – or guests can slip out to Straffan village to The K Club’s own local, The Straffan Inn.
Georgina Campbell Speciality Hospitality & Sustainability Awards Category – Visitor Attraction 2026: The Shackleton Experience & Ernie's Café Athy Co Kildare
Athy has a unique connection with one of the great stories of polar exploration, as Ernest Shackleton was born at nearby Kilkea in 1874 – and today a remarkable tribute to his story is to be found in Athy’s reinvented Town Hall, where The Shackleton Experience opened in 2025. With its combination of restoration and modernity (as in the striking glass extension known as ‘The Iceberg’ and interactive exhibitions), it is a welcoming and intriguing destination honouring and exploring the life of Ernest Shackleton – and a must-see when visiting Kildare.
Bringing his life, expeditions, leadership and enduring fascination to visitors in an engaging cultural attraction, it is a great asset to the town. Every aspect of The Shackleton Experience feels as if it has been thought through to convey much more than the impressive exhibits themselves – and that extends to its atmospheric café Ernie’s, which is operated by local chef and author Graham Herterich, aka The Cupcake Bloke.
Museum and heritage cafés are too often treated as an afterthought, but a good one extends the welcome, gives visitors time to reflect and makes the attraction more appealing to the local community as well as tourists. Local and Irish produce is at the heart of Ernie’s, where the short menus change often with the seasons and flavour comes first. You don’t need an entrance ticket to get into the café and there are a few seats outside too, so it’s a great spot for locals to meet up for a chat as well as a lovely surprise for visitors. All round The Shackleton Experience and Ernie’s add a whole new dimension to Athy.
'Under pressure'
Speaking at the awards, Georgina Campbell warned that the personal connection traditionally associated with Irish hospitality is under pressure as businesses increasingly turn to technology, automation and digital transactions.
“In many places we visited we could see how warm human interaction is being replaced by cold digital transactions,” said Georgina Campbell. “The very qualities that once defined good hospitality such as knowing a guest’s name, offering a cup of tea, or simply taking the time to have a conversation are becoming less common.”
Campbell recognised the enormous benefits that technology has brought to the industry, making businesses more efficient and helping staff manage information and operations, but stressed that there is a fundamental difference between efficiency and hospitality.
“Technology can make a business more efficient, but can it make a guest feel at home? Can an automated check-in desk make someone feel genuinely welcome? The answer, surely, is no,” said Georgina Campbell who added that the 2026 awards celebrate something that cannot be automated - the human touch.
“The timeless art of hospitality has never been more valuable, or more urgently needed,” she said. “Exceptional hospitality is about creating a connection and an experience that guests will remember and, importantly, tell others about.”
She said the businesses recognised in this year’s awards demonstrate the value of putting people first, with owners and managers who remain visible and engaged, and long-serving staff who remember names, preferences and the small details that make a stay or meal personal.
More details at www.ireland-guide.ie