Our Sales Director Sharon is with Net Affinity for 12 years

What does it take to adhere with a company for 12 a long time, as a result of thick and skinny, good moments and pandemic situations? Undoubtedly it has to acquire a little something distinctive. Some thing lengthy long lasting, some thing more than the norm. Getting spoken to our gifted and lovely Profits Director, Sharon Cowley (who is with Web Affinity for 12 a long time this month) it sounds like it does. As effectively as a natural really like for the underlying values and essence of hospitality, Sharon also has love for the business she has labored tirelessly for, for far more than a ten years now. Men and women are the spine of hospitality, and of Internet Affinity, as well. When a put is stuffed with open up, type and intelligent individuals, how could you not really like it? 

Here’s to Sharon who has served make Net Affinity what it is now. Here’s much more from her on our corporation, our sector, and what the long run retains. 

What was the hospitality marketplace like when you started off functioning at Web Affinity?

It was a good time for me individually as I had left the operational side of the hotel small business and when I started off doing the job for Internet Affinity, I embarked on a whole new profession. Internet Affinity enabled me to find out about the world of technological know-how from a diverse point of view and it gave me a terrific excitement (and it nevertheless does!) It’s an at any time-switching, quickly paced and aggressive natural environment. A lot of lodges at the time had standalone booking engines but really didn’t shell out massive consideration to their websites – it was much more of an ‘online brochure’. Paid advertising just started off to be a serious thing and lodges relied really heavily on the additional classic media channels and vacation trade instead than paid out promoting to drive small business.

How has your have job modified form over the many years?

My part from the commencing has been Director of Profits, and originally it was about creating up our portfolio of consumers inside the Irish market place. Now, I am extra centered on retaining our robust portfolio right here in Ireland and growing the small business across our other main markets much too. Above the decades, I have also been intensely included in the growth of our solutions and our crew, but most of all, I have been targeted on increasing each individual aspect of our business enterprise and looking immediately after consumers nicely.

What do you like about functioning in the hospitality sector?

I like staying portion of the hospitality field. I have been associated in it due to the fact I was 18 when I started out learning at Shannon School of Resort Administration. I imagine to be in this field, you want to be passionate about resorts and hospitality. Hospitality offers a fantastic career – it gives travel, access to a large range of occupations inside the sector and more importantly, it has introduced me to the most excellent shoppers, colleagues and lifelong mates – equally near and significantly. It has also afforded me the opportunity to have a well balanced spouse and children life whilst maintaining a very senior situation at perform.

What do you like about performing in Net Affinity?

Net Affinity is a wonderful position to work! We have a superb group of pretty committed experienced persons, and although it has been tough at moments, we generally make it through jointly. Our most current challenge (the dreaded pandemic) basically manufactured the team unite alongside one another more than ever. I think we have occur out much better, closer and much more centered than ever just before. We get the job done on a widespread goal but hardly ever shed sight of the fact that our persons are what totally make us what we are. William Cotter, our Controlling Director, has been the creator, shaper and keeper of our extensive standing crew.

How do you imagine matters have matters improved above the years within just the sector? 

The main transform in excess of the a long time has been the enhance in systems that resorts use. At first, motels may perhaps have had a internet site with a scheduling motor and a front business office method – but that would be it. Now, lodges use technology for quite substantially every thing. When I began in Internet Affinity, pretty much no inns had a channel supervisor. Channel administrators have probably been one of the best parts of technology introduced from a distribution and timesaving viewpoint. Next arrived the integration of systems – every little thing functioning cleanly alongside one another for a neater guest encounter. The use of online promoting and channels this sort of as Google Resort Advertisements have also turn into absolute essential. The ‘now’ is info, and with our model new reserving engine, we are supplying customers with the most effective, most up-to-day user helpful info to enable them make educated selections on the place that will positively influence development in their small business.

What do you assume hoteliers need to have to aim on in the current?

I feel ideal now, hoteliers require to emphasis on their teams – people today make this company. We need to have to appear after the people today that we have in our organizations – assist them to develop with the ideal training.

We also need to appeal to younger shiny young expertise to the industry. We require to clearly show the positive aspects that a occupation in hospitality can give and show the a lot of facets of the enterprise that are out there to graduates coming into the workplace. We have to have to do the job at grassroot amount by way of secondary educational facilities by supplying talks from senior experts in the market, developing mentoring applications for folks who are fascinated.

Wherever do you see the industry going about the subsequent 12 yrs?

That is a really tough issue to respond to! I think details is really the most significant place of progress in coming years. Resorts need useable knowledge – details that can be employed to produce benefitable modify.

No issue what comes about, I believe the market will constantly, at its core, be about people – the guest, the hotelier, the supplier. I feel we need to have to recall that while technological know-how is awesome and will help in everything that we do, we nevertheless have to give our friends, buyers and crew a warm welcome, a terrific place to operate, wonderful purchaser assistance – all with a smile. No piece of technology will at any time replace that.

I hope I am continue to right here in 12 yrs and not changed by a R2D2.

We hope so as well, Sharon! To e book a demo of our booking engine, simply click right here.