The work ethic required in the 24/7 hotel industry

Occupation: Managing director, Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel

Background: The third generation to take the reins of this family enterprise, which recently marked its 50th milestone.

At the height of the summer tourist season, Dublin’s streets in August swell to the sound of accents from all over the world. In the heart of south Co Dublin, the telltale American twang is most prominent around the grounds of Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. 

“Business is going very well, thankfully, we are up in every department,” says managing director Mark Scott-Lennon, who, with his brother Joseph is the latest generation to take the reins of this hospitality icon. 

“Our room occupancy is very strong, particularly with Irish, Northern Ireland and UK holidaymakers. Up to 40% of our guests would be North American.” 

Having celebrated its 50th anniversary during the pandemic, the castle first opened to guests as a 13-bedroom operation in 1971, then run by Paddy and Eithne Fitzpatrick. 

The original house, Mount Mapas, was built in 1740 by a Colonel John Mapas, and in the 20th century was used by the Black & Tans and the IRA, before being burnt by Free State troops. It was requisitioned by the Government during the 1939-45 ‘Emergency’ period and used as an army billet.

As the third generation to take the reins, Mr Scott-Lennon is comfortable with the weight of tradition, and the efforts of previous generations to take the business to its current four-star status. 

“My brother and I would of course be very aware of the risks taken by my grandad in buying the hotel in the first place, and the hard work it took to get it to where it is today. 

"It has an established reputation that was carried on and added to by our mother, and certainly is something Joseph and myself would want to continue. We want to maintain the standards already set, and add to that by our ambitions for the business.” 

As is the case with many family hospitality businesses, Mr Scott-Lennon
has worked in all areas of the castle to earn his current MD position. 

Working in the hotel during school holidays was the norm growing up, and a great way to learn how every side of the house works.” 

With his father the owner of the famous Abbey Tavern in Howth, the hospitality trade was all around him growing up. “I always loved helping out at the Abbey during my teenage years, especially on nights with the large ballad shows. It was really fun to be in the middle of such excitement, as a youngster growing up you were definitely aware that your family business was very different to the norm.” 

Understanding the work ethic required in a 24/7 industry, Mr Scott-Lennon admits his decision to become the third generation came about organically: 

“In the beginning it was about earning pocket money during school and college, but I really developed a love of the business.” 

The support of his mother Eithne is a constant, there for advice when required: “Mum might not have agreed with all my decisions in the early days, and probably knew some of them wouldn't work, but she let me figure things out for myself.”

Having gone on to take an economics and politics degree at UCD, he committed to the business full-time in 2009. After completing the management trainee programme at the Castle, coupled with a master’s in hospitality management from Dublin Institute of Technology, he also gained experience overseas — another tried-and-tested route for future management in family businesses. 

“I worked at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Vancouver and Gurney’s Hotel and Resort in Montauk, New York. I have also been a member of the Irish Hotels Federation National Council and served two years as Dublin branch chairman and as vice-president for two years during the pandemic.”

In November 2022, Fáilte Ireland warned a lack of staff in the hospitality industry could lead to poor service and “long-term reputational damage” for Irish tourism. 

Acknowledging concerns over rising inflation and a loss of hotel accommodation, the agency highlighted “staff contractions” in the industry as representing the single biggest challenge facing tourism. 

“We are very fortunate in having great people, many of whom have worked with us for 30 and 40 years,” Mr Scott-Lennon explains of the 160 full-time and part-time employees. 

It’s the people who make a hotel, they come before the systems and the property — if you don’t have the right people in the right places, everything suffers. Having so many people with us for so long has contributed hugely to the success of the hotel, and is a great sense of pride.”

Large establishments like Fitzpatrick Castle are in a constant state of refurbishment and renewal, keeping the best of tradition with a weather eye always to the changing demands of the public. 

The economic reality posed by the covid-19 pandemic presented Mr Scott-Lennon with challenges on a steep learning curve: 

“We have always spent a significant amount of money on improving the property, and we will continue to do so. Like everybody in the industry, we have to focus on how to contribute to the challenge of climate change and coping with the rising costs of doing business in 2023. 

"Technology has been a major change over the past decade, and will continue to impact for the better as we move into the future.” 

That old auctioneer’s dictum — ‘location, location, location’ — is fitting for a castle situated adjacent to Killiney Hill and overlooking Dublin Bay.

Chosen as locations for various film productions over the years — both Once and Love, Rosie were filmed in the area — in addition to crew and stars from nearby Ardmore Studios being regular guests at the hotel.

As the hospitality sector moves from the high demand of the summer season to the autumn ‘shoulder’ period, Mark Scott-Lennon looks to the future with cautious optimism, carrying on the family business into the next half-century. 

“We are a people-focused business who try to go above and beyond for all of our guests, trying to create experiences that make their visit a memorable one. We have always been geared to exceed visitors’ expectations, and that will continue into the future.”