The team at the Innovate Room prides itself on deep tourism sector-specific experience and knowledge. The team is motivated by the level of change, big thinking, and success they can bring to client projects. In all projects, they work alongside their clients, crafting solutions to complex issues and adding value to all the businesses they work with. In effect, they live their name – innovating with clients to deliver commercial and financial success.
We are passionate about being current and relevant and our team continues to engage in professional learning Programmes such as Digital Marketing, Mentoring for Professionals, and Master Programmes in Professional Practice. The Innovate Room is an accredited practice in the Irish Management Consulting Association- the standard bearer for professional practice.
Strategic Marketing, Revenue Management, Business Strategy, Executive Mentoring
As owner of the Innovate Room, Oonagh leads a team of highly motivated, expert professionals who work collaboratively with industry across a diverse range of projects at a multi stakeholder level to ideate, innovate, lead, and implement on a range of solution led projects. A cornerstone of the work at Read more>
As owner of the Innovate Room, Oonagh leads a team of highly motivated, expert professionals who work collaboratively with industry across a diverse range of projects at a multi stakeholder level to ideate, innovate, lead, and implement on a range of solution led projects.
A cornerstone of the work at The Innovate Room is to consistently generate, diversify and stabilize income streams so that their clients can enjoy commercial success not just in the short term but well into the future.
Oonagh is recognized as a thought leader in the tourism and hospitality space and has a reputation for positive contributions to many industry forums. Oonagh’s own specialist area is demand and revenue generation alongside new product development. With strong communication and interpersonal skills Oonagh enjoys facilitating robust discussion among stakeholder groups as part of her consulting work.
Key areas of expertise
- Business Analysis
- Maximising Online and Offline Distribution Channels
- Executive Mentoring
- Business Advisory & Management Training
- Strategic Sales & Revenue Planning
Commercial Sales & Marketing
Helen’s background includes working for global luxury brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, in addition to lifestyle brands such as The Doyle Collection. Helen has been working as a consultant for seven years and has enjoyed being part of a diverse range of Read more>
Helen’s background includes working for global luxury brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, in addition to lifestyle brands such as The Doyle Collection. Helen has been working as a consultant for seven years and has enjoyed being part of a diverse range of projects at both destination and individual business level across the entire spectrum of hospitality, from hotels to B&Bs, restaurants, pubs, activity providers, visitor attractions and tour operators. Helen excels at engaging at stakeholder level, crafting strategy and vision but also works collaboratively across executive and operational groups mentoring teams to implement change.
Helen develops and delivers bespoke training and mentoring on a range of topics including domestic and international sales, innovative and strategic marketing and a selection of specialist associated topics including the luxury market, product design and development, and business strategy.
Helen’s qualifications include BA in History and Politics, Diplomas in Public Relations and Digital Marketing and a Masters in Professional Practice.
Key areas of expertise
- Business strategy
- Strategic sales planning and training
- New market diversification
- Synergising marketing and sales efforts to optimise return on investment
Our expert panel of Associates
We are delighted to have made friends over the years with some likeminded, talented and innovative individuals who make up our associate panel- working with us on various projects and bringing their considerable expertise to the table to help deliver successful multi-faceted projects.
Deirdre McDonald is a Hospitality Consultant with The Innovate Room, with 30 years industry experience, at senior management level in the hotel sector.
A marketing and service excellence specialist, with extensive experience across a range of hotels, from five star resorts to boutique properties, food and beverage businesses and visitor experiences. Deirdre’s business strength is her ability to apply her operational expertise to strategic marketing and combine this with her appreciation for service excellence. She is big advocate of Irish food provenance, her knowledge of which, adds an additional layer of information to projects. This unique blend of skills, alongside a successful track record in hotel General Management allows Deirdre to deliver mentoring and advisory supports to businesses underpinned by an appreciation and understanding of their operation. A skilled communicator, Deirdre is passionate about sharing industry insights and knowledge, to support tourism and hospitality businesses in delivering service excellence, growing reputation and reaching their full commercial potential.
Deirdre is a Board Director of the Irish Hospitality Institute and holds an MBS in Tourism Management from The Smurfit Graduate School, UCD.
Key areas of expertise
- Strategic Sales and Marketing
- Reputation Management
- Operations Management and Service Excellence
Sandra is a results-driven technical consultant with over 20 years of hospitality, distribution and commercial experience. Her experience has been gained at senior management level in international group and independent hotels, working as part of multi-disciplinary teams.
Sandra’s area of expertise within The Innovate Room team is in the systems and technology space in both the hospitality and visitor attraction sectors. Her specialist interest lies in distribution and connectivity management. Sandra has a strong understanding of reporting suites and key metric analytics and is passionate about implementing seamless technology set-up to ensure successful strategies can be executed and revenue is maximised.
Sandra is a designated trainer in Revenue Management on the Irish Hotel Federation Skillnet Programme and a contributor to the Connected Distribution module of Fáilte Ireland’s Digital that Delivers Programme.
Sandra is qualified in Early Career Mentoring from Technological University Dublin.
Key areas of expertise
- Technology & Distribution Implementation and Reviews
- Workflow Analysation and Process Improvements
- Revenue Management Optimisation
- Project Management
Amanda O’Donovan is a recognised commercial consultant in the hotel and visitor experience space.
She specialises in revenue, distribution and pricing strategies and provides businesses with actionable insights through data analysis. With a passion for guiding businesses toward commercial success, she excels in implementing practical and effective processes that streamline operations and drive results.
Amanda is highly experienced in working with diverse multi-disciplinary teams of various skill levels. She excels in helping them harness the power of data-driven decisions and implement robust processes and technology to achieve commercial success.
Amanda’s exceptional communication skills enable her to listen to and understand the perspectives of clients and stakeholders and she is very effective at leading teams through periods of change and fostering a collaborative approach to revenue maximisation.
By applying the professional experience that Amanda has gained by working with a wide range of visitor attractions, Amanda provides businesses with innovative solutions in the areas of ticketing, bookability, and scrutinising the customer online process.
Amanda is dedicated to leveraging the power of learning and development by sharing her knowledge and expertise through training and mentorship programs. She works with multiple organisations including Failte Ireland, the Irish Hospitality Institute, and the Irish Hotels Federation.
Key areas of expertise
- Revenue Management
- Business Development for Visitor Attractions
- Commercial Success Planning
Niamh O’Shea is a senior hospitality consultant with The Innovate Room with a proven and extensive career in the hotel industry. As General Manager of the five-star Killarney Park Hotel over a 20 year period , Niamh gained experience in all aspects of hotel operations, finance management and commercial development which enables her to bring a wealth of deep sector specific knowledge to support client businesses.
As a business mentor and advisor Niamh works closely with owners and managers to develop customized strategies to drive growth in their business and enhance overall performance. Her approach is based on a deep understanding of the needs and preference of today’s visitors and guests as well as the latest industry trends and best practices.
Niamh has a unique blend of strategic thinking, operational expertise and keen commercial acumen and is always looking for new ways to improve performance and achieve success for her clients. Niamh is currently assisting businesses with project development and management, change management, demand analysis, and optimizing operations to improve profitability.
One of Niamh’s greatest strengths is her ability to communicate clearly and effectively with people at all levels of an organisation. She has a gift for building partnerships and collaboration across teams which help her clients achieve their goals.
Throughout Niamh’s career she has been a proactive member and contributor to a number of business networks such as IHF, ITIC, Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Skillnet Training Network. Passionate about destination development, Niamh has worked on several committees both at a regional and national level, including most recently the Destination and Experience Development Plan for Killarney.
Key areas of expertise
- Commercial Growth Strategies
- Product & Destination Development
- Developing Operational and Financial Plans
Amy Alice Horgan is a recognised Sales & Marketing Consultant in the Hospitalty Industry.
Experienced in Sales & Marketing with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. Skilled in Marketing, Sales, Wedding Industry, Leisure Industry, PR, Digital Marketing and Market Research. Strong sales professional with a Masters in Marketing from NUIG, Honors Degree in Business & Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing from Digital Marketing Institute. Amy has worked at Group Level for the Irish owned hotel group the Talbot Collection along with working at property level with Hotels in Cork, Wexford, Dublin, Carlow, Galway & Mayo. Since working at Group Level she now works with an array of Hotels throughout Ireland.
Recent project work has seen Amy mentoring Sales & Marketing Executives giving them the foundations for success within their organisation. Amy has also worked alongside a Sales Marketing Team in executing their Social Media Strategy.
Key areas of expertise
- Strategic Sales & Marketing Planning
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Graphic Design
- Mentoring
- Public Relations
Colm is an expert within the luxury global hospitality sector. He has worked for over 30 years, both in a managerial capacity and senior advisory role, for some of the world’s leading hotels. He possesses a unique depth and breadth of experience having led hospitality appraisal projects in many parts of the globe including China, Europe and the Americas. His most recent position has been General Manager of Alborada Ocean Club, a large 3 star resort on the island of Tenerife (Spain). Appointed by the owner, Libra Group, to put a senior team together and steer it back towards profitability.
His competency is in diagnosing operational issues, assessing quality and critiquing the customer service experience within the context of improving brand and corporate culture. He worked for Richey International for over 8 years, a bespoke US hospitality consultancy firm. This allowed him to interact with the leading hotel brands and design world-class standard operating procedures for companies such as Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Six Senses and Shangri-la.
Colm’s background stems from having managed teams in both front-of-house and food and beverage departments in luxury hotels in London and New York such as Food and Beverage Control at Claridge’s and Assistant Manager at the Rosewood Carlyle New York. Before moving to New York he was Assistant Manager at the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, a boutique hotel known for its Michelin star restaurant.
He is a graduate of Westminster College London and Dublin’s Technological University hotel management programme. He earned an MBA from the University College Dublin Graduate School of Business in 1998 and was awarded a Certificate in Asset Management from the Cornell School of Hotel Management in 2017.
Key areas of expertise
Areas of Expertise:- Food and Beverage Concepts
- Tailoring the Customer Experience
- Brand Integrity
- Asset Management