As one of the newest openings along the Wild Atlantic Way, General Manager, John Keating’s vision is clear: to create a destination defined not just by luxury, but by genuine care, intuitive service and a true sense of place – we caught up with him to find out more.
You’ve built a remarkable international career across some of the world’s leading luxury hotels and resorts. Looking back over more than three decades in hospitality, what moments or experiences have most shaped the way you lead today?
I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some truly exceptional leaders over the years, and what has always set the great ones apart is a genuine commitment to people – guests, colleagues and teams alike. That ethos has become the foundation of my own leadership style: leading from the front, while creating space for others to flourish through coaching, mentoring and real collaboration.
One moment stands out in particular. Early in my career as maître d’ at The Ritz London, a new managing director called Terry Holmes came in for dinner with his family shortly after relocating from the US. He ordered and quietly asked whether he might be able to get some chips. I said “of course”, and brought them out with some ketchup for his children. Afterwards, he took me aside, thanked me and mentioned that in several days at The Ritz, nobody had accommodated that simple request. He told me to hold on to that instinct, that it would take me far.
The next day, he introduced me to the hotel’s ownership. He remained a mentor and a guiding influence for the next 20 years and is still a significant figure in the industry to this day. That early lesson in the power of simple, genuine service has never left me.
From Asia and the Caribbean to Scotland and the UK, your career has taken you across very different hospitality cultures. How have those global experiences influenced the way you approach launching a new luxury hotel like The Hawthorn by Galway Bay?
Looking back, the range of cultures and contexts I’ve had the privilege of working within has been an extraordinary education. Asia taught me patience and attentiveness and the UK sharpened my appreciation for diplomacy. Switzerland instilled a real precision and attention to detail while the Americas gave me a competitive drive. And Ireland, of course, gave me an intuitive understanding of warmth and genuine hospitality.
When I describe my approach to opening The Hawthorn, I often say it requires all of those qualities at once. Put them into a blender and what comes out is what this property demands. Each experience has contributed something important to how I’m shaping this project.
This role also marks a return home to Ireland for you. On a personal level, what does it mean to come back and lead one of the most anticipated hospitality openings in the west of Ireland?
Returning home has been deeply meaningful, both professionally and personally. Ireland today is a genuine global leader in hospitality, and the tourism sector along the Wild Atlantic Way, in particular, has developed into something really special. The investment in promoting this coastline as a world-class destination has paid off and Galway sits right at the heart of it: a city full of culture, history and character.
I feel a real sense of pride being part of this next chapter. And on a more personal note, being just two hours from my mother is something I genuinely appreciate.
Opening a hotel of this scale and ambition is a rare opportunity in a career. What has the pre-opening journey been like so far, and what are the most exciting – or challenging – aspects of bringing a project like The Hawthorn to life?
I’ve been involved in a number of openings over the course of my career, and each one is unique to its location and culture. There’s a real excitement in watching a building come to life: seeing the interiors take shape and the details that define a luxury property start coming together. But, for me, the most energising part has always been assembling the team. Everything else flows from that.
Alongside the excitement comes real pressure: timelines, training, ensuring the building is delivered on schedule and that the guest experience we’ve promised is ready from day one. We’ve put ourselves out there publicly with a clear vision of what The Hawthorn will be. Living up to that commitment is both the biggest challenge and the biggest motivator.
As the first general manager, you have the unique opportunity to shape the culture of the hotel from the very beginning. How are you approaching the task of building the team and setting the tone for the guest experience ahead of opening day?
Being the founding general manager carries a real weight of responsibility, because what you build in these early months becomes the legacy of the property. The culture you establish, the standards you set, the values you embed in the team: these things endure long beyond opening day.
Hand-picking the leadership team has been my primary focus. You need genuine experts in every discipline, people who are empowered to lead their areas with confidence. My job is to set the vision and then trust them to deliver it. What I look for is a team that is not only highly capable, but one that challenges constructively, supports each other and works with a shared sense of purpose. That culture of mutual care and collective ambition is ultimately what will determine whether our guests have truly exceptional experiences.
The Hawthorn has already been welcomed into The Leading Hotels of the World ahead of its opening – an impressive achievement. How does that level of recognition influence the standards you’re setting as the hotel prepares to welcome its first guests?
Membership of The Leading Hotels of the World is one of the most coveted distinctions in global luxury hospitality. It’s a portfolio that includes iconic properties like The Ritz London, Gleneagles, Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo and The Chelsea in New York. To join that collection, as one of only six member hotels in Ireland, is a real honour and one that we take seriously.
The standards required for membership are among the most rigorous in the industry, with multiple anonymous compliance inspections throughout the year. For us, that benchmark is both a responsibility and an opportunity. It keeps us committed to consistent excellence and connects us to a global community of discerning travellers who specifically seek out Leading Hotels properties wherever they go. That will be a meaningful driver of international business for us in time.
From the championship golf course and destination spa to a collection of distinctive dining venues, The Hawthorn promises a very layered guest experience. When visitors arrive for the first time, what feeling or sense of place do you hope they take away?
More than anything, I want guests to feel immediately and unmistakably that they’re in the west of Ireland. The moment you arrive and look out across the golf course to Galway Bay, there’s a sense of space and tranquillity that’s quite unlike anywhere else. That view alone prompts an instinctive sense of calm, and that feeling is what I want to anchor the entire stay.
Beyond the setting, we want every guest to feel that their visit has been thoughtfully arranged before they even check in. We work to understand each guest’s preferences in advance, whether they’re keen golfers, spa enthusiasts, food lovers or keen to explore with activities such as fishing, walking or sailing. By the time they arrive, we want everything to already be in place. Drop the bags, settle in and simply enjoy. That sense of effortless, anticipatory care is what we’re working towards.
Food and drink clearly play a central role in the identity of the hotel, with concepts ranging from live-fire dining to globally influenced menus rooted in local produce. How important is it that the culinary experience reflects both the west of Ireland and a broader international outlook?
Food is central to Irish life and culture, and The Hawthorn’s culinary programme reflects that with real conviction. Our main restaurant, The Skylark, is built around an open fire grill and the philosophy is one of confident simplicity: sourcing exceptional local produce and letting it speak for itself. Beef, pork, free-range chicken, Connemara lamb, lobster from the bay right outside our windows, seafood from the west coast: the quality is outstanding and that’s what the menu is built around.
Our drinks programme is equally considered with a wine list curated by our master sommelier alongside local craft beers, ciders, Irish whiskeys, gins and cocktails that celebrate the region’s producers.
Our second restaurant, The Oystercatcher, takes a very different but equally exciting approach. Chef Takashi Miyazaki was the first Japanese chef to earn a Michelin star in Ireland. Having spent 20 years cooking here, his cuisine is genuinely unique – Japanese in technique and sensibility but with an unmistakable Irish character running through every dish.
The Hawthorn sits along the Wild Atlantic Way and within Ireland’s celebrated golf corridor. How do you see the hotel positioning itself as a strategic gateway for international visitors?
The Wild Atlantic Way is home to some outstanding hotels and experiences – from Donegal right down to West Cork. What sets our position apart is that we sit at the very heart of it, with one of Ireland’s most vibrant and culturally rich cities right on our doorstep. Galway draws visitors naturally, for its traditional music, storytelling and energy, and The Hawthorn gives those visitors a world-class base from which to experience all of it.
There’s currently no hotel in the Galway area offering the full breadth of what we provide: championship golf, a destination spa, exceptional dining and easy access to everything the Wild Atlantic Way has to offer. That’s a genuinely compelling proposition for international travellers.
Galway has always been one of Ireland’s most distinctive and creative destinations, yet a new five-star hotel has been missing for some time. In your view, how will The Hawthorn contribute to the next chapter of tourism and hospitality in the region?
Our ambition is to set a new standard, not just for luxury accommodation but for the quality of service that goes with it. There are many fine properties in Ireland and across the world, but real differentiation comes from anticipating what a guest needs before they ask, from making every individual feel as though the hotel is there just for them. It is Irish hospitality taken to its highest level: warmth and welcome with real substance behind it.
We’re also significantly elevating the golf offering in the region, which will attract a new calibre of international golf visitor to Galway. The spa, the dining, the whole experience – each element is designed to exceed expectations and, in doing so, to bring a new and broader audience to this remarkable part of Ireland.