On the drive from Dublin airport – minus my baggage – I asked the driver if County Wicklow was where the water came from to make Guinness.
He laughed and said, “The things tourists believe.”
Thing is, it does take a certain suspension of disbelief to travel. That just the day before I had been in Kuching and learning about Richie, the 27-year-old orang utan, and eating Sarawak laksa and the next, I was landing in London enroute to Dublin on a cold, wet autumn morning.
From orangutan in Sarawak to a dog cemetery in Country Wicklow.
I had for some reason also believed my bag would not arrive with me – there was some issue at Singapore Airlines’ check-in about no through check-in to Dublin because I was connecting with British Airways and that I had two separate tickets.
“If you had been ticketed on the same ticket, it would not be a problem,” said the staff at check-in. “However we will make an exception for you but you’ll have to check with BA to see if your bag is on their flight.”
So when I arrived in Dublin, I guess I wasn’t too surprised when my bag did not. What surprised me was how calm the Swissport staff was – he asked my name, then showed me a slip that said, “Your bag will arrive at 2.45pm, please go to the counter and file a report and we will deliver it for you.”
Obviously, it must happen a lot – which made me think, if you screw up, at least fix it as fast and best as you can.
It reminded me of a conversation I had with a travel industry colleague who told me one hotelier’s training technique was, “We just train our staff to say I am sorry.”
I am not sorry however that I made this trip to Powerscourt Hotel, Resort & Spa in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, to speak at a CarTrawler conference. I’d been told how beautiful the area is, and the grandeur of the Powerscourt Estate and Gardens on which the hotel sits.
The high-end Powerscourt Estate and Gardens with its beautiful setting.
Located 30 minutes away from Dublin, it is a high-end retreat for Dubliners. It’s got a beautiful golf course, a high end spa – you could have 10 massages in Bali for a Balinese massage at the Espa here – and one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland.
Part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott, the hotel is luxurious and service personal and attentive. A five-minute walk takes you to Powerscourt Gardens which was built over 800 years ago, and is spread over 47 acres.
Winged horses – centrepiece of Triton Lake.
Let’s just say it’s a lot of grounds to explore. Triton Lake with its winged horses – the symbol of the Powerscourt family – is the centerpiece.
I enjoyed the Japanese Gardens with its grottoes and pavilion, and bursts of red and orange colours. Created by the 8th Viscount and Viscountess in 1908, it is one of the oldest features of the gardens. And the Pet Cemetery is home to all creatures, great and small, from cats to horses to dogs.
My Irish friends are surprised to see an Insight Vacations coachload of passengers from South-east Asia disembark and Chinese tourists walking around the gardens.
“Don’t you know,” I said, “we are everywhere these days.”
Like all humans, Dubliners cannot believe why people would travel for thousands of miles to visit a garden that they themselves haven’t seen because it’s too close to home.
The Japanese garden in its full glory.
I am here to speak to more than 100 car rental firms across Europe, and a handful from the Middle East and Asia, about why it is time for them to reboot their thinking about Asia – and that beyond looking to Asia to grow their business, they should also look to us for inspiration and innovative ideas.
Bobby Healy, CTO of CarTrawler, who spoke at WIT last month said he always leaves WIT “in a slight state of panic”.
CarTrawler’s Bobby Healy.
“I see so many opportunities and so many smart people doing so many smart things – it’s just their attitude, that anything is possible – and I find that really infectious and I return home, wondering how we keep up and what we have to do.”
Healy, who interviewed me for a change, played the word association game with me and when he said, “Irish men” at the end of the interview, the first thought that came was “Confusing.”
It’s good to know we have an understanding – Asia makes him panic, Irish men confuse me. They always seem so full of cheer and stories, yet their songs are always so mournful about lost love and death – even the rock songs.
Listen to Thin Lizzy’s Whiskey In The Jar and you’ll know what I mean.
