The Big Interview

The Big Interview: Cliste’s Paul Fitzgerald on what hospitality can learn from Lidl

The founder of the firm which manages 14 hotels around Ireland talks about off-market deals and the cost crunch that is crippling businesses

Paul Fitzgerald: ‘Hospitality has a lot to learn from the likes of Lidl and Aldi in terms of how they treat their staff’ Picture: Darragh Kane

In the Dublin One hotel just off Dorset Street in the north city centre, Paul Fitzgerald is assessing the health of the Irish hospitality sector.

It’s almost three years since we last sat down for an interview, and the chief executive of Cliste Hospitality is reflecting on the the ups and downs of business in the interim.

“When we met back in 2021, like all hospitality businesses we were trying to frame our post-Covid strategy, ...