In common with many new hotels, one of the first challenges facing the Clarion IFSC was to assimilate staff from different backgrounds who had been exposed to a wide variety of management ideas and concepts.

"We looked at a number of options and then considered formulating our own management system, " explained Brendan Curtis. "However, following conversations with Tony Lenehan (head of the enterprise development division at Failte Ireland) and, Denis Tucker, (Failte Ireland quality assurance manager), we recognised in Optimus a system that incorporated all the components we required and that with some fine-tuning would enable us to make rapid progress."

A number of regular guests who were familiar with the programme were also convinced that it would be ideally suited to the Clarion IFSC. "We realised it made more sense to embrace Optimus than to attempt to replicate the programme, so in 2004 we started implementing it here and it quickly rolled out to our other hotels in Limerick, Cork, Liffey Valley, Sligo and Dublin Airport."

At the start of the implementation process a steering group involving seniors managers was established, explained Emer Archbold, quality manager Clarion Hotel IFSC. "We adopted a process management approach where each of the process 'owners' was tasked to map out exactly what their process would entail, including their polices and objectives for the year and key measures."

She admitted that the process took a great deal of commitment and was not an easy task for any of the managers involved. About 80 per cent of the total workforce was involved in some aspect of the Optimus Business Excellence Model at any one stage.

"We were immersed in the programme and it tightened up procedures throughout the hotel. One of the most important results was the awareness of people's roles . . . it made everyone aware of what the other departments were doing, which led to improved internal communication and teamwork."

When managers start mapping out their processes they start to see the linkages from their own work into other parts of the hotel, added Archbold.

The fact that some of the systems required by Optimus were already in place . . . albeit in a different format . . . made it easier to get staff to buy into the implementation process. As Dermot de Loughry, general manager Clarion IFSC explained, once they saw past the idea of 'just another system' and recognised how it worked for them, they got behind it enthusiastically.

Management were also able to tweak some of the key performance indicators in conjunction with the Optimus trainers and assessors. "They were very understanding in terms of the changes we wanted to make to make the system work better for us. There is a recognition that existing processes such as IT systems have to be accommodated."

The programme was very useful in pulling together nearly every part of the hotel operation and systems but within the framework of the process, he continued. "This proved to be very useful in getting different people on the team to understand how our businesses works rather than just seeing the piece that they were involved in on a day to day basis."

"I am very proud of the team for their commitment to the programme during a period when the hotel was undergoing a challenging expansion program. It was gratifying to see people from all aspects of the hotel sitting together to work out plans for improving how they went about their daily tasks."

The programme has benefited the Clarion Hotel group in a variety of ways. The information generated is used to determine policy in every area of the business, from staff turnover monitoring to group purchasing. More importantly, like-for-like comparisons can be made for every element of every hotel . . . and as any manager will confirm, better information produces better decisions.

According to Brendan Curtis, some of the results might appear surprising at first. For example, it might appear that the volume of complaints has increased until you realise that the system simply records customer comments more efficiently.

"It is hard to put an exact figure on the benefits of Optimus, because good managers play a big part in creating a successful business and without the right people in place, no system will function effectively, " he said. "However, I am totally convinced that it has boosted our bottom line and that we would not be at the level of profitability we are at now without it. Each of our hotels is at a higher profit level than its competitors."

There are other benefits as well. For example, the programme significantly reduces the upheaval caused by staff changes and since the principles are the same across all parts of the organisation, staff are quickly assimilated into new roles.

Despite the success of Clarion IFSC in scooping the top award, Curtis is aware that the programme has to be constantly monitored. "Regular evaluation is vital . . . you must ensure that the process is being followed and be able to prove that new people are being inducted into it."

He is convinced that once Optimus becomes part of the day to day activity of the business, it is no more time consuming that any other process.

One of the many benefits is that it lends itself to regular review.

"Once we had progressed through the second stage at the IFSC we realised that we would have to commit the next 10 hotels to the same process, so we completed a rigorous review of the system and questioned whether it was right for our organisation. The outcome was extremely positive."

Brendan Curtis is satisfied that the work done at Clarion IFSC has given the other hotels in the group a head start. "It is a great advantage to use the same system in all the hotels in a chain - people become familiar with it as they progress through their career structure.

Also, we knew our management team in Ireland would be working in our new hotels in the UK and we needed to be satisfied that the system would be able to transfer to a different culture and would smooth their transition."