At the age of 33, Limerick native Elaine Hourigan has fulfilled all her dreams and ambitions by becoming general manager of one of Galway's luxury hotels and managing to organise a big family wedding at the same time.

After working in a hotel part-time while she was at school, Elaine decided that hotel management was the career for her and moved to Galway in 1995 to study at Galway Regional Technical College. A big travel fan, Elaine decided to work outside Ireland after her graduation and took a number of high-profile positions in hotels in Europe, Australia and America, including the role of Deputy General Manager at The Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel in New York in 2006.

After leaving the Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel, Elaine returned to Galway and began work at the House Hotel in November 2006. The hotel has gone from strength to strength ever since, recently being chosen as one of the country's top five luxury hotels.

Although the job is very demanding and often requires incredibly long hours, Elaine says she enjoys the pressurised environment and the buzz that she gets from her job.

"It is quite pressurised because there is always something going on, but it all depends on how you react to it. I really enjoy being busy and, when you see the results at the end, it is all worth it. My schedule varies depending on the week really, as I am only in the hotel when required to make sure things are going well and meet the new arrivals. At the start I was working 18 hour days but now that we have got into a routine, I get to sit back a little!"

While last year's water crisis greatly impacted on tourism on the hotel, Elaine says that the city has completely recovered and that there has been a big increase in indigenous visitors in recent times.

"The amount of visitors coming in from Ireland went down a lot during the water crisis but we have recovered fully from that now. The market is very competitive in Galway since it is such a strong and vibrant destination. I suppose we attract a certain type of visitor because the hotel is young and fun and is quite near the Quay Street area. Mostly, we would see young couples and families in the 30 to 40 age bracket as well as hen parties and corporate visitors."

In her spare time, Elaine still likes to travel as much as possible and says that Cuba has been one of her most memorable destinations due to the communist regime in the country. She also likes to go to concerts and eat out with her husband, who works as a chef.

Elaine is currently gearing up for the busy St Patrick's Day weekend, with an American radio station set to broadcast live from the lobby of the hotel, accompanied by Grammy-nominated country and western musicians. Preparations are also underway for the Cuirt festival, which takes place from 22 to 27 April. This is the second year that the House Hotel had sponsored the festival and they are very excited about this year's event.

"It is so important to have good relationships with the festivals in the city and we try to get involved with the community as much as possible. All those involved with the festival will be staying with us and it is always great fun. Last year, we had Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis and he was so easy going and friendly, so we are looking forward to being involved again this time around."

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