Glenroyal Hotel: 50 Samples, and a Trip to Maynooth

They Found Us Through ChatGPT

The Glenroyal Hotel came to us, not the other way around. They had asked ChatGPT for a high-quality supplier of premium porcelain and stoneware tableware, and Annamis came back as a recommendation. That is a first for us — and a sign of where an emerging supplier now gets found.

Annamis works directly with artisans in Vietnam, producing handcrafted porcelain and stoneware for restaurants. What sets us apart in a category dominated by volume hotelware is the way we work: bespoke, face-to-face, and prepared to put the whole range in front of a chef rather than a catalogue page.

The Glenroyal is a four-star hotel in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, about twenty-five minutes from Dublin. It runs three food and drink venues: The Enclosure Restaurant, the Arkle Bar and the Shoda Market Cafe. Paul Joy, who leads the business, is also planning the opening of a new hotel in the Dublin Docklands.

Fifty Samples, Sent on Spec

Paul asked for 50 different samples — 50 shapes, across multiple finishes and collections — covering all three venues. That is far beyond what we normally ship on spec, but our position has always been that a client should have everything they need in front of them before they decide. Given the volume, Paul agreed to purchase the sample set, and we sent it out.

They liked the finishes. Enough that they asked me to come to Ireland and go through the selection with them in person — a flight to Dublin, then the train out to Maynooth.

Three Days in Maynooth

I had three days and two nights with them, hosted throughout. Dinner in the evening, breakfast in the morning, and a great deal of hospitality in between. More importantly, it meant meeting the people who will actually use the pieces: Paul Joy, Executive Chef Bernard, and Chloe, who works alongside Paul.

We went through the shapes together and made the selection. Then Chef Bernard did what a chef does with new tableware — he plated on it.

What the Chef Did With Them

Seeing a chef plate on your pieces is the only test that matters. A shape either gives the food room or it does not. A glaze either flatters the plate or fights it.

Where It Stands

The order is placed. After the selection was polished, we sent the quotation and the invoice, they paid the 50% deposit, and the pieces are now in production in Vietnam. They are due to arrive in mid-November.

From the first phone call to the deposit took around six weeks. Next comes their second site, opening in the Dublin Docklands in 2027.

Thank you to Paul, Bernard and Chloe for the welcome. If you want the process rather than the trip, we wrote that up separately: How We Work: Bespoke, from the First Call to the Kiln.