Hannah Corbett and Prof Julie Hastings (middle) from Hastings Hotels were joined by Nikki Murphy from Warwick Exhibitions, Ashley Morrow from Bank of Ireland, Peter Brown of EOS Systems and LesleyAnn Diffin from Belfast Live to launch Digi-Talk: The Conference. 

The innovative conference, organised by Hastings Hotels, takes place on Wednesday 10^th October in the Europa Hotel with leading experts from Google, Facebook, ReviewPro, Shopify and Stackla, providing a unique insight into how local companies can grow their businesses online. 

For further information or to secure your place visit www.hastingshotels.com/Digitalk-conference or call Hannah Corbett on 028 9067 4168 / email hannah@hastingshotels.com

Lady Joy Hastings paid tribute to her late husband of 57 years, while officially launching the room on the 21st floor of the Grand Central Hotel.

Lady Hastings spoke fondly of her life with Sir William and of her sadness that her husband had passed away without seeing his dream 300-bedroom flagship become a reality.

On Sir William’s vision for the Grand Central Hotel, Lady Hastings said;

“Billy saw the potential in the old-22-storey Windsor House here in Bedford Street and he knew it could be transformed into a top-class hotel. He had great foresight about a lot of things. It was the same with one of his earliest hotels, the Stormont Hotel in east Belfast.”

Find out more about the Sir William Hastings Suite at the Grand Central Hotel here. 

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Garrett Power as the General Manager of Culloden Estate and Spa. 

Garret has worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years and was most recently the Hotel Manager at The Merrion Hotel in Dublin, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. A passionate hotelier, he has worked in every area of hotels from Operations to Sales & Marketing. 

A native of Kenmare in Co. Kerry he is a keen sports fan and enjoys cooking and travelling in his spare time. 

A familiar face to many of our guests, Scott Weatherup has been appointed to the position of Deputy General Manager at the Stormont Hotel. ​

Scott has worked with Hastings Hotels for the past 8 years with roles at both the Everglades Hotel and Ballygally Castle. 

We wish Garrett and Scott every success in their new roles with the company. 

For the latest career opportunities at Hastings Hotels, please visit www.hastingshotels.com/jobs

Enjoy a frighteningly fabulous Halloween escape. 

Pamela Ballantine and Ross Thompson of Thompson’s Teas helped launch a very special Afternoon Tea experience in the new Observatory Cocktail Lounge. 

Served on the 23^rd floor of the hotel, Afternoon Tea in the Observatory will be unique and enchanting, and guests will marvel over the breathtaking views of Belfast and beyond whilst enjoying an array of the finest Thompson’s teas, crafted coffees, deliciously designed and handcrafted nibbles along with the finest Champagne and cocktails. Served daily from 1 – 5pm, it really is Afternoon Tea nirvana. 

For bookings please contact the hotel on 028 9023 1066. Please note 24 hours booking notice is required.

Visit the Grand Central Hotel website now to find out more.​

Give your body a real treat and indulge in some post-summer skin repair! Our luxurious Interstellar Relaxation Day Spa Experience has been carefully tailored to help rejuvenate comfort your body and soul leaving you ready to face those Autumn months. 

The Experience Includes:

• Pressure Point Foot Massage
• Hot Stone Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage
• Regenerating Jasmine Infused Facial with warming Space Mask
• Relaxing Tibetan Scalp Massage
• Glass of Flora Tea
• Light Lunch in Zest Juice Bar or Lighthouse Lounge
• Full use of Spa Facilities
• Robe, Towel and Slippers on arrival

Total treatment duration 1 hour 20 minutes. 

Spa at Culloden - £110 Monday to Friday. Call 028 9042 1135

Spa at Slieve Donard - £120 Monday to Friday. Call 028 4372 6166

£30 weekend supplement applies at both Spas. 

Hop on board for some Christmas magic at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa this December with our Santa’s Polar Express experience!

This event will be a traditional and festive occasion with a host of attractions for all the family, including story-telling with Mrs Claus, a letter writing workshop with the Elves, North Pole Postbox, Christmas movies and of course Santa’s Polar Express train adventure. 

Most importantly, Santa and his elves will be here, ready to welcome the children into their busy workshop.

Guests can take a trip on the Polar Express from Friday 14th to Friday 21st December. Tickets are on sale now from our website by clicking here​.

Adults - £16

Children (Under 14) - £22

Children (Under 1) - £9

Price includes refreshments, a personal photo with Santa and gift for every child.

​Click here to book your Polar Express Adventure Now​​​​

Susan Smart is the Group Purchasing Manager responsible for the main purchasing decisions for food, beverage and sundry items associated with all seven hotels.

Do you have a typical working day?

Every day is different. An example of a typical day could be going to one of the hotels and counting bar stock and chatting to the heads of departments to make sure everything is ok with suppliers and catching up with the group's seven general managers. The role is varied and I buy so much for the hotels – for example we order 13,000 eggs a week so it's important that we are on top of all stock requirements.

What skills do you need in your role?

It's vital to have strong accountancy skills and important to have good communication skills as you deal with a lot of people. Good negotiation skills are a must have, to get the best price for the produce. Patience is also important – especially when it comes to counting stock.

What's the best thing about your job?

The relationships that I have developed with suppliers and staff. Because I am regularly in all of our hotels, II get to know a lot of the staff which is nice. I also do a lot of supplier visits and enjoy great relationships when them - I could be in the middle of a field with our vegetable supplier Harry Crawford or picking tomatoes with Bob Colhoun from Drumbeg Tomatoes or I could be in Spain tasting wine with Miguel Torres.

How do you like to relax outside work?

I play golf at Royal County Down – usually twice a week during the summer and once a week in the winter.  I like to cook and spend time with my daughter Fiona, son Scott and three grand-daughters. I also support Man Utd and Real Madrid and have a house in Spain and family there so I like to visit as often as I can.