Marine Hotel set for £2m expansion before Open’s return

Colum McLornan and business partner Claire Hunter, above, told LCN they will ad more bedrooms, a new food and drink offering and self-catering accommodation.

The self-catering will be housed within the former country club spa.

The pair, who met at catering college in Portrush, are marking 10 years since they acquired the hotel for £400,000.

It had gone into receivership two years earlier following the bankruptcy of its developer, Ballycastle man Mervyn McAlister.

At the peak of the property boom in 2008/9, it had been valued at £1.3m. In its latest financial results for the year to October 2021, the company behind the hotel made pre-tax profits of £437,415, with a surplus on its profit and loss account of £263,322

But Mr McLornan said: “We didn’t make profit until year four because the first three or four years whatever we made today went back into the hotel tomorrow.”

Inflation has also seen prices go up.

“We’ve tried to keep increases as economical as possible and made some changes to our menu, like instead of serving a sirloin steak, serving a flank steak, tweaking little things like that to make it more affordable,” he added. “The average main with us is still £15, £18, £20 and that obviously includes your chips, vegetables or potatoes.”

However, the price of a room is up by about 50% on the pre-Covid era.

“In the summer, a room for two would be from £120 up depending on the period, before Covid that would be £75 or £80.”