Bullit hotel to open again in 11 weeks after devastating blaze

Bill Wolsey has described the fire which destroyed the Babel bar on the top floor of his Bullit Hotel as “just one more problem to be overcome”.

The Beannchor Group boss, who looked on in horror as firefighters helped avert a major catastrophe at the Belfast city centre venue on March 29, said he hoped to have the hotel open again in 11 weeks and Babel back in business in 15.

“We are relieved that no-one was injured and all the systems we had in place worked perfectly and the emergency services and our own staff were simply amazing,” he told LCN.

“No-one is being made redundant as a result of this and we look forward to having the whole business open again as soon as possible.

“All of our staff were magnificent, not just while the fire was going on but also in how they looked after guests who had booked in afterwards

“Bullit has been building steadily since we opened and has been hugely successful, but it will come back just as strong.”

The hospitality entrepreneur, above, also told LCN that while he was confident about the hotel’s future, sourcing materials and the right people to carry out often complex work was still a huge problem for his business and others.

“You could not get a more difficult time in terms of supply lines and builders. Brexit kicked it off, being closed during the lockdowns accelerated it and you also now have the global impact of the war in Ukraine. For instance, all the extractor systems for The Lark bar which we opened in Lisburn came from there.”

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service commander David Harbinson said the fire at Bullit could easily have spread across rooftops of adjoining buildings creating a major incident and hailed the work of those who brought it under control.

“We deployed a number of firefighters in to confirm there were no people in the building.

“There are about 74 rooms plus a large reception area and restaurant section, and we worked our way through the floors while also dealing with the fire at the same time.

“We have well-rehearsed plans for events like these and they worked very well for us on the day.”