Hotelier staying positive despite seven-figure Covid hit

One of Northern Ireland’s most respected hoteliers has told how his business took a seven-figure hit during the pandemic, and the final figure could be “way more”.

Eugene McKeever, who lists the Adair Arms, Corr’s Corner, the Dunsilly Hotel, Dillons and the Dunadry among his portfolio, told LCN: “There were dark days when you felt ‘why bother?’ but you have to keep going.

“It would be easy to throw the towel in but we have a commitment to ourselves and our staff.”

The hotelier said that it was in no small part the support of wife Catherine and his children, who also work in the family-run company, that helped him through.

“When one is down the others pull them up. That (support) is one thing we have talked about. It’s great to have someone you can bounce things off, I’d hate to be a one-man band with no one to lean on,” he explained.

Despite at the start of pandemic fearing he’d “lost everything” he’d “worked to build for 30 years,” Eugene, who has more than five decades of industry experience, is staying optimistic and has even put a new five-year plan in place for his properties as they prepare to welcome guests.

“You have to stay positive. Hopefully things will come back well,” he said.

“Hospitality has gone to great lengths to make people safe and people who were in our hotels before the lockdown said they felt safe here but not in the supermarket.

“The last thing we want is someone taking ill. You are concerned about the public your staff and your reputation.”

Read more in the upcoming edition of Licensed and Catering News.