Lifetime Achievement Award for Sir William
Veteran hotelier, Sir William Hastings OBE CBE collected the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Licensed & Catering News Awards (LCN) gala evening, held recently at the Europa Hotel in Belfast.
Mr. Hastings (86), founder and chairman of the Hastings Hotel Group in Northern Ireland, attended the event with his family to collect the award before an audience of more than 400 industry guests.
A number of other top venues and individuals were also recognised during the gala event, including some of Belfast’s most popular haunts.
Sir William is now one of the most recognisable faces in the hospitality trade across Northern Ireland, having been at the head of the Hastings’ hospitality group since he abandoned a career in the timber trade during the 40s to join his late brother, Roy, at the helm of the family business.
Most famous, perhaps, for taking on and re-inventing the bombed out Europa Hotel in the 1990s, Sir William is now at the head of a group that comprises six of the country’s most prestigious hotels. He has also just purchased Windsor House in the centre of Belfast which he intends to refurbish as a 22-storey hotel.
Speaking after collecting his award, Sir William said:
“One does not expect to be given awards like this. My business, my life, my work, it’s all the same thing to me. If awards come along, I can’t help but be happy about it.”
Adding that he felt all those who had collected awards during the gala evening “thoroughly deserved” the recognition, he said that he felt the Europa – one of his own hotels – had done a great job of hosting the event.
This is the fifth year that LCN magazine – the leading hospitality trade publication in Northern Ireland – has held its gala evening. The awards are open to businesses and individuals across the entire spectrum of hospitality, including bars, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs. This year’s event attracted more than 400 entries, all of which were independently assessed by Shopcheck NI.
This year’s event was ‘diamond’ themed in order to mark LCN’s 75th year in publication. It is now the oldest trade magazine in print in Northern Ireland.
Host for the evening was former sports presenter, Adrian Logan, who gave out awards in 15 categories. Among the awards presented were Newcomer of the Year, which went to Sixty6 in Belfast; Nightclub of the Year, which was won by Secrets in Magherafelt and Guest House of the Year, which went to Newforge House in Magheralin.
Speaking afterwards, Bill Penton, organiser of the awards and publisher of LCN, said:
“We’re just delighted with the way this event has gone tonight. These awards have always been about recognising and rewarding excellence across the hospitality industry and we’re very happy that we’ve been able to do that tonight in such a public way. It’s a great achievement to be named as a winner or finalist at the LCN Awards, it’s a great morale boost and it recognises the professionalism and creativity of the businesses concerned. I’d like to say a very big well done to all or worthy winners and finalists tonight.”
Among the special guests attending Friday evening’s event were the chairman of the Institute of Hospitality in Northern Ireland, Michael Cafolla; leading Derry-based property and hospitality group operator, Garvan O’Doherty and Eugene and Catherine McKeever of the McKeever Hotel Group.
For full results and photos of all the winners and finalists from the LCN Awards 2015, check the ‘Social Events’ section of this website.
