Hastings Hotels is the largest independent hotel group in Northern Ireland (NI) with seven luxury hotels across the province. This family-owned company was established in the late 1960s when Sir William Hastings purchased the Stormont and Adair Arms hotels in 1966. Following that he bought six run-down railway hotels, but as The Troubles were at their height at that time, many hotels were bombed and few tourists visited Northern Ireland. Billy Hastings, as he was known, continued to invest in hotels whenever he could and didn’t give up. In 1993 he purchased the Europa Hotel, Belfast and spent millions rebuilding it. Since then, the Hastings Group has purchased and developed six more hotels. The latest purchase is the Grand Central Hotel in the centre of Belfast.

Sir William Hastings died in 2017. His contribution to the growth of Northern Ireland is widely recognised. The tourist organisation Visit Belfast commented that he was a true entrepreneur with vision, positive in his outlook and always optimistic about this region’s future.