Sir William Hastings, one of Northern Ireland's top hoteliers, has passed away age 89.
"It is with great sadness that the Hastings family announces that Sir William Hastings (89) passed away peacefully at home today following a short illness," said a statement.
Hastings (pictured), who was married to his wife Joy for 57 years, was one of Ireland's leading hoteliers.
In 1964, he purchased his first hotel, the Adair Arms in Ballymena, and from then was the lifeblood of Northern Ireland’s hotel industry. He expanded his portfolio with the purchase of six railway hotels from Grand Metropolitan in 1971. The Slieve Donard Hotel is the only one remaining today.
In 1993, Hastings purchased the Europa Hotel and transformed it into one of the country's most famous hotels, offering much local employment and trade to local suppliers.
His dedication to the industry was recognised when he received a Knighthood in 2009 having already been awarded a CBE and an OBE. The University of Ulster awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1998.
Hospitality Ireland expresses our heartfelt condolences to the family of Sir William Hastings
