The Grand Central Hotel’s Trisha Smyth, Observatory Manager; Matthew Casement, Guest Services Manager; Stephen Meldrum, General Manager and Damien McDonald, Food & Beverage Manager are pictured as the leading 5-star hotel celebrates its fifth birthday.  

The Grand Central, Hastings Hotels, has celebrated its fifth birthday and following the recent visit by President Joe Biden, the leading five star property has experienced some of its busiest weeks since opening its doors in 2018.

Northern Ireland’s largest hotel pledged to bring a new era of luxury to Belfast and it has firmly delivered on this promise. The Grand Central has welcomed dignitaries from across the world including Presidents, the now King Charles and Queen Camilla, global music stars and international football players.

Last year the hotel was awarded a five-star rating by the AA and the Seahorse Restaurant was awarded an AA Rosette.

Stephen Meldrum, General Manager of the Grand Central Hotel said: “Over the last five years, the Grand Central Hotel has gone from strength to strength. The hotel was open less than two years when the pandemic hit so it’s fair to say that we have already experienced a lot of challenging times in our time. Despite this, we are proud to have engrained ourselves in the local community and are proud to be a key player in Belfast’s success story.  

After Covid, we have continued to work hard to rebuild the business and I am delighted to say that we are going in an upward trajectory, not just locally, but globally. We have a strong leisure guest business and a large incentive group travel business and working in partnership with our industry colleagues and stakeholders, the city is firmly back on the international map.”

“I am extremely proud to lead an exceptionally talented and dedicated team of people, who have worked hard over the last five years to get the Grand Central to where it is today. It has been fantastic to see so many of my colleagues progress through the hotel and be rewarded for their efforts. For example, Jarmila Simova initially started part-time through an agency just before we opened and over the last five years, she has worked hard and has led by example and is now our assistant head housekeeper having successfully taken part in Hastings Hotels Management Ambassador Programme.

It continues to be a busy and exciting time for the Grand Central Hotel and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our staff and our guests for their continued support and I am confident that we are well placed for continued success in the years ahead,” Stephen added.

Suites at The Grand Central Hotel Belfast (www.hastingshotels.com/grand-central // 028 9047 1066) start from £650 per night and a double room from £300 per night, including breakfast.