Europa Hotel, Belfast

The Europa Hotel is a four-star hotel in Great Victoria Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Opened in 1971, it has hosted presidents, prime ministers and celebrities.[1]

The Europa Hotel

It is known as the "most bombed hotel in Europe" and the "most bombed hotel in the world" after having suffered 36 bomb attacks during the Troubles.[2][3]

Features

As of late 2008, and following major refurbishment, the hotel has 272 bedrooms including 92 executive suites. On the ground floor there is the lobby bar and a causerie restaurant; on the first floor is the Piano Bar lounge. The hotel also has a conference and exhibition centre, various conference and banqueting suites, as well as a 12th-floor penthouse suite.[1]

History

The Europa Hotel was constructed by Grand Metropolitan and designed by architects Sydney Kaye, Eric Firkin & Partners. It opened in July 1971.[4] It was built on the site of the former Great Northern Railway station and stands 51 metres high.[5] During The Troubles, the hotel, where most journalists covering the Troubles stayed, was known as Europe’s most bombed hotel, earning the name "the Hardboard Hotel".[6] Grand Met bought the Inter-Continental Hotels chain in 1981 and placed the Europa in their Forum hotels division. They renamed the hotel the Forum Hotel Belfast in February 1983. When the hotel was sold to The Emerald Group in October 1986, it regained its original name.[7] The hotel was blown up by the Provisional IRA in 1993 and damaged so badly that it sold for only £4.4M.[5]

The Europa Hotel became part of the Hastings Hotels group on 3 August 1993, whereupon it was announced that it would close for the first time in its 22-year history to allow for major refurbishment. Following an £8m investment, the hotel reopened in February 1994. Its first official event was the Flax Trust Ball, a gala evening for 500 local and international dignitaries. US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton stayed in the hotel in November 1995;[8] the suite used by the Clintons was subsequently renamed the Clinton Suite.[8] The presidential entourage booked 110 rooms at the hotel.[6]

Started in early 2008, an extension to the hotel increased the height of a rear wing by seven floors, to twelve floors, and increased bedrooms from 240 to 272. The extension was designed by Robinson Patterson Partnership, now RPP Architects and was completed late in 2008.[5]

Documentaries
  • Two series of a BBC documentary series Lobby Lives were filmed at the hotel.
  • The Europa Hotel – Bombs, Bullets and Business as Usual (26 September 2011) is an hour-long documentary aired on BBC One Northern Ireland.[9] Produced and directed by Richard Weller, the documentary tracked those eventful 40 years through the eyes of a diverse array of contributors.
  • In the BBC TV programme Great British Railway Journeys (Series 3, Episode 24), Michael Portillo visited the hotel and stayed in the room occupied by US President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Events

PWU (Pro Wrestling Ulster) shows are held within the Europa Hotel (2007–present). Uprising Wrestling shows are held within the Europa hotel (2016–present)

Television
  • In Sons of Anarchy, season 3, episode 11 ("Bainne"), the couple who adopted Abel stays at and is assassinated at the Europa Hotel, Belfast.

See also

References
  1. "Europa Hotel, Belfast". Europa Hotel website. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  2. "Appeal for stories of the 'most bombed hotel in Europe'". BBC News. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  3. Heydari, Farhad (12 September 2007). "Ten hotels that made history". Forbes Traveler. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  4. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/life-goes-on-at-the-most-bombed-hotel-in-the-world-1.2901861
  5. "Europa Hotel". Skyscraper News. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  6. "Hillary Clinton suffers 'mis-speaking' relapse with Belfast bomb claims". The Times (David Sharrock, 19 October 2009). London. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  7. http://www.futurebelfast.com/property/europa-hotel/
  8. "History". Europa Hotel website. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
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