35 jobs lost as Belfast's Lansdowne Hotel closes

The Lansdowne Hotel in north Belfast has gone into liquidation with the loss of 35 jobs. James Wong, a director of the Welcome Group, which has owned the Antrim Road hotel since 2001, told the Belfast Telegraph he was saddened it had to “hand it back to the bank” yesterday. Mr Wong blamed difficult economic conditions for the closure of the hotel and restaurant. He explained that none of the restaurants and takeaways in the Welcome Group, which was established in 1973, were affected. “The Lansdowne Hotel was put into liquidation,” he said. “We employed 35 staff, so unfortunately they have lost their jobs, but we made sure they were all paid up to date. “It has been struggling and we have been pumping money into it, but we got no help. The bank wouldn’t help.” The Lansdowne Hotel, on the corner of the Lansdowne Road and close to Belfast Castle, was established more than 30 years ago. It was bombed on a number of occasions during that time, but despite that remained a popular venue for functions.