EAST Belfast's long-established Park Avenue Hotel has closed its doors for good, with most of its 45 staff set to be made redundant.
And as first revealed in the Irish News earlier this year, the building is likely to be razed to the ground and the site repurposed for housing.
Current owners the Beannchor Group confirmed that the once-popular 56-room four-star hotel is no longer viable and will close.
Beannchor, which operates more than 40 outlets including the likes of the Merchant and Bullitt hotels in Belfast, had stepped in last August to acquire the financially-troubled Holywood Road hotel from its family owners.
But the Park Avenue continued to experience financial difficulties, exacerbated by the current Covid-19 pandemic, and at the end of last month entered into a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) process with advisers HNH.
Staff of the hotel (which opened in 1959) and local representatives were informed of the decision, with 45 employee affected by the announcement.
A spokesperson on behalf of Beannchor Group said: “We are gravely disappointed by the situation at which we have arrived and the impact it has had on staff.
“Despite making a number of significant changes to hotel operations prior to Covid-19, the recent devastating impact on the tourism industry has been too great to continue a viable hotel in this location.”
Earlier this year a proposal of application notice (PAN) was submitted to Belfast City Council for the residential development of the site, and the pre-application community consultation period has now ended.
The planning application has been part of a review of the hotel and an assessment of alternative uses for the site.
Beannchor added: “Our intention to take forward a planning application for the possible development of new homes on the lands of the Park Avenue Hotel remain intact.
“The hotel closure highlights that it is no longer sustainable for the property to continue as a hotel asset. It is therefore important that alternative uses are explored for the site.”
One current proposal for the site, being taken forward by Holywood Holdings Ltd, is mixed-tenure residential development, comprising social, affordable and private homes.
The hotel's Facebook page was inundated yesterday with hundreds of messages from well-wishers, including many former employees.
One said: “The Park Avenue was an absolute icon and a real part of east Belfast history, going back to when I was growing up.”
Another paid tribute to its “great staff who treated locals and visitors alike with professional courtesy and friendliness”.
