Hotelier made MBE says ‘hospitality is in my blood’

One of Northern Ireland’s most well-known hoteliers has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

James McGinn, managing director of Hastings Hotels, was made an MBE for services to tourism and hospitality.

He has almost three decades worth of experience in the hospitality industry and the award recognises his wealth of knowledge and expertise in the sector.

It’s an honour to have received this recognition. Tourism and hospitality is in my blood, and I’m thankful for the career I have built at Hastings Hotels for the last 29 years and for the opportunities provided to me by the Hastings family

Mr McGinn and Hastings were featured in multi-part documentary The Hotel People for the BBC.

He has worked in Hastings Hotel for 29 years and was appointed managing director in 2022.

He has previously held a number of senior positions across the group including operations director and general manager of the Europa Hotel where he was at the helm for two decades.

Mr McGinn said: “It’s an honour to have received this recognition.

“Tourism and hospitality is in my blood, and I’m thankful for the career I have built at Hastings Hotels for the last 29 years and for the opportunities provided to me by the Hastings family.

“I would also like to thank my colleagues across the group, because without them, this recognition wouldn’t be possible.”

Mr McGinn graduated in 1988 from Queen’s University Belfast and moved to London to work in an American themed restaurant before returning to Omagh in 1990 to work as Food and Beverage Manager in his family’s business, the Woodlander.

He then gained an MSc in Hotel and International Tourism Management from the University of Ulster in 1994 and went to Washington DC to work for the Hilton Hotel before returning to Northern Ireland in 1996 when he started his career with Hastings Hotels at the Europa Hotel.