‘Profound sadness’ at death of former hotel chain director

‘Profound sadness’ at death of former hotel chain director

15 January 2025

GLOWING tributes have been paid to Newcastle man John Toner, who died on Saturday.

For almost four decades Mr Toner was synonymous with the Northern Ireland hospitality industry.

He was a giant among his peers in the hotel industry and in 1995 welcomed US President Bill Clinton and hjs wife, Hilary, to the Europa Hotel in Belfast where he was the manager.

The presidential visit was one of the many high points for Mr Toner during an outstandingly illustrious career in the hospitality and tourism industry, much of which was spent with the Hastings Hotels Group.

He was the general manager at the Stormont Hotel and closer to home managed Newcastle’s Slieve Donard Hotel.

Mr Toner was highly regarded by Hastings Hotels and his dedication to the company resulted in him becoming a director. Three years after his retirement he received the MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2016 for his outstanding contribution to the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland.

It was an honour he richly deserved.

Hastings Hotels said it was with “profound sadness” that it announced Mr Toner’s passing and described him as a much loved and highly respected person who had an illustrious career with the company.

Working in the hospitality industry for nearly 40 years, Hastings Hotels extended its deepest sympathies to Mr Toner’s extended family, friends and ex-colleagues.

Last year, Mr Toner published his enthralling autobiography entitled A Job Well Done — which chronicled the ups and downs of his own life as well as his experiences on the frontline of the hospitality industry during the Troubles.

The book was packed with stories, tales and anecdotes which were part and parcel of an illustrious career during which he was lauded by all who knew him and looked up to him.

He began his career in hospitality in 1965 at a catering school in Co Tipperary. He spent some time at the Great Southern Hotel in Sligo before moving to London and a position with the Savoy and Simpson’s in the Strand.

He returned to Northern Ireland in 1968 when he was appointed a trainee manager at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast.

In 1972 he joined Hastings Hotels as General Manager of the Ballygally Castle Hotel in Co Antrim and went on to manage a further four hotels in the Hastings group.

In 1993, he was appointed a director of Hastings Hotels and General Manager of the recently purchased Europa Hotel. Mr Toner was tasked with overseeing a major redevelopment of the hotel by the late Sir William Hastings, the then company chairman.

Sir William played a major part in his career and gave him opportunities to develop, Mr Toner said on receiving his MBE.

“He asked me to manage the Europa and let me get on with it. If anyone else had asked me to do it, I would have said no,” Mr Toner recalled.

Paying tribute to Mr Toner at the time, Sir William said: “It is truly wonderful that worthy people are recognised in this way in our industry.

“John Toner has not only been a superb director and member of the Hastings Hotels team for over 40 years, he has also brought great knowledge, expertise and experience to the wider hospitality and tourism industry on the whole island of Ireland.

“He is very widely respected by his contemporaries, by those he has managed and by young people aspiring to achieve success in their career in the hotel industry.”

In 2003, Mr Toner was appointed General Manager of the Slieve Donard Hotel in his home town and oversaw a £15m refurbishment programme.

Six years later he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Irish Hospitality Institute and when he retired in 2013 he was presented with an Industry Achievement Award in the Licensed and Catering News Awards.

To relax, Mr Toner enjoyed Gaelic games and was a leading figure in the Bryansford club, of which he was a former chairman.

When he retired he thanked his family for their great support. 

He said: “What with the long anti-social hours and having to work during holiday time, it is not an easy business in which to bring up a family, but wherever I worked we always kept our home in Newcastle and I am grateful for that.”

Mr Toner is survived by his wife Cathy, children Paul, Ciara, Gareth, Claire and Matthew, grandchildren Fionn, Keelan, Kaden, Callum, Dylan, Grace, Quinn, Rossa and Lugh, and the wider family circle.

His funeral mass was held on Monday afternoon at Our lady of the Assumption Church in Newcastle, followed by interment at St Patrick’s Cemetery in Bryansford.