One of Northern Ireland’s most renowned hotel operators is taking on 180 new staff in anticipation of the reopening of its venues as lockdown restrictions ease.
Galgorm, which owns the Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort near Ballymena, Café Parisien and Fratelli’s in Belfast and The Rabbit Hotel in Templepatrick, said the move will see it up its total workforce by 25% to 900.
The move offers a shot in the arm for a sector which has arguably been hardest hit by lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic.
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It is recruiting for a range of full and parttime positions from chefs to bar tenders, spa therapists and managers, to facilities staff, housekeepers, drivers and night porters.
The company said the new roles represent an annual investment of £5 million in wages.
Colin Johnston, Galgorm Collection Managing Director, said Galgorm expects hotels and other hospitality to reopen next month.
“Today’s announcement confirms our commitment to further developing our world-class hospitality provision and reaffirms our confidence in the sector’s recovery,” he said. “We are currently working towards an April start date for our first new team members and we look forward to the Executive confirming a reopening date for hospitality and tourism sector so that we can begin onboarding our new recruits and facilitating a return to work as soon as possible.”
The Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort is set to hire an additional 94 team members across its accommodation, spa and restaurants, bolstering its 720-strong team.
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In Belfast, 60 new team members will join Galgorm’s two city centre restaurants, Café Parisien located in the former Robinson & Cleaver building and Fratelli’s restaurant located in Great Victoria Street.
An additional 26 team members will be recruited to support the opening of Galgorm Collection’s newest venture, The Rabbit Hotel, located in Templepatrick, formerly known as the Templeton Hotel.
Economy Minister Diane Dodds welcomed the news.
“This is positive news and represents a strong foot forward in Northern Ireland collectively forging a path to recovery. The hospitality industry has faced unprecedented challenges over the last 12 months and our focus now is on ensuring a safe and sustainable reopening of the sector when the time is right.”
Tourism Northern Ireland Chief Executive John McGrillen said the move will give a boost to workers in the sector.
“The closure of the hospitality sector across Northern Ireland has been sorely felt and the full impact of this still remains to be seen. Today’s announcement will provide a much-needed lifeline for many hospitality workers in an industry hard-hit by the pandemic and I hope this important announcement will help provide renewed confidence and momentum in working towards the sector’s recovery.”