The Europa Hotel in Belfast has completed a £550,000 investment that converts the former Piano Restaurant into The Parlour, an open-plan space for daytime dining, afternoon tea and evening drinks.The project gives the Hastings Hotels flagship a larger social offer beside a refurbished Piano Lounge, where demand has been growing.

The Europa is a four-star hotel on Great Victoria Street that joined the Hastings Hotels group in 1993. Hastings is a family-owned group founded in the 1960s by the late Sir William Hastings, with six hotels across Northern Ireland and a stake in Dublin’s Merrion Hotel, and Howard Hastings is chairman.

The group reported a pre-tax profit of £11.4 million on turnover of £55.8 million for the year to 31 October 2025. The Europa was its most successful hotel by revenue in the 2023 accounts.

The Parlour’s interiors use new furnishings and bespoke finishes, with neutral tones, blue upholstery and brass detailing. The hotel’s piano has been moved into a dedicated area for live music and entertainment.

The space will host the hotel’s Afternoon Tea, while an evening menu will pair small plates with wines, Champagnes and cocktails. In the Piano Lounge, the investment has added new furnishings, banquette seating and a long cocktail table, and a new Italian marble floor has been laid outside the Grand Ballroom.

Hastings has been investing across its portfolio, with a separate £620,000 programme at the Culloden Estate and Spa covering guestrooms, private dining, spa and fitness facilities.

The structural driver is repurposing a single-use restaurant into a flexible all-day food and drink space, so the hotel can serve afternoon tea, evening trade and live music from one footprint.

“We wanted to create a unique new space that complements the heritage and reputation of the hotel while responding to the changing ways our guests want to socialise, dine and relax,” said Andy McNeill, general manager of the Europa Hotel.

“Demand for the Piano Lounge continues to grow and this investment allows us to expand our offering, create additional seating capacity and introduce exciting new food and drink experiences for both local guests and visitors to the city,” McNeill added.

For the sector, The Parlour shows city hotels reworking dining rooms into flexible social spaces rather than keeping single-purpose restaurants.

Source: Hospitality & Catering News / Wikipedia / Insider Media / Irish News