Northern Ireland’s Hastings Hotels is celebrating 50 years of ownership of the Culloden Estate & Spa. Hastings Hotels purchased the luxurious property in June 1967, and over the course of the last 50 years, under the direction of Sir William Hastings, has transformed the Culloden in size and luxury. “I purchased the Culloden in 1967 for £100,000, when it was a 13-bedroom boutique hotel with a splendid reputation for luxury and was by far the best in the province,” says Sir William. “Fifty years on, the Culloden Estate & Spa remains Northern Ireland’s foremost five star hotel with 98 bedrooms and suites, an ESPA spa and health club, a superb ballroom, conference facilities and meeting rooms, and the Cultra Inn. I would like to pay tribute to the wonderful staff who have worked tirelessly over the last 50 years – to my first General Manager Hugh Margey, a young hospitality graduate from University College Dublin, and to the current General Manager, Eoin O’Sullivan and his wonderful team who I am indebted to for their hard work and dedication.”