Staff served final residents and left

Staff served final residents and left

21 October 2015

RESIDENTS of the Portaferry Hotel had no idea it was closed for business as they were served breakfast on Monday morning.

Despite confirmation the previous evening that the landlord was withdrawing from the hotel, staff were determined the decision would not affect its last guests.

Knowing their jobs were lost, the manageress, cook and housekeeper nonetheless cooked for their remaining eight guests, tidied the communal areas and changed the beds before pulling the door behind them.

Martha Tumelty, who has been manageress of the hotel for over 10 years, said they did what they did because of their love for the hotel, which she said was central to the Portaferry community and its economy.

She gathered with most of the hotel’s 22 employees outside the premises yesterday afternoon to digest news of its sudden closure.

Angry and saddened by the closure, she said she remained hopeful the owners of the building would ensure it reopens for their benefit and the benefit of the wider community.

Martha said she felt responsible for the livelihoods of the workers and said the fact that staff worked professionally through Monday morning, despite the devastating news the hotel was closed, showed the commitment they all feel.

“I suspected this was coming for a while and have been to everybody I can think of trying to find a way to stop the closure but I couldn’t stop what happened on Sunday night when we heard the landlord was pulling out,” she said.

“I am hopeful we can get the doors reopened as soon as possible because as each day passes the situation becomes more critical.

“We had eight guests in the hotel on Monday and we tried to act as normally as possible for them despite feeling we have been left high and dry.

“We tried to avert this but the situation is now out of our hands. If the business was not feasible I would understand but that is not the reason.

“The closure of Exploris definitely had a devastating impact on Portaferry but it did not put the hotel into trouble.”

Among those left jobless by the closure are head chef Paul Wilson and his partner Amanda McCullough, who was receptionist.

Amanda said she had spent Monday morning contacting future guests to tell them the hotel would not be able to honour their bookings.

“We had people coming over the next few days and people arriving for a wedding on Friday so I cancelled those rooms,” she said.

“Although the hotel did not belong to the staff we ran it like a family and we all wanted to do what is best for the customers.”

Portaferry Hotel’s longest serving staff member, Nora Milligan, who has been housekeeper for 26 years, said she was shocked and upset to hear it would close.

“This is the only job I have had since I got married and I really enjoyed it. I got to know all the guests by name,” she said.

“I don’t know what will happen to the village. The closure of the aquarium has already had such a bad impact and now this.”

Housekeeper Paula McMullan, who has worked at the hotel for 23 years, said she arrived as usual at 7.30am on Monday to cook for the guests despite knowing she would not be paid.

“I worked on and I left the kitchen and the rooms exactly the way they are left any other day,” she said.

“I thought I would have retired from the hotel and my hope is that somebody might come in and open it again. The hotel’s closure, following the closure of Exploris and the bank, is a sad day for the town.”