Europa Hotel

On Great Victoria Street, the Europa Hotel rises like a silvered time capsule of Belfast’s grit and charm. Opened in 1971 on the site of the old Great Northern Railway terminus, the 12-storey, 51 m tower by Sydney Kaye, Eric Firkin & Partners became a front-row seat to history—and a city-centre beacon again today.

Quick Facts:

• Opened: July 1971; Architects: Sydney Kaye, Eric Firkin & Partners.
• Height / floors: ~51 m, 12 storeys.
• Rooms: 272 (after later extensions/refurbs).
• Famous claim: Often described as the “most bombed hotel”—accounts vary, with sources citing ~28–33 attacks during the Troubles.

From Troubles to turnaround

Journalists made it their base through the worst years, but the hotel kept trading, then found a second life when Hastings Hotels bought it in 1993, invested ~£8 m and reopened in 1994. In November 1995, President Bill Clinton stayed here (110 rooms were booked for the entourage); the penthouse suite he used became the Clinton Suite. Recent years brought a five-year, £15 m refurbishment across all 272 rooms, bars, and meeting spaces—sealing the Europa’s status as a polished city landmark.