A NEW hospitality group has been formed to relaunch Lisburn’s Haslem Hotel and Lark Bar.
The Haslem Group, led by Nicky McCollum and Niall Burns, have assembled two entirely new culinary teams for both venues, headed by Chris Hayden, who has worked in some of the north’s top hospitality venues, and Masterchef: The Professionals contestant Andrew Cassling.
Mr Burns is the former general manager of the Culloden Estate and Spa and Lyrath Estate and Spa in Kilkenny.
The new company assumed control of Haslem Hotel in June after previous operators Beannchor handed over the running of the venue to its owners the previous month.
The hotel, along with the entire Lisburn Square development, is ultimately owned by London-based investment firm Marcol, which acquired the asset in 2015 for around £2m.
Marcol was founded by Mark Steinberg and the late Terence Cole, who passed away in December 2022.
Built at a cost of around £23m, the scheme at the time of the purchase included 29 shops, two restaurant units, five office suites, 45 apartments and a large car park.
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Beannchor was brought on board in 2018 to help develop a new £4m hotel and revamp the former Wetherspoons pub in the square.
The hospitality group, which owns The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, opened the 45-bed Haslem venue in 2020, with The Lark opening a year later.
Under the new management, the hotel and restaurant have already undergone significant investment, with new teams recruited.
The new head office team includes Helen Devlin as group financial controller, Victoria Ward as marketing manager and Caroline Curran as sales manager. James O’Donnell has joined The Lark as general manager.
Niall Burns, the group's director of hospitality, said the new team is committed to reshaping Lisburn Square into a prominent leisure destination.
“We have invested heavily in both of our properties with great food, live music and live sport at the heart of our offering.
“Our menus have been carefully curated by our exceptionally talented culinary teams - this has included the introduction of a new brunch menu and elevated Sunday Roast menu at the hotel and a new gastro focus at The Lark – and I am thrilled to say that business is up at both outlets and the feedback from our guests and local customers has been really positive and we look forward to building on this.”
Fellow director Nicky McCollum added: “We have exciting plans for the growth of the company and will carefully explore and pursue opportunities to further the group’s hospitality offerings in the months and years ahead.
“Our strategy remains focused on the delivery of world class, market-leading hospitality and tourism experiences for the local economy in Lisburn, the wider Northern Ireland market, and the growing number of international visitors.
“We are focused on attracting top hospitality professionals, along with the next generation of hospitality stars who can work with us to bring The Haslem Group’s visions into reality.
“This is equally driven by the group’s commitment to grow the business organically, by continually investing in innovative product offerings, and services, to exceed market and guest demands.”
