When the world went into lockdown in early 2020, Howard Hastings received a phone call from his bank manager. The hospitality industry was in crisis, and Hastings, one of the leading hoteliers on the island, was caught in the eye of the storm. Hastings Hotels has grown to a portfolio of six luxury hotels in the North and is the co-owner of the five-star Merrion Hotel in Dublin. It has traded successfully since 1966, overcoming multiple bombings at its properties during the Troubles – the Europa Hotel became known as the “most bombed hotel in Europe” after having suffered 36…