Dalata founder to leave hotel group with hope on the horizon

The hotel group’s founder says it has ample resources to weather the Covid storm and that the sector will be on the road to recovery by year’s end

Pat McCann, founder of Dalata, has hit out at the government for what he says are its constant messages of negativity around the pandemic

When Dalata founder Pat McCann announced he was stepping down as chief executive of the hotel group last week, he said the company’s balance sheet was in a stronger position than last year and that it was poised to continue its expansion plans even as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on a second key tourism season.

McCann is leaving his position at the end of this year, having set up the company in 2007. While the Maldron and Clayton brand owner reported a loss of €101 million for 2020, the chief executive told the Business Post that Dalata would recover and grow as tourism rebounds later this year.