International Hospitality Leader Joins the McKeever Hotels Board

Stephen McNally, one of Ireland's most prominent hospitality leaders, has joined the McKeever Hotels Board, bringing 40 years of industry experience to support our ambitious growth strategy.

We are delighted to welcome Stephen McNally to the Board of McKeever Hotels.

With a 40-year career in tourism and hospitality, including leadership roles at three global hotel groups, Stephen brings significant strategic and commercial counsel to our family-owned group, headquartered in Antrim with seven properties across Northern Ireland and Donegal.

As founding Director and Deputy Chief Executive of Dalata Hotel Group from 2007 to 2022, Stephen was responsible for shaping, driving and scaling the business, which today operates 57 hotels under the Clayton and Maldron brands.

Before Dalata, he played a key role in the expansion of Jury’s Doyle Hotel Group, including the acquisition of 20 Jury’s Inns across the UK, and was appointed Group General Manager for 34 hotels across Ireland, the UK and the USA. His early career included more than six years with Ramada Hotel Group, where he completed their Management Training Development Programme and worked across Germany and the UK.

After retiring from Dalata in 2022, Stephen founded SERLs Hospitality. As Chief Executive, he provides specialist consultancy, advisory and hotel management services to clients across Ireland and the UK.

Stephen is also a non-executive director of Tourism Ireland and chairs the Tourism Partnership Board on behalf of the Minister for the Economy in Northern Ireland. He served as President of the Irish Hotels Federation from 2014 to 2016.

Stephen said: “I’ve been embedded in the sector for over 40 years, so I understand its value and appreciate how it has contributed so positively to Ireland’s economic growth. I now look forward to bringing this experience to McKeever Hotels and the wider sector in Northern Ireland.

“Tourism success is all about people, passion and commitment and I see these reflected in the McKeever culture. The Board is open, honest and focused on its ambitious growth strategy and I look forward to helping this great team capitalise on its success to date and also seize the many opportunities ahead.”

Eddie McKeever, Managing Director of McKeever Hotels, added: “We’ve come a long way in our 40-year history, particularly over the last decade, and the journey continues. Our current five-year strategy clearly identifies growth, performance and sustainability as our three key priorities and we know Stephen will help us achieve this by bringing his external perspective, global brand experience and big-picture thinking to the team. We’re really delighted to have him on board.”