What you must never do, he adds, is retreat in the face of crisis: "Immediately, managers look for ways to cut costs and reduce head count. But if you have the confidence to be in the business, then have the guts to ride out the storms. I don't look for cost savings. I don't think about the bottom line -- it'll look after itself. Instead, I sit down and study where I want to take the business next. A crisis is a time when more than ever you have to be one better than your competition. It's a time to focus on one thing, a new project that will drive you toward that goal."

Under Hastings Hotels, the Europa's new owner, Toner has masterminded a quadrupling of sales, reaching occupancy rates of 90%. His retention rate of 70% is the envy of the industry. When President Clinton visited Belfast to bolster the shaky peace process, it was the Europa he chose as his base. "It was a statement that Belfast was returning to normality," maintains Toner, who subsequently renamed the 10th-floor bridal suite the "Clinton Suite."

Belfast has yet to reach normality, of course. Within a stone's throw of the Europa, gangs still engage in violent clashes and pipe bombs rain down on police vehicles. The Europa will face more stressful times as one of the world's most intractable quarrels rumbles on. But Toner and his team are ready for anything that the future hurls at them.

"I sometimes think how much easier this job would be if we were in a different situation," muses Toner. "But we pick ourselves up each time and say, 'Let's have a good day tomorrow.' "

Contact John Toner by email (gm@eur.hastingshotels.com).

Sidebar: Stress Test

John Toner encountered his first bomb, and his first lesson in managing stress, at the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, County Down in 1973. A bomb had been placed on the reception desk on a 15-minute timer.

"We got everyone out, but I couldn't remember seeing one of the maids. From outside, I saw her walking toward the reception desk. I ran in and shouted, 'Susan, get out!' As we ran through the front door, the bomb exploded, throwing us to the ground. We turned to watch as the building crumbled.

"That evening, the hotel's owner, Billy Hastings, came to examine the damage. As we walked through the darkness, water spewing, he turned to me and said, 'Well, John, this gives us an opportunity to change the reception area.' At first, I thought he was on a different planet, but over time I came to respect his enthusiasm for turning adversity into advantage.

"Now in times of stress, I look for an opportunity to do something different, either in my management style or in the development of my staff. Each time we hit a crisis, I ask how my business can benefit from the situation.

"As with every other hotel in the world, the fallout from the tragic events in New York and Washington is costing me business. I can't replace that business, but I can improve the morale of a staff that wonders if they've still got a job. I sat down with my training manager, and we devised a training strategy that will improve the skills of every employee. It's going to cost me 40,000 pounds, but if people come out of it knowing there's a future for them, then it's an investment, not a cost."