HASTINGS HOTELS LAST DUCK TO FLY THE NEST

HASTINGS Hotels has announced that after 20 years its famous duck mascot is no more. The much loved rubber ducks, which are given to guests complimentary when they stay at one of the six hotels, will fly the nest at the end of May.

Julie Hastings, Marketing Director of Hastings Hotels said: “We introduced the ducks to our hotels almost 20 years ago and they soon became part of the family. The ducks have always been in huge demand and guests from around the world spit feathers with excitement every time we launch a new one. People love to take the ducks with them when they check-out and they are a regular feature in home bathrooms.

“Even celebrities go quackers over them and throughout the years the ducks have met hundreds of celebrities including Rory McIlroy, Lionel Ritchie, Michael Douglas, Jane Seymour They have also attended lots of showbiz events including the World Cup, Wimbledon and Glastonbury. Most recently we have even had 3-ft versions of the ducks created which have proved very popular with people, in fact one group of guests even smuggled our large Culture Duck on to a flight to Gatwick.

“It wasn’t a quack decision to make and one we have made over time. People might think we are quackers for doing this, but with so much love for our ducks, we have decided they should go out on a high when there is still so much love for them. We are confident that our hotel guests will have many fond memories of them for years to come so we are hoping guests don’t get their feathers in a twist with this news,” Julie added.

Northern Ireland’s number one duck fan Pamela Ballantine said: “I’m really saddened to hear that Hastings Hotels will no longer be creating its famous ducks. I’m a massive fan of them and have amassed quite a collection over the years which I proudly have on display in my bathroom. This really is a sad day for Northern Ireland and I think I’ll spend most of it in mourning, my bath time will never be the same again.”