EVERY cloud has a silver lining. A deal to build the new Hilton Hotel on Belfast's Laganside was negotiated in a jammed lift.

At one stage the Ladbroke Group, which owns Hilton, was having second thoughts about the investment.

But then they got stuck with Barry Gilligan of Ewart in a lift in their London headquarters.

"Suddenly we had a captive audience for 1 1/2 hours and l convinced them to come to Belfast," Mr Gilligan said. And now the hotel is "going up".