BELFAST BRIEFING:THE IRISH American of the Year, New York hotelier John Fitzpatrick, has a theory about the times in which we live. "Look around you," he urges, "life is not so bad." Easy for him to say, you might be tempted to think, given his station in life.

He is the chairman and chief executive of the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group North America which operates two hotels in New York – the Fitzpatrick Manhattan and the Fitzpatrick Grand Central. Both are popular with Irish visitors.

So at first glance it is hard to imagine what he might have in common with hoteliers struggling to survive in the North’s deflated tourism and hospitality sector .

More than might first meet the eye, Fitzpatrick said in Belfast last week, when he shared a personal insight into how he runs his business. He was one of the key speakers at a Northern Ireland tourism conference, held on the same day as major spending cuts were unveiled for the North, so the atmosphere was far from jovial.

Fitzpatrick is all about embracing the opportunities that difficult times throw up. Without them his group might not have achieved the success it enjoys.

He points to how the group first started looking for a New York location in 1989 but had to temporarily abandon their ambitions because prices were too high.

The aftershocks of the Gulf War on property prices in the US enabled the group to acquire its Manhattan location in 1991 for half the price it was in 1989.

Fitzpatrick is confident the economic turmoil on both sides of the Atlantic will create equally dazzling opportunities – but only for those willing to take a risk.

In the meantime, he says, New York and Northern Ireland share common challenges when it comes to tourism and hospitality.

The first is the obvious state of the economy in both locations.

Both places have suffered a downturn in business travel and conference bookings, he says.

Secondly, he argues that New York and the North have seen a big increase in room supply.

In 1999 Northern Ireland had just 4,893 hotel rooms compared to 62,341 hotel rooms in New York. Today the North has about 7,685 hotel rooms, while New York has 78,771 rooms and rising.

Both markets, according to Fitzpatrick, have also seen a big increase in the number of budget hotel chains, which has had a big impact on average daily rates.

In his eyes there are big challenges, but he is confident that things “will get better” if you are one of the people, either in New York or Northern Ireland, who decides to “take action” and become part of the solution.

Fitzpatrick firmly believes that no business can afford to sit back and feel sorry for itself these days.

It is vital that everyone works together to sell Northern Ireland, he says, and it is vital that key government ministers from the North are visible in the campaign to woo new visitors.

He is urging hoteliers and the hospitality industry in the North to get involved with trade bodies such as the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland, and with airlines and tourist attractions, to help boost business.

The Fitzpatrick family have built their reputation on two fundamental principles since 1970 – passion and the personal touch.

The passion they have for their business is obvious – it is not just a business it is a way of life for them – and the personal touch is an element at which they work very hard. Sometimes, says Fitzpatrick, you just have to “get off your butt” and get out, knock doors, shake hands, meet people and convince them in person so as to get their business.

Away from the world of hotels there is another reason why he believes life may not be as bad as it may sometimes appear.

The Eithne and Patrick Fitzpatrick Memorial Fund, which he set up in 1993 to honour his parents, has helped raise more than £1 million for charitable causes, including the Corrymeela Reconciliation Centre in the North.

This is a centre dedicated to the healing of social, religious and political divisions which, in particular, brings children from both communities in Northern Ireland together in a neutral environment. In the Republic, the Fitzpatrick Memorial Fund is a major supporter of Barretstown, which helps children with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Life, says Fitzpatrick, has got to be about more than business – it is also about living and sharing time with friends and family, and putting something back, not because you have to, but because you want to.