Cowdray moves from Claridge's to Dorchester

Christopher Cowdray, managing director of London's Claridge's hotel, has been appointed general manager of the Dorchester hotel on Park Lane.

His move follows the purchase of the Savoy Group by Irish consortium the Quinlan Group last month for £750m.

But Cowdray stressed that he wasn't leaving the 203-bedroom hotel because of the new owners.

He said: "With the sale of Claridge's coming up I was approached by the Dorchester Group. It's a great hotel and I thought it was probably an opportunity for me to take up a new challenge and I therefore thought it was appropriate. My purpose had nothing whatsoever to do with the new ownership."

Cowdray said the Dorchester was a larger hotel than Claridge's and that there were great plans for both the hotel and the group.

Last week Caterer reported that the Dorchester Group, which comprises five hotels, planned to add one hotel a year to its portfolio in gateway cities across the world over the next 10 years.

Cowdray will leave Claridge's tomorrow (7 May), and will take up his new position at the Dorchester on 21 June. A replacement has not yet been appointed, but Jean-Jacques Pergant, managing director of the Savoy hotel, will lead the Claridge's team in the interim.

The Dorchester has been without a general manager for six months following the departure of David Wilkinson last year (Caterer, 2 October 2003, page 7).