Nick Hanson appointed GM of the Idle Rock and St Mawes hotels
Nick Hanson is to leave his role as general manager at the Bath Priory hotel to take up the same position at the Idle Rocks and St Mawes hotels in the Cornish resort of St Mawes.
He will join the two properties, which are owned by the former chairman of Aston Martin, David Richards, and his wife Karen, on 1 September. His role will see him supporting Paul Goodwin, manager of the Idle Rocks and Ben Bass, manager and chef of the St Mawes hotel.
During a 20-year career, Hanson has owned his own hotel - the six-bedroom Bellachroy on the Isle of Mull, which he and his wife Debbie sold in 2013 after 8 years - as well as worked as general manager of the Royal Scotsman train; at the Vineyard at Stockcross, near Newbury; and at Sharrow Bay in Ullswater, Cumbria.
A graduate of hotel and catering management from Oxford Brookes University, he was awarded the Master Innholder Scholarship to study at Cornell University in the US in 2002.
Hanson said: "The Idle Rocks has already established itself as a unique and prestigious property having recently joined Relais & Châteaux, while I see a great opportunity for the St Mawes hotel to further cement St Mawes' reputation as a highly desirable Cornish destination."
Richards added: "We were looking to appoint an enthusiastic and skilled hotelier to continue the development of both the Idle Rocks and the St Mawes hotel. His extensive experience of luxury boutique properties make him the perfect candidate for the role."
David and Karen Richards bought the 19-bedroom Idle Rocks in 2010 before reopening it following a multi-million renovation three years later. They added the seven-bedroom St Mawes hotel to their portfolio in 2013.
In recent months, Philip Newman-Hall, former managing director of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, has been providing consultancy support at the hotel, and Gurval Durand, who left Whatley Manor as general manager in May, has been helping with restaurant operations.
Profile: David Richards >>
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