Ernesto David Santarelli appointed general manager of newly named Cambridge City Hotel

Santarelli joins the hotel four months after it was bought by property developer London & Regional, for a price which is believed to be in excess of the £35m asking figure. The hotel was put up for sale after the previous owners, the Quinn Group, went into administration.

Santarelli was previously operations manager at the Strand Palace hotel in London, which is also owned by London & Regional. Fluent in English, Italian and Spanish, he has studied at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Dubai, the School of Hotel and Management in Hong Kong and the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in the USA.

"I have been working in the hotel industry for 20 years and am looking forward to bringing my expertise to the beautiful city of Cambridge," he said.

The hotel's name was changed following its acquisition by London & Regional, which has an extensive hotel portfolio, including the London Hilton on Park Lane and Cliveden in Taplow, Berkshire.

Crowne Plaza Cambridge sold for more than £35m >>