McCulloch appoints two directors for expansion

Hotelier Ken McCulloch has recruited two directors to lead an aggressive expansion programme at hotel brands Dakota and Columbus.

The appointments come after McCulloch and his business partner, Formula 1 racing driver David Coulthard, raised £150m for expansion in October last year.

Euan McGlashan, currently managing director and general manager at the Barnsley Gardens Resort in Georgia, USA, will become UK group director for the Dakota and Columbus brands from March.

Frederick Aspegren, formerly at the five-star resort, Cellars, in Cape Town, has taken on the role of developing the brands across Europe.

McCulloch said he would be announcing the first UK Columbus site "imminently". A second Columbus is in the pipeline, as are four more sites under the Dakota brand. The first Dakota opened in Nottingham last July and a second is due to open near Edinburgh in 2006.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 24 February 2005