New GM to oversee £2m Swan at Hay refurbishment
A new general manager has been appointed to oversee the £2m refurbishment of the Swan at Hay hotel in Hay-on-Wye, mid-Wales.
Neil McNamara joins the 19-bedroom hotel after 12 years as general manager of the Forest hotel in Solihull, where the restaurant was awarded two rosettes by the AA every year under his management.
He is a qualified chef who began his career with Scottish and Newcastle Retail for four years and was food and beverage manager at both the Black Swan hotel in Yorkshire and the Great Victoria hotel in Bradford.
Work on the hotel's exterior, including a new roof, is almost complete, and four of the 19 rooms have been refurbished with the remainder to follow by the end of November. Local builders and craftsmen are being employed to undertake the work.
The Swan hotel is one of five hotels owned by Llangoed, including Llangoed Hall at Llyswen and Poets House in Cambridgeshire.
McNamara said: "After being at the Forest hotel for 12 years, I was looking for a new challenge and the Swan at Hay hotel provides that. It had a good reputation in the past. My job is to return it to its former glory. We are aiming to be a destination for good quality food, catering for tourists, walkers, families and local people."
Group managing director Calum Milne said: "We are delighted to welcome Neil to both the Swan and the group. The full refurbishment will be completed later this year, weather permitting. We have recently added two more properties to the group's portfolio and have aspirations to expand further in the coming months. We have no intention of standing still, as we wish to be leaders in raising the standard of hospitality in the UK."
The Swan@Hay names former Ynyshir Hall chef Jerry Adam as head chef >>
