Robert Cook to leave De Vere Group
Robert Cook, chief executive of De Vere Hotels and De Vere Village Urban Resorts, is to leave the company following the sale of sister brand De Vere Venues.
Andrew Coppel, chief executive of the De Vere Group is to assume direct responsibility for both De Vere Hotel and Village Urban Resorts. A statement issued by the board of the De Vere Group said that Coppel "will utilise his 14 years' experience in the hotel industry to drive performance and, therefore, value for its stakeholders".
It also thanked Cook and his colleagues for their contribution to the business and wished them well for the future.
Cook was appointed to the role of chief executive of De Vere Village in January 2012 and took over the additional responsibility for De Vere Hotels later that year.
He had previously been chief executive of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin for eight years.
In December 2013 Coppel confirmed to Caterer and Hotelkeeper that the De Vere Group was working towards the sale of both De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts to offset its original £1.1b debt with the Lloyds Banking Group.
"It was agreed with Lloyds in December 2011 - soon after I joined De Vere - that we would work toward crystallising the value of the business over a three to four year period," he explained.
"We have invested in the business, improved performance across the hotels and brought new blood into the company. This has all been achieved through a very tough trading period, but the forecasts are looking better for 2014 and 2015."
Coppel said he expects the sale of the nine De Vere Hotels, which include the five-AA-star, 128-bedroom Cameron House on Loch Lomond, will come to the market later this year, with the sale of Village taking place in 2015.
Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Robert Cook, De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts >>
