Charlotte Weatherall, general manager, Corinthia London
In June last year, one of London’s most refined luxury hotels, Corinthia London, announced the internal promotion of Charlotte Weatherall to the top role of general manager. Effective July 1, Charlotte assumed the position following her tenure as director of sales and marketing at the hotel, a job she had held since May 2022.
Prior to this she was director of sales and marketing and The Langham and before that with Mandarin Oriental Group. She also boasts experience with Rocco Forte Hotels and is said to balance ‘commercial acumen with a deep commitment to people’.
Charlotte filled the role at Corinthia London following the departure of long-standing manager director Thomas Kochs, who left to return to Claridge’s. Big shoes to fill, but ones she has taken to with aplomb.
Charlotte represents a new exciting era in hotel leadership; one that balances excellence with empathy, and personal ambition with a full life outside the industry. She leads with emotional intelligence, a fierce business acumen and genuine consideration and care, actively supporting the growth and developments of all the people working within the hotel.
She oversees operations for Corinthia London’s 279 bedrooms, plus a Francesco Mazzei restaurant and Salvatore Calabrese cocktail bar, as well as meeting spaces and iconic penthouse suites.
Christie Hayes, hotel manager, Penmaenuchaf
Christie Hayes is hotel manager at Penmaenuchaf in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, a distinguished Seren venue. With a passion for exceptional food and outstanding service, Christie brings over a decade of hospitality experience to her role, where she leads the business with a focus on elevating service standards to a five-star level while guiding ongoing refurbishment and development projects.
A highly valued member of Seren’s renowned hospitality team, she is known for her leadership, professionalism and commitment to excellence. Christie loves Penmaenuchaf for its perfect balance of home comforts and luxury, and she considers it the highest compliment when guests tell the team they feel “at home” during their stay.
Prior to her role at Penmaenuchaf, Christie was restaurant manager at Seren’s Michelin-starred Beach House in Oxwich. Her earlier career includes serving as restaurant manager for Shaun Dickens at The Boat House in Henley, followed by senior food and beverage and events supervisory roles at the five-star Adare Manor in Limerick, including involvement with the Michelin-starred Oak Room Restaurant. In recognition of her expertise and contribution to the industry, Christie was named restaurant manager of the year 2023 at the Institute of Hospitality Awards.
Claire Llewellin-Davis, managing director, The Lensbury Resort
The Lensbury Resort, a four-star hotel in Teddington, brought Claire Llewellin-Davis on board as managing director in the summer of 2022. While Claire’s abundance of experience in leisure club management made her an ideal candidate to steer the resort’s strategic vision, her path to hospitality was not a typical one.
Claire served for eight-years in the British Armed Forces, taking on a variety of roles and being deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Shortly after leaving the Army, Claire spent nine years as executive manager at one of England’s most well-known private members’ venues, The Hurlingham Club. From here, she moved to Asia, where she lived for four years – initially as general manager of the prestigious Hong Kong Jockey Club and then GM of the Hollandse Club in Singapore.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given her military background, Claire is a keen sports enthusiast and is a dab hand at running, skiing and tennis. Her passion has fed into her leadership of The Lensbury, which is known for hosting high-profile sports teams. In spring 2024, the resort opened a new £1.2m private lounge complete with a cafe offering a ‘nutrient and protein-packed’ menu.
At the time of its launch, Claire said the space “embodies and supports The Lensbury’s focus on health and wellbeing”, giving members a “much needed third place, outside home and work.”
Claire White, commercial director, Tewkesbury Park
Tewkesbury Park is continuing to invest in its people and product to ensure it stays relevant amongst its competitive set. Since taking over the ownership in 2014 with her family, they have put in place a £4m investment programme to re-establish the hotel’s reputation following years of neglect. The last decade has seen this come to fruition, with refurbishments rolled out, new facilities unveiled and an epic new events suites brought into the offering.
The work paid off, with turnover increasing and occupancy rising to sustain the business and transform the fortunes of this once undervalued asset.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Claire, together with general manager Patrick Jones, are continuously thinking of new ways to safeguard the future of Tewkesbury Park. You may also recognise Claire from her appearance on ITV’s The Fortune Hotel.
Eljesa Saciri, general manager, The Mandrake
Last summer, Eljesa Saciri was named general manager of five-star London hotel The Mandrake, marking the first female GM in the property’s 10-year history. Eljesa’s appointment came hot on the heels of significant launches at the Fitzrovia hotel, including the opening of the ‘world’s first immersive wellness sanctuary’, Damu, and the private members’ club, CoOc.
Having worked in the industry for a decade, Eljesa brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to The Mandrake. She previously held a number of roles within The Doyle Collection and as general manager of The Zetter Marylebone, she was integral to the hotel achieving an annual turnover of £2.7m and a high guest satisfaction rating of 92% on GuestRevu.
Eljesa also played a crucial role in the re-branding of The Zetter, from leading the development of aligning operating assets within the brand, to spearheading a large part of The Zetter Bloomsbury project, which will open later this year.
Elise Roberts, general manager, The Gallivant
A graduate from Westminster Business School, Elise Roberts relocated to the South Coast from London in 2016. It was then that she joined the team at The Gallivant, a stylish beach hotel in Camber Sands. As general manager, Elise oversees the hotel’s day-to-day operations and ensures staff are living up to The Gallivant’s goal of ‘delivering happiness’.
Earlier in her career, she enjoyed stints with Hilton at The Waldorf and Grosvenor House, both in London. When she’s not working, Elise can be found heading out for long coastal walks, swimming in the sea and cooking for friends and family.
Elsa Remoy-Hodt, global managing director, The Twenty Two
Elsa Remoy-Hodt has been with The Twenty Two, a luxury hotel and private members’ club, since its conception.
Following stints at acclaimed London hotels Chiltern Firehouse, The Ned and Jumeirah Carlton Tower, she first joined in 2020 as pre-opening front of house manager, before progressing to hotel manager, general manager and then managing director.
Earlier this year, Remoy-Hodt was promoted to global MD of the brand, now overseeing its locations in London and New York.
Since opening in 2022, The Twenty Two’s London site has firmly established itself as one of the capital’s coolest clubs, reportedly welcoming everyone from Kylie Jenner to Tom Cruise in the process. Its New York sibling has proved just as successful, hosting a party which Vogue described as the best one of New York Fashion Week.
In her new role, Remoy-Hodt wants to create further synergy between the London and NYC outposts, reflecting an increasingly globalised traveller.
She told Boutique Hotelier: “Stepping into this role fills me with genuine excitement. It is a privilege to oversee both sides of the pond, especially as each building carries such rich history… in this new chapter, my focus is on bringing our teams even closer together so that we speak the same language across both cities.”
Emma Bowen, general manager, Retreats Group
This year marks four years since Emma took over as general manager at Retreats Group, a collection of three venues in Wales; Twr y Felin Hotel, Roch Castle and Penrhiw Priory. Since joining the portfolio in 2014, she has demonstrated her strengths in maximising revenues, with new strategies to increase occupancies and make profitable use of accommodation, meeting and leisure facilities constantly coming to the fore. The fact it is her first general manager position hasn’t fazed her.
She has already driven a number of key changes since stepping into the role, diversifying to adapt to the peaks and troughs in consumer demand. Twr y Felin hotel now accepts younger children and a new private meeting area is being developed to increase its corporate facilities. The eight-bedroom Penrhiw Priory has now pivoted to a B&B business as well as exclusive use on a self-catering basis.
Emma Stratton, owner, Red Hotels
Red Hotels comprises The Scarlet and Bedruthan in Cornwall. Inspired to shake up the traditional hotel model, Emma Stratton, Debbie Wakefield and Rebecca Whittingham launched The Scarlet in 2009 after an eight-year planning process and a £12.5m investment with a vision to introduce the UK to a luxury eco-hotel that wasn’t all about consumption and excess.
The hotel promotes sustainability as a ‘way of life’ rather than a trend of transient fad, and demonstrates this philosophy in over 111 ways, from using a biomass boiler fired on wood chips to encouraging guests to call on the services of a local ‘sustainable chauffeur’ Tesla driver and utilising biodegradable piping bags in the kitchen.
The hotel and spa runs at 86% – 89% occupancy round year and has done for the past five years, with the business continuing to blaze a trail in the market for sustainable practices.
Eva Mount, general manager, The BoTree London
Eva Mount is general manager at The BoTree London, which launched in 2023 amid a blaze of publicity. Eva has previously held general manager roles at The Guardsman, The Athenaeum Hotel and The Arch London. She also spent over 10 years with Firmdale Hotels across a variety of senior positions at the likes of Charlotte Street Hotel and Dorset Square Hotel.
A qualified yoga teacher, Eva is well placed to resolve any interesting conundrums either work or life related and her experience in hotel openings, the luxury market and the tourism landscape in London make her a stand-out female figure in hospitality.
