Andrew Brownsword Hotels has announced Simon Franks will be leaving Gidleigh Park this summer after 14 years of service, with the recruitment process for his replacement now underway.
Franks first joined Andrew Brownsword Hotels when Buckland Manor was purchased by Andrew & Christina Brownsword in October 2011. He held the position of general manager there for seven years, which included a year overseeing The Bath Priory.
He moved across to Gidleigh Park in September 2018, where he is regional general manager.
Since his appointment, Franks has steered the hotel to being awarded two Michelin Keys in the inaugural 2024 cohort and retained the restaurant’s Michelin star under new chef Ian Webber.
A spokesperson for Andrew Brownsword Hotels said Franks was ‘moving on to enjoy new adventures’ and that the team ‘wishes him the very best’.
The new comes after a job advert for Franks’ role was posted online.
The ad says the hotel is looking for a new GM who is a ‘true hospitality professional and a change agent’.
The successful candidate will be required to spend two to three days a week at Gidleigh Park, which is the group’s flagship property, while ‘regular travel’ to other Andrew Brownsword hotels will also be ‘a key part’ of the role.
Responsibilities will include providing commercial and strategic leadership for the hotels they oversee in all areas. The regional general manager will also be expected to drive sales and revenue, promote the people culture of the business and be ‘charismatic, engaging and people centric’.
Gidleigh Park is a 24-bed Tudor-style hotel, which sits in 107 acres of gardens and woodland on the northern bank of the North Teign River in Dartmoor National Park.
Andrew Brownsword Hotels is a collection of 12 privately owned hotels located around the UK. Comprising eight countryside properties, three city centre ABode hotels and Sydney House Chelsea, Andrew Brownsword Hotels is owned by the Brownsword family, who strive to create special places that truly embody their own ethos of great hospitality.
The Brownsword family also own and operate The Imperial Torquay.
