Fiona Dardé appointed GM of Hotel du Vin Exeter

Hotel du Vin has announced the appointment of Fiona Dardé as general manager of Hotel du Vin Exeter.

The 59-bedroom former Magdalen Chapter hotel was acquired by Frasers Hospitality, the owner of Hotel du Vin and sister brand Malmaison, in December 2015, alongside three other hotels from Hong Kong-based Swire Properties, in a £36.1m deal. In April 2016 it was re-named Hotel du Vin Exeter.

Situated close to Exeter Cathedral in a grand 19th century building which formerly housed the West England Eye Hospital, the property opened in 2002 as the Hotel Barcelona under the ownership of the Alias Hotel Group, which was acquired four years later by Swire in 2006.

Dardé has more than 15 years' experience as a general manager, including at the Mercure Exeter Southgate hotel; the Macdonald Berystede hotel in Ascot, Berkshire; and as an area general manager for the South West and Midlands for AccorHotels' Mercure brand.

She said: "I'm so pleased to be joining the Hotel du Vin team. Hotel du Vin Exeter is a fantastic hotel, with its wonderful charm and personality and a great team."

She is replacing Guillaume Lesage, who has moved on to the role of general manager at Charlton House hotel in Glastonbury.

Nick Halliday, chief operating officer at Hotel du Vin, added: "Fiona brings a wealth of experience with her to Hotel du Vin Exeter. We're delighted to welcome her to our team."

Hotel du Vin's existing locations include Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol City Centre, Bristol Clifton Village (opening spring 2018), Cambridge, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Harrogate, Henley-on-Thames, Newcastle, Poole, St Andrews, Stratford-upon-Avon (opening spring 2018), Tunbridge Wells, Wimbledon, Winchester and York.

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