Gravetye Manor’s Andrew Thomason announces retirement

Andrew Thomason, managing director of Gravetye Manor in West Hoathly, has announced his retirement at the age of 67.

Thomason will remain with the 17-bedroom West Sussex property until the end of March 2022 while the directors seek a new general manager. John Hunt from JDR Hospitality Recruitment has been appointed to find suitable candidates.

Posting on LinkedIn, Thomason said: “I have enjoyed so much my 10 years at Gravetye, seeing it grow and blossom into one of the leading country house hotel in the UK. The owners, Jeremy & Elizabeth Hosking, have supported me during this period along with my team of very fine, experienced heads of department.”

During his career, Thomason has worked at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, as deputy to Philip Newman-Hall. He has also been general manager at the Forbury hotel in Reading, Lower Slaughter Manor in Gloucestershire, Hotel Verta in London’s Battersea, and joined Gravetye Manor in April 2012.

Thomason joined the hotel not long after the Hoskings bought the Grade I-listed property out of administration in 2010. Under his tenure, Gravetye has won a slew of awards, including AA Hotel of the Year England in 2013, Hotel of the Year – Independent at the 2015 Catey Awards, a Michelin star for the restaurant and the 2018 Pride of Britain Hotel of the Year award. Most recently, he oversaw an ambitious, multimillion-pound extension to create the venue’s opulent, garden-facing dining room, which completed in 2018.