Joanne Taylor-Stagg steps down as GM of the Capital hotel

Joanne Taylor-Stagg is to step down as general manager of the Capital hotel in Knightsbridge, London, just six months after her appointment.

She will leave the five-red-AA-star, 49-bedroom today, having taken over the running of the property, alongside responsibility for the 12-bedroom Levin hotel, the 12 Capital apartments and the London Bakery, in May. She replaced Michael Purtil who had undertaken a six-month contract to cover former general manager Kate Levin's maternity leave.

Levin's decision not to return to the business marked the end of her family's 49-year relationship with the hotel.

Kate's father David Levin, who was named Hotelier of the Year by The Caterer in 1994, started building the Capital in 1969 and opened the business two years later.

The hotel was sold by the Levin family in January 2017 to the US-based Warwick Hotels and Resorts.

Taylor-Stagg said that she was looking forward to taking a long holiday over Christmas and the New Year before hoping to take up a new hotel position in early 2019.

Meanwhile, Harry Murray, chairman of Lucknam Park in Colerne, Wiltshire, is to step down as an advisor to the Capital hotel at the end of 2018, eight years after he was appointed as a director of the Capital Group by David Levin.

"One of my tasks was to mentor and coach Kate Levin and it has been a great pleasure to see her develop into a leading hotelier," he said. "During the past eight years I have spent one day per week at the hotel."

Murray added that he was surprised to be asked to stay on as an advisor to the hotel following the acquisition by Warwick Hotels & Resorts. However, he then decided to step down from his role before Taylor-Stagg resigned as she was "an experienced manager with a strong track record".

Prior to joining the Capital hotel, Taylor Stagg was general manager at the Trafalgar St James, London, for two years. Originally from South Africa, she has also worked as a divisional director for RBH (formerly Redefine|BDL Hotels) and general manager of the Crowne Plaza London Docklands.

Levin family ends connection with the Capital hotel as Joanne Taylor-Stagg is appointed GM >>

Michael Purtill to replace Kate Levin as GM of the Capital hotel >>

The Capital and the Levin hotels acquired by Warwick Hotels and Resorts >>

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