Paul Bates to replace Nigel Boschetti as executive chef at JW Marriott Grosvenor House

Paul Bates has been appointed to replace Nigel Boschetti as executive chef at JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel from 2 January.

He will join the five-AA-star, 494-bedroom hotel from the same position at Hilton London Bankside, which he joined in 2015 as a member of the opening team. During his three years at the hotel, Bates was responsible for the creation of the OXBO Bankside restaurant and the Distillery bar, as well as looking after 11 banqueting spaces including the ballroom for up to 600 guests.

At Grosvenor House, he will oversee an extensive range of food and beverage outlets including the JW Steakhouse, the Park Room, Boubon Bar and 23 event rooms, headed by the Great Room which can serve up to 2,000 covers for a sit-down dinner. Bates will be responsible for a brigade of 70 chefs and an annual food and beverage turnover of £38m.

Stuart Bowery, general manager at Grosvenor House said he was "delighted" with the appointment, while Bates said that he was "very excited" by the opportunity.

"I really was not looking to move at this point as the position at Hilton Bankside has been the best I've ever had. It has been like working in a family environment with great support from the general manager James Clarke. But Grosvenor House has been the position I've always aspired to - it really is my dream job and I wouldn't have considered moving anywhere else."

Prior to joining Hilton Bankside, Bates was the opening executive chef at the Beaumont hotel in Mayfair, having previously spent seven years as executive chef at the InterContinental London Park Lane.

Boschetti will leave Grosvenor Hotel this week to move within Marriott to take up the position of executive chef at the 1,892-bedroom Marriott Marquis hotel in New York.

Nigel Boschetti to depart Grosvenor House for New York's Marriott Marquis >>

Details of restaurants at new Hilton London Bankside revealed >>

Paul Bates steps down as executive chef at Corbin and King's the Beaumont >>

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