Justin Pinchbeck appointed GM of Sheraton Grand London Park Lane
Justin Pinchbeck has been appointed general manager of the 303-bedroom Sheraton Grand London Park Lane hotel, seven months after leaving the new Surrey country house hotel Beaverbrook as chief operating officer.
In his new role, Pinchbeck will be responsible for a team of 200 staff across the hotel which underwent a multimillion-pound refurbishment in 2016.
"The hotel is an iconic address in Mayfair (I worked in this area for many years so I feel like I have come home) and a flagship hotel for Sheraton," said Pinchbeck who spent 18 months at Beaverbrook, the former home of Lord Beaverbrook in Leatherhead which underwent a £90m transformation into a luxury hotel.
He explained that he was intrigued by the stories from the history of the 92-year-old Sheraton and impressed how the recent refurbishment had "restored it back to its brilliant art deco glory".
He said that he was also attracted to the hotel by its impressive team. "They know the hotel so well and they're clearly very proud of keeping standards high."
The hotel was promoted to the premier tier of the Sheraton brand following the extensive renovation, which saw an upgrade of the public spaces, including the Palm Court and Grade-II-listed ballroom, alongside the creation of the new Italian restaurant Mercante.
Pinchbeck said that with the strong competition in London, his key challenge at the Sheraton will be "to make sure that the hotel is still perceived as a place to stay, a place to be".
"My focus will be to further promote our renovated rooms and suites, in particular our Park View suites that offer impressive views on Green Park.
"We also need to position Mercante as a local destination restaurant and position our Palm Court as a cocktail destination with a unique evening offering. It's an art deco masterpiece and the renovation has created a perfect blend of modern and historic."
Sheraton is one of 30 brands within the stable of Marriott International, now the world's largest hotel group following its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016.
Prior to joining Beaverbrook, Pinchbeck, who was named Manager of the Year at the 2012 Cateys, was general manager at the five-red-AA-star, 210-bedroom Berkeley hotel, London, for three years. He was previously involved in opening the Zetter hotel in London and Lime Wood in Lymington, Hampshire, having worked for Firmdale Hotels and Grosvenor House earlier in his career.
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