Human Resources

🏨 Mark Lewis, CEO of Hospitality Action, will step down in March after eight years. In 2025, the charity provided over £1.5 million in support, with £1.05 million in cash grants aiding 825 households. More than £0.5 million came from unclaimed benefits. The Employee Assistance program supports over 200,000 workers across nearly 500 businesses. Founded in 1837, the charity has a rich history supporting hospitality workers, evolving from the London Coffee and Eating House Keepers’ Association.

💸 India, 28 September 2026: RateGain Travel Technologies Limited appoints Chetan Garg as CFO. Based in Noida, Chetan brings nearly 20 years of experience from Optum and Whirlpool. RateGain, founded in 2004, serves 14,000+ customers in 160+ countries. It partners with 33 of the Top 40 Hotel Chains and 25 Global Fortune 500 companies. It processes vast electronic transactions, aiding revenue growth for the travel and hospitality sectors.

📈 In Miami, Reeco appointed Lauren Lontine as Vice President of Sales, focusing on their AI-driven procure-to-pay platform for the hospitality sector. With experience from Otelier and a Harvard background, she will enhance sales and customer success amidst Reeco's growth phase. The platform optimizes hotel procurement, reducing manual tasks and boosting financial outcomes. Henrik Shimony, Reeco's CEO, emphasized Lontine's role in expanding their business. More at www.reeco.com.

📅 St. Ermin’s Hotel in Westminster initiates a £1.7m refurbishment of its meeting facilities, The East Wing, unveiling mid-November. The redesign features 10 rooms, including a podcast studio and screening room, by Trevillion Interiors. The renovation pays homage to the hotel's WWII British intelligence history. Previously, a full renovation took place in 2012. In September 2025, Tom Walsh replaced Stuart Leckie as the sales director, maintaining commercial continuity. St Ermin’s ranked first in the UK on Tripadvisor in 2025.

📰 Gekko Group is expanding its directly contracted hotel portfolio across six European markets. Cristiana Sartore and Silvia Villazala join as Strategic Hotel Account Managers. Sartore will manage the UK, Benelux, and DACH regions, while Villazala oversees Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Both bring over 20 years of experience in online travel and hotel distribution. This expansion aims to strengthen local relationships, enhance hotel visibility, and offer a competitive hotel portfolio through Gekko's B2B distribution network.

🏨 Harshad and Swati Barot, owners of Ambassadors Inn & Suites in Virginia Beach, signed with the newly launched Borderless Hotel Alliance on September 24, 2026. Their 102-room hotel, located near the Virginia Beach Convention Center, will integrate into the Landingplace Hotels' system by December 2026, maintaining its identity while accessing advanced technology and resources. This initiative targets modernization without sacrificing operational independence, supporting independent hotels against larger franchises.

🏨 Yotel Glasgow, a 257-room hotel, is for sale near Glasgow Central Station. It will join Hilton's network in September 2026. Located at Argyle and Hope Streets, the hotel features Vega, a refurbished top-floor bar with a bowling alley, updated in 2025. The sale combines Yotel’s product with Hilton’s distribution, enhancing its market reach. Hilton previously expanded its Glasgow presence by signing a franchise with Silk Property Group in November 2022.