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Whatley Manor has announced the appointment of Michele Mella as general manager of the Cotswolds country manor house hotel and spa, effective November 2023.
Mella will succeed Sue Williams, who joined the hotel in 2016, who is set to carry on at Whatley Manor in a consultancy role, continuing to guide the property on its many key sustainability initiatives, and will also pursue several other independent industry collaborations.
Mella joins Whatley Manor from Celebrated Experiences, where he was chief partnership officer and director for the past year, and prior to that he was general manager at Barnsley House and the Village Pub near Cirencester (2009-22).
He was also previously at Calcot Manor in Tetbury from 1998-2009, where he held various roles, starting as assistant restaurant manager, moving on to restaurant manager, and rising in the ranks to deputy general manager of the hotel. He is also a Master Innholder.
Mella said: “I am thrilled at the opportunity to take over at the helm of Whatley Manor, one of the standout hotels of the English countryside. Sue Williams is handing over a great team who are passionate about the vision of the Landolt family (owners), and I can’t wait to be part of its future successes.”
Owner Christian Landolt said: “It is with mixed emotions that we are announcing Sue Williams’s departure from Whatley Manor after seven amazing years. Sue has steered Whatley Manor masterly during the testing economic and Covid times. Considering her passion for sustainability issues, I fully understand and support her desire to step down from operational management to focus on that subject.
“Her engagement towards sustainability, and her determination to make Whatley a leader in that department, has been second to none, and I am very grateful that she will remain our sustainability adviser. It has been an honour to have had Sue as our GM, and we will deeply miss her.”
He added: “Sue has been a major player in selecting her successor, and I am pleased that Michele Mella will take the helm in November after a handover period. An exciting new chapter opens for Whatley, and I am confident that our guests will enjoy it, as will the whole team.”
