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The Zetter has appointed Kevin Rockey to the newly-created role of area general manager to help support the next stage of growth for the group. While his appointment will help drive the international expansion of The Zetter brand, he will also lead the opening of The Zetter Bloomsbury, officially opening in January 2026.
With a 25-year track record of international hospitality experience, Rockey most recently served at Ennismore as head of operations for Northern and Eastern regions, and deputy COO for The Hoxton hotel, responsible for 12 hotels and nearly £200m of room and F&B revenues.
Prior to this, he spent several years in New York as executive vice-president of operations at The Standard Hotels, after overseeing the entire operation of The Standard High Line.
Rocky spent the first decade of his hospitality career in food and beverage roles working for Le Gavroche, The Lanesborough and The Berkeley before making the move into hotel operations when Ian Schrager opened his first property, St.Martin’s Lane in London.
He was also the opening general manager for the W Hotel Leicester Square and GM of The Sanderson in central London.
The next major opening for the group will be the 68-room Zetter Bloomsbury, set for January 2026. Its opening will follow the transformation of six 300-year-old Georgian townhouses. With interiors crafted by James Thurstan Waterworth, founder of Thurstan, the hotel will “blend Georgian charm with lived-in elegance, giving guests a perfect base to explore Bloomsbury and the neighbouring British Museum”.
Laith Pharaon, the owner of The Zetter hotels, said: “Kevin’s substantial experience in the international hospitality sector is much admired and will be a key component of The Zetter’s rebirth and boutique expansion. With The Zetter Bloomsbury, we are embarking on an exciting new period in our history and Kevin will help us deliver a guest experience fit for 2026 and beyond.”
Rockey added: “I’m proud to embark on the next stage of my career with the entire team at The Zetter. Our next hotel in Bloomsbury is just the beginning of a remarkable new period for The Zetter brand and I’m excited to be bringing my global hospitality knowledge to the group and develop new guest experiences to make our operations second-to-none.”
