Simon Miller, for the past three years general manager at the L’Horizon, steps up as general manager of both hotels. Mr Miller has worked for the Hand-Picked Group for nearly 14 years in all, initially in the UK, and prior to that in his homeland of Australia.
He will be assisted by Shaun McGachan, who becomes hotel manager at the L’Horizon. Mr McGachan is moving from Guernsey, where for the past four years he has worked at the St Pierre Park Hotel – also a member of the Hand-Picked Group. He has 13 years of experience and has also worked in the United States and the UK.
At the Grand Jersey, Thusitha Sumanasekera takes on the role of hotel manager. Originally from Sri Lanka, he worked for many years in Dubai and most recently at the Best Western Dover Marina Hotel in Kent, starting as operations manager and being promoted to general manager in 2015.
In addition, Talana Weil has been appointed deputy general manager at the Grand Jersey. Ms Weil has worked for the Hand-Picked Group for over ten years and held operational management roles in the UK, including front-of-house manager and operations manager.
Commenting on the changes, Mr Miller said: ‘Having managed a wide range of hotels and leisure clubs both in the UK and Australia, I bring over 26 years of operational experience to this role. I firmly believe the new structure presents a great opportunity for the two hotels to work more closely and effectively together, significantly enhancing our potential to retrain, develop and promote committed and talented team members.’
