von Essen hotels has appointed Charles Prew as Chief Executive Officer. The creation of the post and this appointment reflect the growth of the company, with an expanded executive team established to drive and coordinate further expansion and investment. Nick Romano continues as Managing Director, with Stephanie Gibbs as Executive Finance Director.

Charles Prew brings to the role well over 30 years of experience at Director level within the hospitality industry. He joins von Essen hotels from the Barceló Group, where he was CEO of Barceló Hotels UK (formerly known as the Paramount Hotels Group). It was during his tenure that a substantial increase to the company’s property portfolio was achieved, an attribute that was particularly appealing to von Essen hotels. He also spent over a decade at both Jarvis Hotels plc (as a main board director) and the Hilton Group. 

Charles started his career in the kitchens of the Savoy hotel in London and later on the reception desk at Claridges, and so knows every aspect of a successful hotel business, including his many years in sales and marketing. These are all great attributes, which will bring immense benefit to von Essen.

Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Davis, Chairman of von Essen hotels, said: “We are all delighted that Charles has agreed to join the team. He has a huge amount of experience at the top level of the leisure industry and I am certain that he will prove an invaluable asset to the company. We have recently reported another strong set of results, once again increasing profit despite a challenging market. Charles will be an integral part of ensuring this trend continues and we are all very excited about working alongside him.”