One of the most prestigious hotels in Sussex has welcomed its third general manager in two years.

Jonathan Kay, 37, has taken the helm at the De Vere Grand in Kings Road, Brighton, with big plans.

Some £7 million is to be spent on renovating bedrooms and £1.5 million on changing the bar and restaurant areas in the five-star hotel.

Brass telescopes may be installed in sea-facing rooms and quirky furniture could be combined with the luxury fittings.

Mr Kay is a certified accountant. He has worked for brewers Scottish and Newcastle and hotels including Thistle, Centre Parcs and Pontins.

He joined Marriott hotels in 1998 and, finally, De Vere 18 months ago.

He said: "At every hotel I have worked in, from two-star to The Grand, I have strived to deliver five-star service.

"As soon as I joined De Vere, it was my dream to manage The Grand."

It has been a busy time for Mr Kay who got married on Easter Sunday and moved to Brighton to join the hotel.

He said: "Brighton has quite a sense of community. After a couple of weeks I already had a lot of people just coming to say hello which was really nice.

"I want to play a part in the tourism industry in the community and the key refurbishment of the Brighton Centre."

Mr Kay joins other newcomers, including deputy general manager Andi Hirons, who began in February, a new financial controller who starts in July. A new personnel manager has also been appointed.

The change in senior personnel at the De Vere Grand takes place after a few months of bad publicity for the hotel.

In January, The Argus reported that thousands of guests had been put at risk of identity fraud after staff dumped their credit card details in a skip.

In October last year it was alleged that the Labour Party Conference had been disrupted by an outbreak of bed bugs.

But Mr Kay said there was no need for a "break with the past". He said: "There have been new people coming in but the job description was not to come in and 'sort it out'.

"It was to continue with the development of an important five-star hotel and focus on five-star service."

Designs for a multi-million pound refurbishment have not progressed far but Mr Kay is confident that once plans have been submitted to the board next month, his vision can begin to be realised next summer.

He said: "It takes time to get designs approved for a five-star hotel it's a challenge. We are creating something that isn't off the shelf.

"We want to keep the elegance and the luxury but allow people to recognise elements of contemporary furniture."

A pilot project will test changes to four bedrooms using contemporary furniture including high-definition plasma screens. Eventually there will be about 20 different styles of bedroom at the 200-room hotel.

A second bar is to be created in the restaurant which will be divided into three zones the Champagne bar, the conservatory and the dining area.

The restaurant will be more welcoming to non-residents.

The existing bar will be redecorated in its current elegant style with a more Ritz-like conservatory for afternoon tea.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006