Arcadian Hotels appoints ex-Forte marketer

Arcadian Hotels, run by Julia Hands, wife of Nomura principal finance group chief Guy Hands, has appointed ex-Forte Hotel Group international sales director Judith Speller as sales and marketing director. Speller has been charged with finding a branding consultant to advise on brand positioning for the 16-strong chain.

The hotels are individually named, but Arcadian now hopes to draw on their common facets. Service and cuisine have recently been upgraded.

Forte was broken up last year, with Nomura buying up a sizeable number of the hotels.

In November 1999, Arcadian was bought from Wyndham International by Guy Hands’ company, Hand Picked Hotels, for an estimated £75m. Macdonald Hotels was to run the chain under a ten-year management contract, but this ended by “mutual agreement” last June.

As chairman and chief executive of Hand Picked Hotels, Julia Hands runs Arcadian. Hotels in the chain include Ettington Park at Stratford upon Avon and The Priesthouse near Derby.