ROXBURGHE APPOINTS NEW GENERAL MANAGER TO SPEARHEAD MULTI-MILLION POUND DEVELOPMENT

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has appointed high-flying Christopher Wayne-Wills as General Manager of its flagship Edinburgh hotel, The Roxburghe. Chris was previously Regional General Manager of Macdonald Houstoun House, Uphall and Macdonald Crutherland House, Glasgow South. His achievements at Crutherland House included improving the VisitScotland star rating back to 4 stars through extensive training and guest service focus, reducing staff turnover and producing a record year for weddings in 2006.

Mr Wayne-Wills also made a significant impact at the Macdonald Houstoun House during his tenure as Regional General Manager, which included increasing the market share for conferencing in 2007 with an 18% increase in conference business and producing a record year for conferencing revenues. At the same time Mystery Guest Scores increased by 14%. He has recently been awarded a top-level Leadership Scholarship by the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, to attend the General Managers Programme at the internationally renowned Cornell University in New York in June. The intensive 10-day programme is attended by industry leaders all over the world and is intended to help develop individuals who are going to be the leaders of the hospitality industry in the future.

Chris was previously awarded the Savoy Educational Trust Scholarship in association with the Worshipful Company of Inn Holders, attended the Developing General Management Programme at Cranfield Universities School of Management and was invited to the Disney Institute at Disney World in Florida to attend a course in Developing World Class Customer Service Culture. Managing Director of Macdonald Hotels, Peter Murphy, commented: “We are about to announce some significant developments at The Roxburghe, so this is a key appointment for us. Chris has made a tremendous impact on the hotels he has managed, both with Macdonald and prior to that at Jarvis and Paramount Hotels. Under his guidance we will see The Roxburghe become the leading four-star hotel in Edinburgh again.”

Chris Wayne-Wills explained that he hopes to improve both the operation and culture within the Roxburghe. “As an enthusiastic and passionate leader, I hope to be able to motivate and lead the team to deliver improved results consistently, increase profitability and most importantly, enhance the overall guest experience.” Established in the early 1800’s and designed by Robert Adam in what is now a World Heritage Site, the 198-bedroom Roxburghe Hotel is owned by the Paragon Group and managed by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.