A new milestone has been reached in the development of the anticipated Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter hotel – with the appointment of its general manager, Andrew Fox.
Andrew joins what is set to become Newcastle’s most luxurious and contemporary hotel when it opens in Stephenson Quarter in July this year.
His immediate task is recruiting his senior management team while also working closely with the property developer Clouston Group, overseeing the final phase of construction along with the fit-out. The hotel will be under a management contract with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®).
Once complete, the seven-storey, 251-bed Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter will add a major new business conferencing and banqueting facility to the city.
For Andrew, 48, the appointment represents an exciting challenge and a welcome return to the North East. Married with four children, he was brought up in Ponteland, Northumberland before leaving the area to study in Manchester and begin a career in hospitality.
Now living in Morpeth, Andrew has around 25 years’ experience in the hospitality and leisure industry having most recently been regional general manager for Q-Hotels, overseeing a collection of hotels in the Midlands. Prior to that he worked at Crowne Plaza Nottingham and worked within management in Marriott Hotels for eight years.
He said: “The development of Crowne Plaza in Newcastle is not only an exciting milestone for the city but represented a great personal opportunity. The chance to come back to the North East, the lifestyle of the city and the wider area, was too good to miss.
“I’m thrilled to be at the helm of such a significant project in Newcastle; a project that will breathe life into this part of the city, creating much needed investment, jobs and opportunity for the future.
“Crowne Plaza Newcastle will become an asset the city will be proud of and a beacon for the Stephenson Quarter and the wider business community.”
Paul Szomoru, head of business tourism at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Andrew as the general manager of Crowne Plaza Newcastle. The addition of such a fantastic new hotel and conferencing facility in the city centre is a clear signal of investor confidence in the area and great news for the industry, as well as conference and events organisers who will be even more spoilt for choice.
“It’s an exciting time be part of NewcastleGateshead’s business tourism sector with the year ahead packed with high profile events such as Magic Weekend, RWC 2015, the Westfield Health British Transplant Games and the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. We’re looking forward to working with Andrew and the team to welcome the thousands of UK and international visitors to the city in addition to our ongoing work to attract more meetings, events and conferences.”
