Belmond announced the internal appointment of Xavier Lablaude as General Manager of The Cadogan hotel, the luxury travel brand’s stylish retreat in the heart of Chelsea, London. Lablaude, who has served as General Manager of Belmond’s world-renowned hideaway, Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa for almost ten years, will take up his new role from August 1, 2020, when the property is scheduled to re-open.
Lablaude brings over 25 years of international hospitality experience to the role, having worked in a number of five-star properties in France and North America before taking up his post in Cape Town at the historic Mount Nelson Hotel, a building that dates back to 1899.
Robert Koren, Divisional Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East & Africa said of Lablaude’s appointment: “Xavier is an intuitive, hands-on leader with a proven track-record running successful luxury hotel operations that put the guest experience front and center. During his ten-year tenure, Mount Nelson has garnered growing international acclaim thanks, to a large extent, to Xavier’s innate understanding of Belmond’s strategic vision. We are delighted that Xavier will now lead Belmond’s latest portfolio addition, located in the all-important flagship city of London, as The Cadogan and our company continue to reach new heights under the LVMH umbrella.”
The Cadogan re-opened under Belmond management in February 2019, following a multi-million-pound renovation. The Sloane Street property, which dates back to 1887, is midway between the capital city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, Chelsea and Knightsbridge. As well as its 54 spacious suites, the property offers guests access to the private gardens in Cadogan Place.
Commenting on the anticipated upcoming re-opening Hugh Seaborn, CEO of Cadogan said: “The Cadogan has a colourful history – and a wonderful future. Belmond has proven to be the perfect partner for us to preserve its unique heritage and character, while evolving into a true retreat for today’s luxury traveller and ‘home from home’ for locals. We are thrilled that Xavier will be bringing his expertise to bear at a significant moment in the hotel’s history and we very much look forward to welcoming guests back on August 1.”
Having built and trained his team over the past decade, Xavier Lablaude will hand over the reins at Belmond Mount Nelson to operations manager, Willem du Toit, who has been promoted to Hotel Manager. Du Toit held various management positions at The Westcliff Hotel, Johannesburg, and The Taj, Cape Town before re-joining Mount Nelson in 2018.
Lablaude said: “Willem has been my trusted right-hand and a dedicated senior leader at Belmond Mount Nelson since he joined, and he has been instrumental to the business in recent months. I am very pleased that Willem will continue to oversee the property and know that our team will be poised to welcome back our guests with a host of new experiences when it reopens later this year.”
For further information, visit www.belmond.com.
