Bath’s iconic Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa has appointed former general manager of the city’s Thermae Spa, Jonathan Stapleton, as its new general manager.
The prestigious 46-room, five-star hotel, owned since 2012 by Topland Group, has recently undergone a significant renovation and meticulous restoration process, reopening its doors as a ‘British icon reborn’. 
Jonathan, pictured, joins The Royal Crescent following a distinguished management career during which he has overseen multi-million pound refurbishment projects in Singapore, Scotland and the UK.
He specialises in implementing high-quality service levels and raising luxury standards – winning a number of industry accolades as a result.
Most recently, Jonathan was general manager of the Thermae Development Company, which sold Bath’s Thermae Spa earlier this year to YTL Hotels, part of the Malaysian YTL conglomerate.
Prior to that, he was CEO at Farncombe Estate, where he consulted on establishing the Worcestershire estate as a leading UK hospitality brand.
He has also been general manager at Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland, which he established as the first AA and NITB five-Star hotel in Northern Ireland, and The Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, which became one of only three AA five Red Star hotels in Scotland.
Jonathan has also managed The Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments in London and Champneys Health Resort & Spa.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a Master Innholder, was president of the International Spa Association for Europe, Africa and Middle East between 1991 and 2001 and has made a number of additional stand-out industry contributions throughout his career.
Jonathan said: “The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa is a truly iconic property. I am excited to join a team of such dedicated service professionals and to further enhancing our reputation worldwide as one of the UK's leading hotels.”
Since acquiring the hotel from the administrators of previous owner von Essen Hotels, privately-owned Topland Group has invested heavily in it to consolidate its positioning as one of the world’s leading five-star hotels.
