A LONG-STANDING hotel director in Bournemouth has stepped down from his role for ‘family reasons’.

David Bailey joined the family-owned Hotel Miramar 21 years ago when it was purchased by the Blakemore family.

The four-star country house hotel on the East Cliff is one of the few hotels in the area to remain under family ownership and management.

Following the resignation of Mr Bailey, deputy manager Theo Iakimov has taken over as hotel manager, with Marcin Kalinowski stepping into the position of operations manager.

The hotel’s managing director Clare Blakemore said: “I have always been very proud of the fact that we have a loyal and dedicated team of staff at Hotel Miramar, many of whom have been with us for years.

“The hospitality sector is notorious for staff turnover, so we are very happy to retain a steady team. Our sincere thanks go to the Bailey family for their unwavering support, and we know that Theo and Marcin will continue to ensure that guests and patrons are afforded a wonderful stay with the first-class standards that are expected from our establishment.”

As well as hotel director, Mr Bailey is chair of the Bournemouth Accommodation and Hotel Association. He is also the patron ambassador for the Bournemouth Air Festival and has been part of the organising committee since its inception.

Mr Iakimov said maintaining standards at Hotel Miramar was an ongoing priority, with a continuous investment strategy in place, plus addressing the challenges of attracting young blood into the industry.

“Last year we launched our new Restaurant No 43, which has gone down a storm, and we also refurbished most of the ground floor areas. 2018 sees an ongoing investment programme with our largest function suite being refurbished, plus ongoing redecoration and planned bathroom refitting in our bedrooms.

“Bournemouth has retained its status as a popular visitor destination and Hotel Miramar has enjoyed continued high levels of room occupancy all times of year, so we are feeling very positive about the opportunities as we head into a fresh new year.

“As well as running the hotel, I am passionate about promoting the career opportunities to young people considering hotels and hospitality as an option, and will continue to support the local university and colleges who are training the next generation of industry professionals.”