Eva LeighThe four-AA-star, 230-bedroom Cavendish London hotel – owned by serviced apartment group Ascott – has appointed Eva Leigh as hotel manager. Leigh previously held the position of room division manager at Kensington Close, where she was responsible for overseeing the 709-bedroom hotel as it underwent a two-year refurbishment. She described the Cavendish as “an institution with so much history behind it”. Rebecca Hollants Van Loocke, regional general manager UK, Germany and Georgia at Ascott, said: “Eva joins our team at a very exciting time. Drawing on her previous experience, she has been brought in to provide stability and continuity to hotel operations as the Cavendish embarks on a series of planned improvements.” At the time of Ascott’s acquisition of the hotel from Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay for £158.8m in 2012, it was announced that the Cavendish would be transformed into serviced residences under the name Ascott St James London. However, a spokesperson for the company said there are no plans to rebrand the hotel in the near future. Ascott operates six serviced residences in London: Ascott Mayfair, Citadines Prestige Trafalgar Square, Citadines Prestige Holborn-Covent Garden, Citadines Prestige South Kensington, Citadines Barbican and St Marks.