The Brit List 2018 – hotelier profiles

676 433 Hamish Kilburn
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In the coming weeks, Hotel Designs will be profiling the 75 finalists in the Hotel Designs Brit List 2018. We continue with profiling our winning hoteliers in alphabetical order…

This year’s The Brit List 2018 concluded on November 22, when leading designers, hoteliers and architects gathered at BEAT London to find out which of them made it on to this year’s The Brit List 2018. The hundreds of nominees and entries were whittled down by the event’s five judges, who were:

  • Gilly Craft, President of the British Institute of Interior Design
  • Charles Leon, founder of Leon Black Architecture and Interior Design
  • Gerri Gallagher, former associate editor, Tatler
  • Lysbeth Fox, founder and director of Fox PR
  • Hamish Kilburn, editor, Hotel Designs

Top hoteliers

Faye Stone – The Pig in the Wall 

Recently promoted as the Hotel Director of The Pig in the Wall, Faye Stone originally joined the five-strong Pig group, which is owned and operated by Home Grown Hotels, in 2012 at the original Pig hotel in Brockenhurst, Hampshire.

The Pig in the Wall is situated in Southampton’s medieval city walls and operates as a bed and breakfast accomadtion.

Fiona Moores – The Pig at Combe

A Lover of cycling, fair weather and discovering new food and drink, Fiona Moores became the general manager of The Pig at Combe in 2016, when the 27-key property opened. Under Moores’ leadership, the hotel became the winner in the Conde Nast Traveler HOT LIST 2017 awards.

As with all PIG hotels, the establishment has a particular focus on the fresh produce grown, offering guests a quintessentially British experience from check in to check out.

Gareth Banner – The Ned, London

Gareth Banner is the Managing Director of The Ned: a hotel, members club andcollection of restaurants in the City of London from Soho House & Co and Sydell Group.

Gareth graduated in 1999 from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management. His first appointment was with Marriott International and he subsequently held a number of project management and senior operations roles.

After eight years with Marriott, Gareth became Hotel Manager at The Cavendish London in 2006. During this time, he was involved in bringing the hotel back into private ownership. Gareth moved to London’s original boutique hotel, The Hempel as General Manger in 2008, where he fundamentally restructured and repositioned the five star, 50-bedroom luxury hotel before facilitating a sale of the business at the end of 2012.

In 2013 Gareth was appointed General Manager at the iconic St. Pancras Renaissance. He was charged to provide strategic leadership for positioning the five star, 207 bedroom & 38 suite hotel, following the completion of a £200m restoration of the building in 2011.

After joining The Ned team in 2016, Gareth’s vision was for The Ned to change the face of the City of London. Originally designed by English architect, Sir Edwin ‘Ned’ Lutyens in 1924, the Grade I-listed building opened in May 2017 and includes ten restaurants, 250 bedrooms, and ‘Ned’s Club’ – where members have access to a rooftop pool, gym, spa, hamam and late night lounge bar. In 2018 The Ned has been presented with the City Heritage Award and named ‘Best Hotel’ in the GQ Food and Drink Awards.

Jasdeep Sodhi – Hotel Indigo – 1 Leicester Square

Located in the Neighbourhood of Cinematic Glamour, Hotel Indigo London-1 Leicester Square boasts 95 boutique style rooms, a sky-high rooftop bar and Restaurant including private space suitable for meetings, media events, pitches and huddles.

Since opening in the spring of this year, Jasdeep Sodhi and his team have welcomed guests from around the globe to experience Leicester Square
from a unique point of view.

 

Hamish Kilburn / 27.12.2018

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Fun fact: I’m usually the person friends rely on to organise trips, schedules, and group plans.

Workhighlights: Successfully coordinating events from planning through to delivery and seeing everything come together on the day.

Fun fact: I’m a keen cyclist and will happily bore people with copious amounts of cycling chat. My top cycling experience (so far) would have to be riding in the spectacular mountains of Crete.

Work highlights: Charles joined Forum Events in 2022. With a background in publishing, editorial media and events, Charles brings a wealth of experience to his role as Senior Production Manager. Having being involved with SPACE from the outset, he is excited to see the brand grow and develop.

Fun fact: People tell Sienna she gives off Bridget Jones vibes, and she loves to bake, always making sure there are shortbreads floating around the office

Work highlights: Sienna joined Forum Events & Media Group while studying Communications and Media, starting in the sales team where she managed and helped launch the first the PA Life Leading Venues of London SHOWCASE, where she built relationships with luxury venues across the capital. Drawn to the stories behind these spaces, she naturally transitioned into the editorial team, creating social media and editorial content. Upon graduating in June 2026, she is excited to be joining as Assistant Editor for Hotel Designs and SPACE.

Fun fact: When not working, Jess can usually be found tending to her kitchen garden in the Sussex countryside or foraging for herbs in the nearby woods. A keen grower, she recently studied a RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles of Horticulture during her spare time.

Work highlights: Jess joined SPACE magazine in 2022 and has since progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor. During this time, she has worked across many aspects of the publication – from shaping editorial strategy and overseeing operations to contributing to art direction and representing the brand on stage at industry events including Surface Design Show and WOW!house.

Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

Together these platforms offer a comprehensive 360-degree service encompassing digital media, print publishing, and live events – providing unparalleled value to advertisers, partners, and readers alike.