Marwan Hemchaoui Managing Director at The Lakes by YOO in Lechlade, United Kingdom
The Lakes by YOO, the exclusive 850-acre Cotswolds estate and luxury hotel, announces the appointment of Marwan Hemchauoui as Managing Director from October 2025. This follows the transition of Phoebe Vela-Hitchcox to Group Executive Director, marking a significant milestone in the property's evolution as one of the UK's leading luxury hotels and lifestyle brands.
Marwan brings an impressive 25-year legacy in luxury hospitality management to The Lakes by YOO, most recently serving as General Manager at Ellenborough Park Hotel & Spa, a prestigious 5-star Cotswolds property where he delivered record performance during the pandemic, led a successful refurbishment and introduced industry-leading new guest experience initiatives. His distinguished career also includes senior leadership roles at some of London's most prestigious hotels, including The Dorchester and Grosvenor House, as well as The Vineyard (Relais & Châteaux, 5AA Red Stars).
With a proven track record spanning operational excellence, commercial success, and inspirational leadership, Marwan will bring his strategic vision to The Lakes by YOO to continue to build the estate's operational infrastructure, and further deliver consistently exceptional guest experiences. Meanwhile, Phoebe Vela Hitchcox will transition to Group Executive Director, overseeing the estate's events, brand partnerships and sales & marketing initiatives, while continuing to serve as a Director on the board alongside The Lakes by YOO's Founder John Hitchcox, and Jagdish Johal, Managing Partner at YOO Group.
A collection of luxury hotel rooms, lakeside apartments and private homes, The Lakes by YOO is an oasis of sustainable living just 90 minutes from London, where activities range from wild swimming and paddle boarding to kayaking and cycling to encourage guests to reconnect in nature. The Lakes Kids Club offers an abundance of programming to keep younger guests entertained, whilst The Spa by YOO's leading wellness facilities include treatments from innovative partners including Dr Barbara Sturm, MOSS of the Isles and Wildsmith Skin. Moving into autumn, The Lakes Bar & Kitchen has recently announced a new line-up of some of the UK's most celebrated Michelin-starred chefs to join its supper club series, including Andy Beynon, Sameer Taneja, Emily Roux and Adam Smith, among others, further cementing its reputation as one of the leading restaurants in the Cotswolds.
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