Stephen Alden has been appointed Chief Executive at the Set in London
Stephen Alden, former chief executive of the Maybourne Hotel Group, intends to create “a modern version of grand luxury hotels” in his new role heading up the company behind London’s Café Royal hotel. His arrival as chief executive at the Set reunites him with Thomas Kochs, who was appointed manging director of the 160-bedroom Café Royal in February. Kochs was previously general manager at Claridge’s, one of the three hotels – alongside the Berkeley and the Connaught – operated by Maybourne. Alden left Mayboune in May 2015, a month after Coroin, the holding company of Maybourne was acquired by Constellation Hotels, owned by sovereign wealth fund Qatar Holding. In the newly created role of chief executive, Alden intends to establish the Set, owned by Alrov Properties, an Israeli company owned by property and design entrepreneurs Alfred and Georgi Akirov as a group that both guests and staff can be proud of. Alongside the Café Royal, the Set comprises the Conservatorium in Amsterdam and the Lutetia in Paris, which is set to open at the end of 2017. He will initially undertake “extensive work” on creating a brand strategy for the group which then has ambitions to expand into international gateway cities. Maltese-born Alden described his management style as “quite tough”, while enjoying a very transparent relationship with his senior managers. “Tension gives you the outcome that is the best for hotels, guests and owners. Alden said that his departure from Maybourne after nine years and with new owners in place was a “good time” to go. “When I joined, the group had an uncommon passion across its hotels, by the time I left it was a leading performer across all metrics – commercial, people and creative.” Prior to joining Maybourne, Alden was based in New York as senior vice-president of the St Regis and Luxury Collection brands for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, having previously worked for Starwood in Italy and Malta.
