Mystery surrounds the future of Niels Sherry, who, Kitchen Rat can reveal, left his role as chief operating officer at hotel chain De Vere Deluxe abruptly in January after just four months in the role.
Sherry joined the Alternative Hotel Group's (AHG) owned De Vere in September from Morgans Hotel Group in New York to head up an executive team in charge of nine hotels including Cameron House in Loch Lomond, the Grand in Brighton and the Roda, scheduled to open in Spain in 2009.
At the time, Sherry seemed set for the long-haul, speaking of his vision to "build this from the grass roots up by celebrating each hotel's individual and regional strengths".
But we now learn that he left the company in January, with sources alleging a difference of opinion with AHG management. De Vere confirmed Sherry's departure, but refused to elaborate any further.
The news comes in the week we revealed that AHG is closing De Vere's head office with the loss of a number of jobs.