Hotel consultant Ricci Obertelli has joined Brend Hotels as a special adviser to its board of directors.
Obertelli will be working with the West Country group, which has 11 hotels and two restaurants in Devon and Cornwall.
He has previously worked for The Dorchester Group, where he was global development director; the Ritz and the Savoy in London; and the Four Seasons Group.
He now runs a consultancy firm and is deputy chairman of Stoke Park country club.