Jean-Jacques Pergant is taking over from Michael Shepherd as managing director of the Savoy hotel in London on 8 September.
Shepherd has been with the Savoy for six years and is leaving to become general manager of the Hilton hotel on park Lane in London.
He also takes up his new position on 8 September and replaces Gianni Riatsch, who becomes general manager of the Hilton Athens in Greece.
Pergant is managing director of the Savoy Group's Berkeley hotel and senior vice-president, overseeing the general direction of the group's Berkeley and Connaught hotels, both in London.
The day-to-day running of the Berkeley will fall to hotel manager Klaus Kabelitz until a replacement for Pergant has been found.
Pergant joined the Berkeley in December 1994 from Hanbury Manor Golf and Country Club in Ware, Hertfordshire, where he was general manager.
Before that, he spent 17 years with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts at properties across Canada.
Geraldine McKenna, executive vice-president of the Savoy Group, said: "With the current changes at the Savoy, including the opening of a new restaurant, Banquette, and the Laurent Perrier Bar, Jean-Jacques' experience within the group makes him the ideal appointment."
The Laurent Perrier Bar opens in mid-September, while Banquette follows in October. It will replace the 40-seat seafood and sushi restaurant Upstairs.
Banquette has been designed by Barbara Barry - who also designed the Savoy Grill - to reflect a 1950s-style US diner.
The menu, by chef Marcus Wareing, has yet to be unveiled.
By Angela Frewin
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 28 August - 3 September 2003