Focus Hotels appoints new General Manager of the Oxford Witney Hotel

Published by

Nicky Godding

Madhu Balakrishnan is bringing nearly three decades of experience to his new role at the 115-room Oxford Witney Hotel, which is managed by Focus Hotels.

Madhu has been with Focus Hotels since April 2019 and has worked at the Swans Nest Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Mercure George Reading and Ibis Styles (as multi-site manager) and Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall.

Before joining Focus, his career has seen him work with some of the world’s most recognised hotel brands, including Sheraton, Hilton, Accor and IHG.

“My most memorable moments were when I rebranded the food and beverage offering from Le Meridien Gatwick to Sofitel Gatwick, and also the pre-opening of the Hilton Ageas Bowl, where I had an extremely valuable experience learning more about hotel operations and management.”

Madhu, who is married and has two teenage daughters, added: “I am looking forward to settling into my new role within a new environment, with the fun of having new colleagues, challenges and opportunities at the Oxford Witney.”

In addition to 115 bedrooms, the hotel has a brasserie and bar, fitness centre, pool, sauna, steam room, flexible meeting room and the facility to accommodate 150 guests for weddings, conferences, and events.

Lynn Hood, Chief Operating Officer of Focus Hotels, said: “Madhu has 28 years of experience in the industry, which will be hugely beneficial to the post-pandemic business recovery at the Oxford Witney."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.