Our Team.
Hoteliers since 1896, the Grose family and their team have a tradition of giving committed service and warm hospitality to guests and visitors to Thurlestone Hotel. Their mission statement is “We strive to exceed our guests' expectations so they wish to return.”
Matthew Grose, Managing Director and the fifth generation of the Grose family to take on the stewardship of Thurlestone Estates - The Thurlestone Hotel and Mullion Cove Hotel in Cornwall. Matthew has worked in all areas of the business. matt@thurlestone.co.uk
Tim Hassell, Estates Director. Tim is a 4th generation hotelier and has a long association with Thurlestone Hotel, working as an assistant manager in the mid 90's before returning to his family business near Dartmoor. He is now back to assist with capital projects and help Matthew set the vision for Thurlestone in the future. tim@thurlestone.co.uk
Alex McEwen, General Manager. Alex has had a long-standing link with Thurlestone since he was a teenager and is married to Matthew’s sister, Emily. He trained with the Savoy Group and has been General Manager for several boutique hotels, most recently The Five Arrows and The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire.
Sophie Pine, Assistant Manager – Front of House/Events. Sophie supports our Front of House Team as well as organising our events. She also oversees the daily running of the hotel. sophie@thurlestone.co.uk
Alison Penhorwood, Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage. Ali oversees our Restaurant and Bars department. She also deals with staff recruitment and staff welfare and as duty manager, is responsible for the daily running of the hotel. Alison@thurlestone.co.uk
John Knights, Duty Manager, John brings with him a wealth of experience in customer service, having been employed in the retail field as a Food Manager with Sainsburys and previously in the hospitality business. As well as Duty Manager responsibilities, John also oversees the health and safety and HR throughout the hotel. john@thurlestone.co.uk
Kristina Kurilaite, Duty Manager – Kristina previously worked for a hotel in Plymouth and joined the team as a food and beverage supervisor 18 months ago supporting our restaurant and bar staff. She oversees our Bars department and as Duty Manager assists with the daily the running of the hotel. dutymanager@thurlestone.co.uk
Dayana Guillot, Restaurant Manager. Dayana has joined the team as an experienced Restaurant Manager, who has worked in 5 star hotels here in Devon. Trevilder@thurlestone.co.uk
Hugh Miller, Executive Chef. Hugh joined Thurlestone from the QE2. He has worked for the Grose family for nearly 20 years and knows many of our regular guests' culinary tastes and preferences. Hugh is often called upon to create special celebratory meals and is allergen trained and happy to meet with guests to discuss specific menus or dietary requirements. hugh@thurlestone.co.uk
Natalie Warner, Spa Manager. Natalie joins us from the Berkeley in London where she was employed as the Health Club and Spa Manager. She has been a beauty therapist for over 10 years now and absolutely loves the industry. natalie@thurlestone.co.uk
Shona Iles, Head Housekeeper. Shona has been employed at Thurlestone for nearly 30 years and has seen all the changes at the hotel especially with the bedrooms. shona@thurlestone.co.uk
Teresa Hamilton, Reservations and Marketing. Teresa provides a valuable input to our revenue and marketing as well as supporting our Front Office team. She was our Reception Manager for many years and has worked at the hotel for over 35 years. teresa@thurlestone.co.uk
Tracey Putt, Reception Manager. Tracey is likely to be one of the first people that guests meet on arrival at Thurlestone. She has worked with the family for 18 years and knows the answer to every question about the hotel, its facilities, what to do and where to go in the local area. tracey@thurlestone.co.uk
Peter Hvisc, Head Porter. Peter has been helping guests for the last 14 years. If you like the honey served at breakfast then it is more than likely that it came from one of the hives that Peter looks after.
Scott Woodall, Village Inn Manager. Scott returned to manage the Village Inn 3 years ago, having previously worked as a barman in the hotel. Scott is popular with locals and guests who enjoy the relaxed ambience of the Village Inn. thevillageinn@thurlestone.co.uk
Roland Johns, Maintenance Manager. Roland looks after the hotel, buildings and grounds whilst his wife Linsay is responsible for all the beautiful flower arrangements, tubs and trough planters in the hotel.