Karl Emerick has been appointed general manager at the 116-bedroom Felbridge Hotel and Spa, East Grinstead, Sussex which is undergoing a £3 million plus upgrade in line with its rebranding as the Crowne Plaza Felbridge.

Emerick has spent some 20 years with the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) including spells at the Holiday Inn London Mayfair, where he was also GM, and the Holiday Inn Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Now based in East Grinstead, he is also currently cluster manager for three IHG hotels in the south east, which include the Crowne Plaza Felbridge. Prior to working in the hospitality industry, Emerick was a professional footballer.

Scheduled for completion early April, the refurbishment will transform all the hotel’s public areas, restaurant, meeting rooms, banqueting suites and bedrooms. The Chakra Spa with its five treatment rooms, gym, indoor pool and steam room is also receiving a facelift.