Janet Roberts joins Castlebridge Hospitality as Director of People & Culture
Castlebridge Hospitality has appointed Janet Roberts as Director of People & Culture, bringing more than 40 years of hospitality and HR experience to its leadership team.
Sasha Brown
9 min read
The former Cycas Hospitality executive brings more than 40 years of hospitality experience to the role, with responsibility for strengthening talent, leadership development and employee engagement across Castlebridge’s growing portfolio.
Castlebridge Hospitality Management has appointed Janet Roberts as Director of People & Culture, adding her to the company’s leadership team as it continues to expand across the UK hospitality market.
Roberts joins Castlebridge from Cycas Hospitality and brings more than four decades of experience across hotel operations, human resources, learning and development, talent management and organisational culture.
Her remit will include shaping Castlebridge’s wider people strategy, with a particular focus on attracting and retaining talent, developing future leaders and strengthening employee engagement across the business.
The appointment comes at a time when hotel operators are placing greater emphasis on people strategy as labour availability, retention and career development remain central operational issues across hospitality.
For Castlebridge, Roberts’ arrival also supports a wider period of leadership investment.
Earlier this year, the company appointed Craig Patterson as Managing Director, while also expanding responsibilities across its sales, marketing and operational leadership teams.
Four decades across hospitality
Roberts began her career after studying hotel management and initially worked in hotel operations before moving into specialist people, HR and learning and development roles.
Over the course of her career, she has worked across multiple countries, hotel brands and operating environments, giving her experience of both frontline hospitality and corporate people strategy.
That operational background is particularly relevant to her new role.
People and culture functions within hotel groups increasingly extend beyond conventional HR administration. Operators are now looking at leadership pipelines, wellbeing, employee experience, retention, diversity and inclusion as commercial as well as cultural priorities.
Castlebridge said Roberts will support initiatives across learning and development, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and career progression.
Roberts has also emphasised the connection between employee engagement and wider hotel performance. On Castlebridge’s leadership page, she identifies culture, leadership development and giving employees opportunities to progress as factors that can directly influence guest experience and commercial results.
Supporting Castlebridge’s growth
Castlebridge Hospitality operates as an independent hotel management company, providing services spanning hotel development, operations, commercial strategy, finance, procurement and people management.
Its current collection includes properties operating under international brands such as Hotel Indigo, voco and Courtyard by Marriott, alongside associated restaurants and wellness businesses.
The company has been strengthening its senior structure during 2026 as it looks to grow its portfolio while maintaining a consistent operating culture across different hotels and brands.
Managing Director Craig Patterson said Roberts’ appointment reflects Castlebridge’s decision to continue investing in its people as the company expands, highlighting her experience in culture, leadership and organisational development.
Roberts said Castlebridge’s emphasis on people development and culture was a significant factor in her decision to join the company, adding that she intends to build on the foundations already established across the business.
Her appointment is particularly relevant as third-party hotel management companies continue to grow their portfolios across multiple brands.
As that scale increases, maintaining a consistent employee experience becomes more difficult. Individual hotels may operate under different global brands, but recruitment, development and retention increasingly sit with the management company behind them.
That places the people function much closer to the centre of the operating model.
For Castlebridge, Roberts’ role will therefore extend beyond HR leadership. It will involve ensuring that growth in hotel numbers is matched by investment in the teams responsible for running them.
