A return to the UK after nearly twenty years in Asia
Ewan Taylor joined Wildhive Eshott Hall in September 2026 as General Manager. Located in Eshott, Northumberland, the property is preparing to reopen its doors after an extensive refurbishment. Its original building dates back to 1680.
In a post published on LinkedIn, he describes this return to the UK, after nearly two decades living and working in Asia, as the start of a new chapter. He refers to the country house entering a new era and to his intention to help write the next part of its story by welcoming guests once again.
The appointment is part of a wider renewal of leadership teams across British hospitality, illustrated recently by the appointment of Marco Ercolano at the helm of WestDill Mayfair Hotel London.
Oriental Residence Bangkok, his final Asian posting
From June 2024 to July 2026, Ewan Taylor led Oriental Residence Bangkok, a Wireless Road address comprising 145 hotel suites and 46 private luxury residences. The property was awarded a Michelin Key in 2024 and again in 2025. It also received the TAT Luxury Hotel Award, presented by the Queen of Thailand, and is one of only four hotels in Bangkok that are members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Under his leadership, the hotel introduced a butler service. Ewan Taylor also helped modernise operating procedures that had been in place for fifteen years, with the aim of enhancing service personalisation. Bangkok remains one of Asia’s most hotly contested luxury markets, as shown by recent leadership changes at Mandarin Oriental.
Cambodia: consolidating assets and an island pre-opening
Between 2021 and 2024, Ewan Taylor worked in Cambodia for HMD. As Project General Manager, he first oversaw the construction and pre-opening development of JATI Resort, an 82-key island resort on Koh Russey.
Before it opened, he was called upon to lead the group’s flagship property in Siem Reap. As head of Shinta Mani Hotels from January 2022 to April 2024, he brought together three adjacent properties owned by Bill Bensley into a single 115-key luxury hotel.
He repositioned a struggling all-day dining restaurant, which went on to become the highest-rated restaurant in Siem Reap. He also opened the Bensley Outlander Gallery and worked directly with Bill Bensley on the Shinta Mani Foundation programme. The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2024 ranked him among the top five hotel general managers in Cambodia.
Openings and repositionings across South-East Asia
Ewan Taylor‘s career began in Sri Lanka in 2008, at the Galle Fort Hotel. Initially responsible for guest relations, reservations and social media marketing, he was cross-trained in rooms division and purchasing before being promoted to Front Office Manager. The hotel went on to reach the number one spot on TripAdvisor in Galle.
From 2011 to 2015, he led the pre-opening and then served as General Manager of Seven Terraces in George Town, on the Malaysian island of Penang. There, he took part in the restoration of a heritage property alongside hotelier Chris Ong and launched Kebaya, an award-winning Peranakan restaurant.
He then joined Samadhi Retreats in Kuala Lumpur as Hotel Manager from 2015 to 2017. In addition to day-to-day operations, online reputation management and OTA rate parity, he led training for service teams across all of the group’s hotels and restaurants and developed brand-specific standard operating procedures.
At Cross Hotels & Resorts, from 2017 to 2020, he handled the pre-opening and then the management of X2 Chiang Mai Riverside Resort, a 30-key property. Within eight months, the hotel rose to first place out of 550 hotels in Chiang Mai on TripAdvisor. He launched Oxygen Dining Room there in partnership with Michelin-starred French chef Nicolas Isnard, a restaurant recognised with, among other accolades, a Michelin Plate.
In the midst of the pandemic, from 2020 to 2021, he returned to Samadhi Retreats to reopen Villa Samadhi in Singapore. He adapted the hotel’s business model to the local staycation market and relaunched the Tamarind Hill restaurant.
An education spanning Switzerland, South Africa and the UK
Ewan Taylor studied at the Lee Howell School of Hotel Management in South Africa and at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. He also holds an MBA in sustainability and leadership from the University of Cumbria.
This academic grounding reflects the priorities he champions in his approach to the profession: guest engagement, team coaching and development, and well-being and sustainability, which he regards as pillars of contemporary hospitality.
A reopening specialist for a 17th-century house
Our analysis – Reopening a country house after refurbishment calls for a simultaneous operational restart, a rebuild of the commercial positioning and a rapid ramp-up of online reputation. Ewan Taylor‘s track record, marked by pre-openings, restaurant repositionings and number one TripAdvisor rankings achieved in competitive markets, matches these challenges precisely.
His return also illustrates the growing flow of talent between Asia and the UK, mirroring the career of Sally Beck, who oversees a portfolio spanning London and Bangkok.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Ewan Taylor appointed General Manager of Wildhive Eshott Hall, Northumberland
Took up the role in September 2026, ahead of the hotel’s reopening after an extensive refurbishment
Original building dates back to 1680
Previously General Manager of Oriental Residence Bangkok (2024-2026): 145 suites, 46 residences, Michelin Key 2024 and 2025
Former GM of Shinta Mani Hotels, Siem Reap: merged three properties into a 115-key luxury hotel
Nearly two decades in Asia across Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia
