Sunderland’s Roker Hotel has appointed three new managers following the completion of its £1m refurbishment.

Ivan Holroyd will look after the 96-strong workforce as general manager, Lorella Movileanu has been appointed to manage the hotel’s on-site Italian Farmhouse restaurant and Hayley Thomson will be responsible for the Let There Be Crumbs tearoom.

Holroyd joins from the Borrowdale Hotel at Keswick, where he was responsible for increasing the hotel’s revenue by 25 per cent and the year-round occupancy to 78 per cent.

Mark Hird, managing director of the hotel’s owner Tavistock Hospitality, said all three had a “wealth of experience in their fields”.

The Roker Hotel recently underwent a three-year refurbishment programme, devised to increase the venue’s appeal to families and corporate and leisure visitors.

As part of the improvements the hotel unveiled 43 new look en-suite bedrooms.