Sopwell House Appoints New Director Of SPA, Luigi Villani

Sopwell House has appointed Luigi Villani as its new Director of Spa, placing the international spa and wellness executive at the helm of its award-winning Cottonmill Spa in Hertfordshire.

Villani joins the family-owned hotel following his role as Corporate Head of Spas at Kempinski Hotels, where his remit encompassed spa and wellness strategy across the luxury hotel group. He will now lead both Cottonmill Spa and The Club at Cottonmill, with responsibility spanning the guest and member experience, treatments, fitness, retail, memberships and the commercial performance of the operation.

The appointment follows Sopwell House’s first search for a new Spa Director in seven years, marking a significant leadership change for a wellness operation that has grown substantially since the £14 million Cottonmill development opened in 2019.

Villani brings experience spanning luxury hospitality, multi-site spa strategy, operational performance and business development. During his time with Kempinski Hotels, he held responsibility at corporate level for its spa operations, bringing experience of managing wellness within an international luxury hospitality environment. His professional background also includes senior strategy and corporate development work with Ocean View Monaco, where his remit encompassed operational performance, revenue optimisation, service standards and longer-term development.

His appointment comes as hotel spas increasingly operate as substantial standalone businesses in their own right, encompassing memberships, treatment revenue, retail, fitness, food and beverage and wellness programming alongside the traditional hotel guest experience. At Sopwell House, Villani will sit within the hotel’s senior leadership team and hold full accountability for the Cottonmill Spa P&L.

When the hotel launched its search for a new director earlier this summer, Sopwell House Director Rafi Bejerano said it was looking for “someone who can match the ambition of the investment with world-class leadership, commercial discipline and an unwavering focus on guest and member experience.”

The role combines strategic and financial leadership with a highly visible presence within the spa, overseeing the management team while continuing to develop both the member and hotel guest proposition.

Cottonmill opened in 2019 following a £14 million redevelopment, transforming Sopwell House’s existing spa into a three-storey destination designed around two distinct levels of access. The core Cottonmill Spa includes an indoor swimming pool, two vitality pools, a Technogym-equipped gym and studio, sauna and steam facilities, a poolside terrace, salon and Rose Relaxation Room. Its more exclusive Club at Cottonmill adds a substantial hydrothermal and relaxation offering, including an indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool, landscaped spa gardens with cabanas and hot tubs, the Garden Room, Whisper Room and Deep Relaxation Room. Additional thermal facilities include a panoramic sauna, botanical and salt steam rooms, organic sauna, sensory showers and relaxation spaces overlooking the Hertfordshire countryside.

The spa operates a two-tier membership structure for local members alongside spa days, hotel stays and treatment-only bookings, allowing the facility to function both as part of Sopwell House and as a destination wellness club in its own right. Treatment partnerships currently include ELEMIS and Aromatherapy Associates, alongside advanced skin treatments such as the iS Clinical Fire & Ice facial with LED.

The appointment also coincides with Sopwell House’s 40th anniversary year. The Bejerano family has operated the Hertfordshire property since Abraham Bejerano acquired it in 1986, with the second generation of the family subsequently overseeing its development into a luxury hotel, spa and hospitality destination.

Set within 12 acres near St Albans, the hotel now combines accommodation and dining with a spa business that has become a significant destination in its own right.