Gary Davis (pictured), the new chief executive of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, has announced plans to open six new hotels in an aim to revitalise the brands making them more distinctive. However the plans exclude the expansion of the Bistro du Vin group of stand alone restaurants of which he will stop expansion plans. The new sites will be a mix of lease agreements and management contracts. Davies reported that the there has been a drop in the company’s debt since letting go of five hotels last year, meaning they were now in a good position to move forward with the growth. He has also said the management structure will change, giving each brand its own operations director and chef director to take place of the former regional management approach. The 91-bedroom Malmaison Dundee is to open next year within the city’s £1b Waterfront development. It will become the future of boutique hotels for the company who then expect to refurbish the Malmaison in London along the same lines.