DURHAM City's first boutique hotel, Grafton House, has appointed a guest relations expert.

JAMES HOLE, formerly guest relations manager at Seaham Hall Hotel and Serenity Spa, in County Durham, will take up the role of operations manager.

The ten-bedroom hotel, in South Street, Durham, which looks over the River Wear, Durham Cathedral and Castle, will open to guests in June.

For the past six months, builders have been restoring Grafton House to its former glory. It had been family home until the last member died in 2003.

Owner Mary Parker said: "We are extremely pleased to welcome James to our team. His expertise, character and attention to detail, makes him an excellent choice. Drawing on his experience and enthusiasm, I am sure we can offer a truly unique service to our guests, one they won't forget."

* THE UK Postcode Lottery has appointed SAMANTHA MURRAY as its online marketing manager.

Ms Murray will oversee online activity for the Postcode Lottery, and will be responsible for managing online marketing campaigns, managing and updating the Lottery's website and working closely with the head office, in Amsterdam.

Managing director Annemiek Hoogenboom said: "We welcome Samantha to our front office team and are confident with her fresh ideas and creative skills. She will be a huge asset to us."

l Technical training group TTE, based in Middlesbrough, has appointed GARETH TROW as subject learning coach.

Mr Trow will mentor his fellow electrical engineering trainers and develop his department.

He will also improve resources and the delivery of the education and practical courses on offer.

Keith Leslie, TTE apprenticeship business director, said: "The subject learning coach initiative presents a positive opportunity to increase good practice and the sharing of teaching ideas. "Gareth's enthusiasm for the role is excellent and we are hoping more of our trainers can become coaches for their specialist areas."

l A NATIONALLY-RENOWNED pensions specialist has joined law firm Watson Burton as a partner.

ROBERT O'DONOVAN has moved to the firm, which has a base in Newcastle, from London lawyers Radcliffes le Brasseur, after 20 years with the firm.

In his career, he has advised on the pensions aspects of major flotations such as CMG UK on the London Stock Exchange and on share benefits for other flotations such as Avalon Oil on Alternative Investment Market.

Mr O'Donovan will be a partner in Watson Burton's employment group, working on the pensions aspect of employment law, including redundancy, termination, employment contracts and senior management issues.

The head of the employment group, Dr John McMullen, said: "Robert is a strong addition to our group. He has a national reputation for the quality of his advice and has a track record of successful completions of major projects."

l NORTHERN Rail has appointed GABRIELLA ELLISON as head of marketing.

She will be responsible for all marketing activity, including raising awareness of the rail company's brand, customer relationship management, promotional campaigns, advertising and sponsorship.

Ms Ellison joins Northern Rail from the bus division of FirstGroup. She began her career in the public transport sector at the Bradford depot, later becoming head of marketing.

l CASINO company Aspers has appointed a head of marketing at its Newcastle base. JUNE MOORE will be based at Aspers, in The Gate, and joins the company with a background in marketing, having worked at York Theatre Royal and Northumberland County Council.

Ms Moore said she was delighted with her new role at Aspers, which has more than 74,000 members.

She said: "With Aspers having been open for 18 months now, this a great time for me to join the team. The people of Newcastle already know what Aspers offers and I am relishing the chance to promote it further."

l HOUSEBUILDER Haslam Homes has made five appointments to create its largest sales team.

Following a record year, when the company built more than 500 homes in the North-East, Haslam is expecting to build on its success with more than 600 properties anticipated this year.

To help with the growth, saleswomen Sandra Athey, Susan Morris, Liz Lilley, Carla Johnson and Adele Smart have joined the present team of 15 staff.

The firm is operating at 12 sites in the region, with operations overseen from Gateshead Team Valley