A hotel group employed a convicted paedophile in a senior role. Mark Bishop, who we understand has been using the name Mark Wylde, was handed a suspended prison sentence in 2018 after admitting three counts of possessing indecent images of children.
For more than a year Bishop has been employed as group director of guest experience for Crest Hotels – a chain of nine hotels across Britain – and has been heavily involved in the running of its Imperial hotel in Tenby, Pembrokeshire. We understand colleagues recently learned of his history and raised concerns to management.
One whistleblower contacted WalesOnline because they felt Crest was not taking staff's concerns seriously. They alleged the group's managing director Jason Hiley had told the team "it’s all fine and if we have an issue then it is our problem".
One day after we approached Crest for comment, the business told us: "In line with our established procedures, we have initiated an internal review and the individual is not currently undertaking duties on behalf of the business."
At the time of the Cardiff Crown Court case, Bishop was a 39-year-old living in Cardiff and working as a manager in Vale of Glamorgan council’s youth offending service.
After pleading guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images, he was sentenced to eight months in jail suspended for 18 months and was placed under a five-year sexual harm prevention order. He was also placed on the sex offender register for 10 years.
The Crest whistleblower said: "He is on the sex offender register and we have children on site all the time. I am worried for their safety."
"Crest has many hotels around the country that welcome families and we as a team are being told to keep quiet and not to mention it to anyone. This cannot be right."
"I am worried for the safety of the community of Tenby. How can a company allow a sex offender to be alone in a hotel where children are present?"
We asked Crest whether it was aware of Bishop's conviction when he was recruited, whether any safeguards had been put in place, and whether he would remain in the role.
The firm did not answer those questions but did say: "We are aware of information that has been brought to our attention regarding a member of staff. We take safeguarding and the wellbeing of our guests and employees extremely seriously... As this is an ongoing process, we are unable to comment further at this time."
In his profile on the Crest website, Bishop states: "As director of guest experience, my role is to shape every moment of a guest’s journey, from their first interaction with us to their last memory of their stay."
"For me, hospitality is about more than service standards or procedures. It’s about emotion, connection, and consistency. I work closely with our hotel teams to ensure that every Crest hotel delivers an experience that feels personal, effortless, and true to our brand values."
Last November, Bishop was the keynote speaker as Crest hosted a networking event called Pure West Biz at the Imperial hotel. His speech shared "some of our secrets to unparalleled stays with Crest (it’s all in the signature scent!)", the chain wrote on social media.
The Imperial, just off Tenby's South Beach, has 52 guest rooms and boasts of "breathtaking panoramic views of the Pembrokeshire coast". Its website promises "a unique blend of historic elegance and prime location".
