Charles has had an extensive career of some 38 years in the UK hotel industry, having initially trained in four and five star hotels before joining Forte Hotels in their Post House division in 1977.

In 1980 he was appointed to the position of Regional Operations Manager for GW Hotels, a subsidiary of the Greenalls Group and between 1984 and 1988 was Group Operations Manager for De Vere Hotels overseeing all of their luxury hotel operations in southern England. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Charles was a founding partner and director of the Corus and Regal Hotel Group before undertaking a management buy in of the 25 strong County Hotel Group in 1997. Following a successful sale in 1999 he rejoined Corus and Regal Hotels as Group Managing Director successfully overseeing the sale process of the 130 hotel strong group to an overseas investor.

Wishing to get back to a more operationally focused role, Charles left Corus and Regal in 2002 to become Managing Director of Malmaison Hotels, a small group of seven lifestyle hotels. In 2004, the opportunity to acquire a share in the Four Pillars Hotel Group was taken up and he joined the company as Chief Executive. He is also a founding partner and director of Folio Hotels Limited.

Married to Isabel and with two sons, he joined the Board of Oxford and Cherwell Valley College in 2006.