Hong Kong | Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Gerd Knaust as General Manager of the Group’s first property on the mainland, Mandarin Oriental, Sanya.
Gerd has 25 years experience in the hotel industry in both Europe and Asia, and joined Mandarin Oriental in 1994, as Executive Chef at The Oriental, Singapore, where he rose rapidly through the ranks to become Director of Food & Beverage.
He then moved to Indonesia as General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Surabaya where he led the team on property for three and a half years. Gerd’s most recent assignment was as Hotel Manager of The Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, assisting General Manager, Andrew Hirst.
“Gerd has proved that he has both the talent and passion to manage Mandarin Oriental’s important first entry into mainland China,” said Nicholas Clayton, Operations Director for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. “We are delighted to announce his appointment.”
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels and resorts, currently operating 21 luxury hotels with a further nine under development in Prague, Hainan Island, China and Riviera Maya, Mexico (2006), Barcelona and Boston (2007), Grand Cayman (2008), Chicago, Las Vegas and Macau (2009). In total, Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, over 8,500 rooms in 16 countries with 14 hotels in Asia, 11 in the Americas and five in Europe.
