Here's a name to remember for those headed to Russia, where Rocco Forte Hotels has announced the appointment of Gerold Held as General Manager for Hotel Astoria in St. Petersburg. Held takes over from Walter Neumann, who after three years at the hotel will move to Moscow to assume his new role as CEO of Azimut Hotels.
Held, who has been in the industry for 30 years, joins the company from the Grand Hotel Taschenbergpalais, Kempinski Dresden where he was General Manager. Fun fact: This new role brings him back to St. Petersburg, where he was General Manager at the Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel from 2005 to 2008.
In his new role, Held is tasked with managing the day-to-day operation of the hotel as well as overseeing the management of sister property, the Angleterre Hotel. He joins Hotel Astoria at the end of its centenary year during which the property has undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment, culminating in the completion of the 3,500-square-foot Czar Suite, 50 junior suites and the opening of the new Astoria Café and Lichfield Bar.
Fluent in Russian, Held holds a degree in Hotel Management from Fritz Gabler Hotel and Catering Management College in Heidelberg, Germany, has completed a number of courses at Cornell University and holds an MBA in Tourism Management.