Jurgen Ammerstorfer appointed hotel manager of Shangri-La at The Shard as opening date is pushed back

Working alongside executive vice president and general manager Darren Gearing, Ammerstorfer will be responsible for the day-to-day management and overseeing operations of the 202-bedroom hotel, which was originally set to open this summer​, before being pushed back to 'sometime in Q4' in May. 

Before working at The Trafalgar, Ammerstorfer was general manager at Celebrity Cruises in Miami. The rest of his 13-year career has seen him work for Hilton in Egypt and Kuwait and for Preferred Hotels' Plaza on the River - Club and Residence, London and as banquet manager at The Leading Hotels of the World’s five-star Westgate Hotel in San Diego. 

Gearing said: "We are delighted to welcome Jurgen to the Shangri-La family.  His wealth of experience along with his intricate understanding of five-star luxury means that we can be sure guests to Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London will enjoy a welcome like no other.”

Revised date​

News of Ammerstorfer's appointment comes as the hotel, owned by Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, reported a change of building contractor, leading to concerns that the opening date would be pushed back again. 

According to Building​, the hotel, which will feature four restaurants, event space and a gym with infinity pool, may not open until early next year because of on-going delays to the fit-out.

The Shangri-La confirmed it had removed the John Sisk Group from the project and had replaced them with Chorus Group last week, but a spokesperson said the company was 'currently working towards a Q4 opening of the hotel' although no specific opening date had been set.