“We are forced to close but we remain open in spirit.”
Knut Wylde, the General Manager of 5-star The Berkeley is today’s Walpole Power List Hero, and for very good reason – as the hotel conjured up the inimitable ‘Berkeley spirit’ to provide over 50,000 meals to the emergency services during the first lockdown. Read on for more.

Knut Wylde is a well-respected hotelier with a career spanning the globe from Europe to the Caribbean, Middle East and Asia within the luxury sector. Before his appointment to General Manager of The Berkeley, Knut was Hotel Manager at Claridge’s and previously worked at some of the most iconic London properties such as The Lanesborough and The Savoy. Additionally, he has held senior roles with One&Only Resorts, Rosewood Hotels and the Dorchester Collection. With this wealth of experience and his commitment to the hospitality industry, Knut brings an energetic and fresh approach to hotel management as well as a true understanding of luxury in both product and service.

What does it mean to you to be named a Walpole 2020 Power List winner?

I am delighted and honoured being named as one of the Walpole 2020 Power List Winners. This reward is really in recognition of the passion, hard work and dedication of my entire team and I am just the lucky one who has the pleasure to head up this very special group of people.

Why do you think you were named on the List this year?

Now this is a tricky one as I am not very good talking about myself. I guess it will have something to do with the fact that I am at the helm of a fantastic business, brand and team of devoted people. It has been a challenging year for all and yet, despite having to close the hotel for the first time in decades, we will look back on 2020 as one with some pretty extraordinary moments. We always speak of ‘The Berkeley spirit’ and saw this as an opportunity to give back to our heroes – the emergency services. My incredible team volunteered and helped run our 999 Drive Thru every day of lockdown 1 come rain or shine. In addition to serving meals for the Emergency Services we also cooked thousands of meals for those in need in Westminster. In total over 50,000 meals were produced for these initiatives. The feedback, the 999 friends we’ve made, and the notes of gratitude we have received has been wonderful and made it so worthwhile. We were forced to close but we remained open in spirit. Thanks to the hard work of my entire team, I can only assume this is why it has been ‘my year’ and so therefore, I consider it a reward for everyone at The Berkeley.

The Power List is held in association with Investec.

www.the-berkeley.co.uk