General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane Wins Master Innholder Accolade
As one of only a few women who have received this award, what does receiving this award mean to you?
I’m delighted to have been awarded the Master Innholder Status! I’m excited to be joining the ‘best in class’ elite hoteliers from around the world, who are leading the way in influencing industry standards. Although we’re making great leaps and bounds in the Hospitality industry to level up the playing field for women in leadership positions, there is always more we as an industry can be doing. Together we can make an impact in the Hospitality industry to bring about meaningful change and hopefully drive more women forward to achieve accolades like this in the future and gain a greater presence in management roles throughout the industry.
How will the Masters Innholder status impact the Four Seasons hotel group in London?
As Regional Vice President and General Manager at Four Seasons Park Lane, this award not only means so much to me and the relentlessly dedicated team I work with, but it also sets a precedent within the group on what can be achieved with dedication, unmatched customer excellence and a fantastic ‘Peoples and Culture’ strategy. The Four Seasons group is a nurturing and collaborative environment to work in, where we all learn from one another. My passion is to think about how this can be implemented across all areas of the business to continue to foster a positive and inclusive work culture that remains committed to inspiring the strong Four Seasons corporate culture and values, as a road to success.
What have you implemented during your time at Four Seasons Park Lane that you feel would have contributed to winning this award?
It is no secret that the hospitality industry in the UK and worldwide has had a turbulent time in the past three years, but now we’re starting to see an upward trajectory of growth and visitors coming back to stay with us. Here at Park Lane, I've personally taken the approach of investing more in the Four Seasons ‘People Strategic Goal’. This has been a strategic approach to; hire, engage and retain diverse talent through leading employee experience with a focus on wellbeing, ESG engagement, and individual development. These approaches include a range of people first initiatives including; extensive induction programs for new starters, mentoring and learning programs for all employees and a big investment and continued growth in our diversity strategy. It’s this people first approach that I believe has contributed the most to winning this award, and it’s why I want to thank my wonderful team for supporting my vision and making it a reality.
You accredit the success of the Four Seasons Park Lane hotel to a stable level of staffing, good training and most importantly, very happy and engaged employees - how do you bring this to life in practice?
Hospitality is a people-centric industry, and the happiness of a team can have a big impact on the overall guest experience. Our people and culture are our greatest asset at the Four Seasons Park Lane, and it continues to differentiate the hotel from other luxury hotel brands. Since the pandemic, I've been committed and passionate about growing our People and Culture team to be dedicated to; learning, talent acquisition and employee experience. As part of this we’ve developed a learning culture by defining Learning Success Levels consisting of 4 categories: Core Programming, Operational Learning, Employee Development and Professional Learning Skills. As a result of the success of this new approach we’ve taken, the entire Park Lane team have surpassed the hotels highest ever revenue target at 7.2M in July 2022. I believe this would not be possible without a stable level of staffing. We currently have a 100% retention of all new leaders in the past year, who are well trained and confident in their role. But in my opinion, a statistic I really feel proud of is that we have very happy and engaged employees - 87% of our employees feel proud to work for Four Seasons. My goal is to lead and motivate those around me to help them achieve their aspirations and reach their fullest potential both inside and outside of work.
Finally, what are you most looking forward to next in your journey at Four Seasons Park Lane?
What I love most about my job is that there is always something new on the horizon to get excited about, and I can guarantee this one will really grow your appetite! This summer we were delighted to welcome the highly anticipated and globally acclaimed Chef Yannick Alleno to the Pavyllon London at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane. With us, Yannick also opened Bar Antoine, a bar that will celebrate his love of hospitality as well as his joyous spirit and zest for life. The menu is already being loved by all and is bursting with both global and local flavours, using the finest British ingredients possible and will be as carefully considered as the cocktails served up by Head Mixologist Ivan Arena. It’s living up to the ‘must try’ destination restaurant in London and I can’t wait to keeping welcoming guests from all over to try some of Yannicks delicious dishes – of course with one of Ivan’s cocktail creations! This is a very significant move for Four Seasons in enhancing our ability to meet the growing demand for travel and luxury experiences. By expanding our experiential offerings for guests and customers, we are finding new ways for them to engage with our brand in this new modern world of luxury!
