Architects and designers
Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi is working toward an Estidama Pearl 2 rating for sustainability by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council.
• PLP Architecture (architects)
• Richmond International (interiors)
• HBA (interiors)
• Tihany Design (selected restaurant design)
Recruitment
General manager San Ioannidis tells Hotelier that building his team has been one of his biggest milestones. “Building the team has been one of the many opportunities; having the right people who share the same passion that I do, to ensure that we are able to deliver the most unbelievable guest experience that we possibly can,” he says.
Part of getting these team members on-board was the involvement of the hotel’s director of human resources, Jose Ramirez. The recruitment started internally, he reveals, with more than 100 employees transferring to the property from all over the world.
“Then we hired locally — that’s something that we need to encourage, that is, to hire Emiratis. So far we have one, but we still need to continue. We want to work more with local schools to see how we can bring more locals in,” says Ramirez.
The hotel now has 180 employees across 50 nationalities, with more visas being processed every day. By the time the hotel is at optimal employee numbers, it will have 250 colleagues.
My favourite features:
Sam Ioannidis, general manager: “The fact that we capture the essence of Abu Dhabi through the architectural and artistic approach, and also on a service level.”
Andrea Greybanks, director of marketing: “My favourite part of the property is Al Meylas, the lobby lounge. The connections from the lobby bring it together: from the wave wall that connects us to the Gulf, the pearl finish to the pearl diving, the lobby being what we call the ‘living room of Abu Dhabi’.”
Sandeep Kumar, director of food & beverage: “The kitchen is always my favourite part because of the smells, the sound, the action, the taste… that’s where every food and beverage person’s life belongs to.”
Jose Ramirez, director of human resources: “My favourite is the back-of-house. We are very lucky to have such a beautiful back-of-house. It’s spacious, and even though it’s behind the scenes, it [provides] a sense of calm. From the staff restaurant to the locker rooms to the prayer rooms, we are very lucky.”
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