Despite the challenges in this unprecedented time, the new general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur remains optimistic about the future
Alex Porteous was supposed to arrive in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year but then the world went into a lockdown. When he finally landed in the city in September, he had to be quarantined for 14 days as per government SOP for travellers from overseas. He remembers how he could see Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur (FSKL) every day from his room in the quarantine centre (which was a four-star hotel nearby). So near yet so far.
By the time he formally assumed his role at FSKL in October, the luxury hotel had been without a captain for 10 months. Former general manager Tom Roelens left at the end of December to pursue a new opportunity in Dubai.
"The leadership team here has been extraordinary," notes Porteous, 53, who relocated from Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. "The operation is already a well-oiled machine, and the foundation that they have built is solid.
"What the team has done in the last two-and-a-half years is amazing. The hotel's Bar Trigona just became the number 44 bar in the world. FSKL was voted the number one hotel in Asia outside Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler."
His immediate goal is to maintain the momentum, global pandemic or not. "When you’re at the top, sometimes it’s quite difficult to stay at the top. So let’s make sure that we're constantly fine-tuning and engaging guests so that they feel like this is a home away from home."
See also: Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur's Irresistible Self-Care & Work-From-Hotel Deals
Despite changing jobs and countries in the middle of Covid, Porteous, who has been with Four Seasons for 27 years, appears remarkably unfazed by the uncertainties of the time. Looking firmly ahead to the future, his priority is making sure everyone in his team is well taken care of.
"Twenty-nineteen was a record year (for hotels) around the world, and suddenly we have nothing. So how do you mitigate the losses? How do you make sure the employees are retained, how do you make sure that they are motivated, and how do you make sure that they are engaged and communicating?"
The last part proved to be the biggest hurdle because everyone was in isolation and working from home. "In our business, we draw our energy from people. The coronavirus is one thing, but I think the deeper issue is its impact on our mental health. How are people reacting to the situation? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. So we spend a lot of time engaging with our employees, staying very close to them."
See also: Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur's Bar Trigona Is One Of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020