The Caterer interview: Lynn Brutman, Four Seasons London at Park Lane

I hope to stay in this role as long as my predecessor [John Strauss, who held the role for 23 years]. It's such an honour to be the general manager of this hotel and now to take it to the next stage of its life. Every hotel has to evolve and keep innovating and shifting to customers' needs.

We had a big renovation here 11 years ago, and the next big thing was the opening of Pavyllon restaurant with chef Yannick Alléno. That has been such a highlight for me because of who Yannick is and the vision behind Pavyllon. His culture, commitment to excellence, passion and alignment with us and our values was a done deal. We knew it was going to be a good partnership as we wanted the same things.

It's the first time the Four Seasons at Park Lane has had a destination restaurant of this kind – how will that change the operation?

When you look at hotels in London, they're so different from anywhere else and I think a destination restaurant is really important. These partnerships with amazing chefs, who are named in their own right, are really special.

We will have hotel guests that stay for the restaurant and that was the goal, but restaurants and bars are also a gateway into a hotel. Every hotel has its own personality and people who come for Yannick will be introduced to the Four Seasons, while our hotel guests will be able to discover an amazing chef.

How would you define the personality of the Four Seasons Park Lane?

It's a quiet luxury and a comfortable, confident approach. It's unassuming, but we're always anticipating the guests' needs and letting them dictate levels of interaction – it's not scripted, it's about making sure they always feel comfortable.

When you're hosting someone in your home, you just want to make sure the guest feels comfortable and that's what we do. Our interview process allows us to look for individuals who are empathetic. Emotional intelligence is an overused term, but we're looking for someone who has a genuine interest and curiosity. When you're curious you ask one more question. You can ask "how was your day?" but if you ask one more question beyond that, you discover so much more about the guest.

How has the London market been performing?

May was very good, with the excitement of the Coronation, in June we hit occupancy levels, and in July we have 80%-plus occupancy, which is our normal summer performance when we think back to 2018, which seems so long ago.

Last summer a lot of hotels limited their occupancy, which we didn't do, so we had a really strong summer. But, the comparison to last year is really difficult because we had just opened up and it was a little bit bumpy and very busy.

London will always be an iconic gateway city. It will bounce back and it feels busier now – it feels like the guests are back with us and delighted to be here. The parks are beautiful right now and the restaurants are busy. We've had the Chelsea Flower Show, Ascot and Wimbledon and they're part of what makes London special – the tradition.

Are you seeing corporate travel return as strongly as leisure?

On certain levels. We're seeing bookings for board meetings and those higher-level events, but it really is just those niche segments of corporate. My impression, and what I hear, is that when it comes to corporate travel it will still take a little while to come back.

And how about events bookings?

Events are definitely back and we're very excited about that. We're redoing our Hamilton room, which will become an extension of the restaurant and will be available for private events. We've designed it so it could be three private dining rooms or a space for about 40 people. It will have its own reception area and a dedicated bar. That will be a September launch.

You mentioned that other hotels needed to cut occupancy last summer – how have you found staffing?

We've been OK. We've benefitted from a culinary standpoint from Yannick having such a strong name, which meant we were able to pull in a lot [of people]. The rest of the hotel has been fine, we've been very stable with housekeeping and I'm thankful for that. It goes back to our focus on leading with our hearts, being genuine and an employer of choice, and putting the team first. We're focused on creating the right work environment. We want people to bring the very best of who they are to work and engage with guests in a natural way. That's a culture that exists because we look for individuals that will contribute to and elevate that.

It's also having a work environment that's inclusive. I've always hesitated about talking about diversity, inclusion and belonging because it can seem like a lot of buzzwords, but actually, we have 74 different nationalities in this hotel and I'm a female general manager so there's a lot to be said for that.

Why do you think female general managers of luxury hotels are still something of a minority? Is it changing?

I think there are lots of reasons. We talk about the intensity of the role and the time commitment. Everyone has to decide what's right for them and what they prioritise at different times in their lives. What I will say about a hotel career – that is amazing – is that if life takes you on a different journey you can always step back into it. This career gives incredible opportunities and if you're in a situation where you need to move locations there will be hotels there.

I think it's about educating people to know they can always come back into the sector.

What's next for the Four Seasons?

We're going to be refurbishing our top 14 suites at the hotel, which we call our speciality suites and all of which all have outdoor terraces. We're working with a design house in Paris and work will probably start in January.

It will be reimagining and elevating that space, so the suites themselves become a destination. We're going with a very residential look, so when we have guests visiting for several weeks there's that added level of comfort. Residential living is another evolution where it's that little bit more comfortable and you have that home-from-home feel.

I think everybody has such a busy life and when you look at how people define what's important to them, it's experiences and the sharing of time together, and I think the residential feel of the suites will allow for that.

The next few months are going to see an influx in rooms in London with the opening of the Peninsula, Raffles and the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, among others. Do you think there is the demand?

In the summer and peak times London is so busy, and a hotel like the Peninsula, which already has a base of guests, may attract people who haven't travelled to London before but see it as a new destination.

The good news about London is that it's iconic and I think there will always be new guests coming in. The food scene in London has changed over the years and I know there's an amazing restaurant here, so that all adds to London being a destination.

And what are you finding with rates?

Rates are high. They held after the pandemic and that seems to be an industry-wide thing. It's not unique to hotels – the whole cost of travelling has definitely gone up.

But so many other costs have also gone up. Food costs are much higher, as are labour costs, energy and utility costs – there's a lot of expenses and we also need to balance the cost of living, particularly in the UK, and do the right thing for the teams and that does translate to holding higher rates.

We're not taking advantage of a situation – our backs are against the wall in terms of the increases in the cost of running a business.

I do think that most of our guests understand that – they are generally running businesses, corporations and entities themselves, so they understand that pressure.

Does it then come back to the perception of value to your guest? How do you ensure they feel they have had value for money?

It comes back to people. When you are in the luxury level of hospitality, it's all about the service. OK, there are niceties within the rooms, but it's that level of service and that attention to what the guests' needs are. That's why we need to just continue to lead with a genuine heart, to have the right people and be able to look after the needs of the guest.

How do you train your team to deliver that?

You have to start with an individual that has the capacity to do that and then it's about modelling that behaviour in so many ways. When I started with Four Seasons 32 years ago, my exposure hadn't been to luxury hotels. I'd studied [hospitality] but studying and the reality are quite different. You talk about service, but it's not actually until you're delivering it that you understand how to engage with a guest and judge how to handle an issue. Teaching this is about how we behave and model that behaviour and we have to do that through our guest interactions and also through the kindness we extend to each other when we're back of house.

The culture needs to exist first to demonstrate that and then you need to talk about it, and say ‘how was that interaction for you?' and ‘what could you have done differently?'. It's about taking those teachable moments and sharing stories.

Finally, congratulations on receiving Master Innholder status this year – what did that mean to you?

It's such an honour. You know you're among the very best, the elite. To see their commitment to the industry and the focus on the responsibility to mentor and communicate to those earlier in their careers. For me, it'll be communicating about women in leadership and diversity and showing what hospitality can do for you. There are so many different options and I'm super-excited about it.

Lynn Brutman's CV

• May 2018-present Regional vice president and general manager, Four Seasons hotel London at Park Lane
• February 2016-May 2016 Regional vice president and general manager, Four Seasons hotel Hampshire
• February 2014-February 2016 General manager, Four Seasons hotel London at Canary Wharf
• September 2011-February 2014 Hotel manager, Four Seasons hotel Toronto
• November 2007-September 2011 Hotel manager, Four Seasons resort Whistler
• March 2005-November 2007 Director of rooms, Four Seasons hotel Miami
• May 2002-March 2005 Director of rooms, Four Seasons hotel Newport Beach
• July 1991-May 2002 Held positions including front office manager, assistant director of rooms across Four Seasons properties