Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island

Four Seasons Tenure

• 2003 to 2009; now since 2016
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Room Service Waiter, Four Seasons Hotel London at Canary Wharf (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)

Employment History

• Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach; Ritz Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre, Armani Hotel Dubai; Four Seasons Hotel London at Canary Wharf (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)
  

Education

• Diploma in Information Technology, Istituto Basilio Focaccia

Birthplace

• Salerno, Italy

Languages Spoken

• Italian, Spanish, English

With his oversight of operations, Carlo Laiso has plenty to keep his eyes on as Hotel Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island. But that doesn’t stop him from looking further, including and especially toward the guest experience that sets the Hotel apart in the capital of United Arab Emirates. “The most important thing we do is ensure that every person we host has a holistic experience here, in Abu Dhabi,” he says, echoing a message he impresses upon the entire team. “That’s how we retain our guests.”

The experience of which Laiso speaks goes beyond the walls and windows of the 34-storey property surrounded by towers and buildings on an island in the Arabian Gulf that epitomizes the high-end lifestyle in the city. It includes providing guests with recommendations and reservations, including Four Seasons Experiences that offer seamless access to attractions such as VIP tours of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Presidential Palace at Qasr Al Watan, and more.

Laiso jokes that the focus of his role as Hotel Manager is “to make the entire team look good.”

More broadly, he leads and guides the performance of departments throughout the Hotel, believing strongly that connections are made by being available, and that he gains the trust of team members by trusting in them. “At the end of the day, everyone has their own job to do. But we all have the same focus: To deliver Four Seasons to the guests.”

Born in the ancient port city of Salerno along the Tyrrhenian Sea in southwest Italy, Laiso initially contemplated a career in information technology and studied the same while working summers at hotels along the Amalfi Coast. It wasn’t long before hospitality “sparked” something in him. “It was so fun and interesting for me to be meeting travelers from every part of the world.”

When he finished his studies, he realized he had a choice: “Either sit in an office with a computer or continue in hotels. I went with hotels.” How did his parents take it? “My father wanted to see me with a university degree, and I accomplished that. Otherwise, they have always supported me.”

Laiso’s first stop was London, where he worked at a bar frequented by employees from Four Seasons local Canary Wharf address. The connection between them grew, and when a position opened in room service at the Hotel, he was encouraged to apply. He landed as a waiter and stayed on for six years, working his way up to Restaurant Assistant Manager before departing for other food and beverage-related opportunities with various international luxury hoteliers in Dubai.

Rejoining Four Seasons in 2016, he landed in Abu Dhabi and rose to Director of Food and Beverage the following year. It was an achievement he’d wished and strived for since his days as a waiter, and one that he hopes inspires the team he leads.

Now right at home in Abu Dhabi, Laiso is grateful to be in the right place at the right time as the city continues to transform. “Abu Dhabi is very different from when I arrived: It’s buzzing with growing investments, new businesses and attractions,” he observes, adding buoyantly, “and mindset of the people is more cosmopolitan every day.”