Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2014
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Director of Sales, Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)

Employment History

• Four Seasons Hotel Moscow (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); MPZ Novorishzky, Moscow; Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg; Interstate Hotels and Resorts, Moscow

Education

• Master’s Diploma with Honours and Ph. D. in Economics, State University of Management, Moscow; Certificate, Hospitality Management 360, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Languages Spoken

• Russian, English

“We have so much to engage our guests, whether they’re from near or far. The goal is to give everyone everything we can to get them excited about their stay,” says Ekaterina Saburova of the luxury hospitality that she both stokes and promotes as Director of Marketing at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island. Upon arriving in the ultra-modern capital of United Arab Emirates at the start of 2024, Saburova quickly felt right at home and excited to be doing her part to shape the Hotel’s guest experience to reflect Four Seasons standing on the local scene.

Her role includes oversight of the Hotel’s marketing and sales endeavours, as well as public relations, digital marketing, events, revenue management, and reservations. She is quite keen to get the message out that Four Seasons is more than a mere player in hospitality in the UAE. “When you think about it, the Hotel is the first thing many of our guests see when they arrive in Abu Dhabi. So, we’re ambassadors for the company and the destination, representing what we offer together.”

Key to that representation is the diversity of the Hotel team, with talent drawn from more than 40 nationalities and their cultures. “That gives us the best of everything,” she says with a smile, noting that she uses her management smarts to find what each person on her 20-member marketing team is passionate about and give them assignments and responsibilities that suit their interests.

She also finds a lot of similarities between the culture of the region and her own. Personal connections are very important across countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, she says, inspiring kindness and honesty. “It’s a lot like Four Seasons, too.”

Raised in Russia, she studied economics at the State University of Management in Moscow, earning a Master’s and Ph.D. It didn’t take her long to find work in finance and insurance, but soon she found the work tedious and turned instead to hospitality, drawn by a long fascination with hotels. “They’re so nice to look at, and people come to stay for so many reasons,” she says. “No matter how long you’ve been in the business, there’s always something new.”

After getting her start in the industry with an international hotel group, Saburova found her way to Four Seasons in St. Petersburg in 2014. After two years of award-honoured success in sales, she switched to marketing, leading campaigns for two properties over six years while also serving for a time as Regional Director of Marketing with several GCC destinations on her plate.

Then she made the switch to operations, transitioning to Hotel Manager and acting General Manager for two years while continuing to grow her expertise with a Hospitality Management 360 certificate from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Learning the ropes wasn’t always “super smooth,” she admits, but she loved it. “It was great from a management standpoint and for guest relations, giving me a real look at people’s interests and how the experiences a property creates can play out.”

Why step back into marketing now? To satisfy her longing to move to a new city and focus her skills on new challenges. “I was in love with Abu Dhabi before I got here and thrilled to be able dive right in,” she says, adding that career paths don’t always move in straight line. “As with everyone here, what I bring to Hotel is ingrained in my DNA.”

Now fully engaged in her role, Saburova likes to spend time away from the Hotel exploring the destination. “With so many guests looking for the best of the city, I need to be an expert, and it’s always gratifying to discover things on my own.”