Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2017
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Current

Employment History

• Tsouderos Ltd., Athens; Bank of Greece, Athens

Birthplace:

• Athens, Greece

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree, Economics and Business; MBA, Finance, University of Athens

Languages Spoken

• English, Greek, French

Contact with guests is not the main thrust of Myrto Koutsopoulou’s job at Four Seasons Hotel Astir Palace Athens, yet her influence on the Hotel’s guest experience runs deep. “I want our people to be happy, because if they’re not happy, they won’t be happy with our guests,” she says of her role as People and Culture Executive – the “people” being the team, and the “culture” being Four Seasons – tending to human resources at the historic seaside property. “My guests are the employees, and my job is to connect with them.”

Koutsopoulou has quite a few avenues to connect with the 700-member team, the vast majority Greek, that creates a Four Seasons-calibre stay along the Aegean. She oversees talent recruitment and selection – “we look for people with the right personality and dedication to quality” – hotel-wide communications, employee-management relations, compensation and benefits, policies and procedures, and more.

The job takes a lot of creativity, especially in developing inspiring and entertaining programming to boost employee morale. Koutsopoulou and her department – “we do everything as a team!” – regularly fashion social events to give new recruits a window into Four Seasons mentality while inspiring employees to leadership, encouraging volunteerism for community outreach, and honouring top performers.

Meantime, Koutsopoulou goes out of her way get to know everybody, from department heads on down. She really puts her heart into it: “I want everyone here to feel that they are part of a family. If they are having an issue or a problem, they can come to me and I can help.” It’s all about maintaining good relationships and developing strong bonds, she says. “Our people are protected by the company, and we give them training and see that they’re able to perform at their best. People need to know they have a great career here, and that their efforts will be recognised.”    

Recognition, she adds, is perhaps the most important thing: “I believe strongly in the benefits of training under guidelines created by department heads. When supervisors acknowledge that jobs are well done, people will strive to do their best.”

Athenian by birth, Koutsopoulou studied economics and business and earned a masters degree in finance. While she wasn’t head over heels about the field – “sooooo difficult” – she was crazy about human resources. So as part of her graduate studies, she got an internship in HR at the Bank of Greece. “It was my dream job.”  

Landing with Four Seasons was even dreamier. Koutsopoulou studied the company in school and was impressed with its management structure. When she learned that Four Seasons was opening a new address in Athens, she thought it would be a good opportunity to do something special with her passion. “I was the seventh person hired,” she recalls, looking back at how the team grew. “Human Resources is balanced on building relationships, and that’s what Four Seasons is about. I can’t help but feel loyal to the brand.”

Asked which department she enjoys working with most, Koutsopoulou is too diplomatic to play favourites. But the Spa is the most interesting, she says. “I notice when I’m doing interviews, there is something different, something romantic about them. I can’t explain it. They’re doing a very unusual job when you think about it, and they’re always so wonderfully calm.”

Meantime, she enjoys keeping everyone happy. “That’s the most challenging part of my job, but it’s also the most magical. I learn something new every day.”