Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2004
• First Four Seasons Position: Assistant Restaurant Manager, Four Seasons Resort Terre Blanche (formerly a Four Seasons resort)

Employment History

• Four Seasons Corporate Office, Dubai; Four Seasons Hotel Moscow (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza; Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui; Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Four Seasons Resort Terre Blanche (formerly a Four Seasons resort); Peninsula Chicago

Education

• Diploma Hotelier, Hospitality Management, SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern, Switzerland

Birthplace

• Schwarzenburg, Switzerland

Languages Spoken

• English, German, French

"We have high expectations, just like our guests, and we should be able to enjoy ourselves while meeting their expectations."

That’s Reto Moser on the energy he exudes and the ultra-luxury hospitality he shapes as General Manager of Four Seasons in Istanbul. Defining the enjoyment that he gets from his role as “exciting,’’ Moser believes strongly that the feeling should be shared by everyone. “It’s a perfect circle: When I’m having a good time, it sets a positive tone for our team, motivating them to make sure our guests are experiencing the same."

A rare GM overseeing two addresses within the ancient capital of Türkiye – Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus along the famed continent-linking strait, and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet occupying a former prison surrounded by the city’s most iconic landmarks – Moser’s goal is to heighten the elegance of both properties while investing attention on their teams.

“Our Hotels here in Istanbul are distinctively different, with their own unique identities. What they have in common is they have always led within their respective settings. My goal is to drive quality and consistency in service and product at each.”

It also includes making certain that the teams that create the guest experiences are on board. Moser defines his management style as “developing, educating and inspiring people to do the right things and to make sure the teams understand why they’re the right things to do.”

Hailing from a small village in the Swiss countryside populated by “fewer people than I manage today,” Moser enjoyed an idyllic upbringing that by his adolescence, “had become a bit boring.” So, early on, he plotted ways to leave Switzerland and figured culinary would be a good steppingstone to travel.

It was, for a decade at least, until he got a bit bored with the kitchen, too. So, he entered hospitality school with the aim of working abroad. As he approached graduation, Moser aimed high, flipping through guides to The Leading Hotels of the World and Relais & Châteaux and applying to several properties around the globe that impressed him.

While most never responded, an international hotel group turned him down – twice – before finally hiring him as a restaurant manager in Chicago. He stayed on for close to two years until his visa ran out, and then interviewed with Four Seasons and another international hotelier before returning to Switzerland to bide his time.

When he reached out again, he was offered opportunities in Zurich and, from Four Seasons, in Provence. The latter destination had been Moser’s “happy place” since he’d visited as a teenager, and his Four Seasons career began as an Assistant Restaurant Manager. He spent five-and-a-half years at the property, achieving promotions annually. “When I considered a transfer, they offered me banqueting. It turned out to be an incredible experience with lessons I still use today.”

Moser learned more valuable lessons and returned valuable leadership through assignments that “just happened” at Four Season properties in Beirut, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Cairo, and Moscow, where he was General Manager, as well as the corporate office in Dubai. Along the way, he visited the Bosphorus property at its opening in 2008. “It was already legendary,” he remembers, adding that the former palace “put Four Seasons on the map in this region.” After being given a temporary assignment managing the Hotel in 2023, he knew he wanted to stay. “Istanbul is a fascinating, beautiful city, and having a second GM posting is great opportunity.”

When he’s not having fun taking care of guests, Moser takes care of himself, including satisfying his passion for cycling. “I got started in Provence and have practiced it in nearly every city since,” he recalls, noting how much he enjoys discovering urban settings on two wheels. “I like to ride from the Bosphorus to the Black Sea, but anywhere is rewarding. Istanbul is a joy to explore.”