Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2018
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Hotel Manager, Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

Employment History

• Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris; Shangri-La, Paris; Intercontinental Hotels, Geneva; Hyatt, Hangzhou; Hyatt Charles de Gaulle, Paris; Hyatt Regency Hotel Paris; Concorde LaFayette, Paris

Education

• Hotel Administration and Management, École hôtelière de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Birthplace

• Paris, France

Languages Spoken

• French, English

Strongly dedicated to Budapest and the Gresham Palace, Thibaut Drege builds on his global experience and the vast expertise of his team to ensure the worldwide community of sophisticated travellers discover what the city and the Hotel have to offer.

“What I will bring is my constant strive for excellence and for revealing the existing beauty of this beautiful gem, supported by the extraordinary expertise of the team, which has built the reputation of the Gresham Palace.” His commitment and endurance in this journey are inspired by craftsmen and fine artisans who put all their heart in their creations and do not settle until they are satisfied with their work.

Since an early age, he has been motivated by bringing joy around him, and that influenced his decision when applying for a university. Coming from a family who loved cooking turned him into an admirer of food. “When I had to choose my university, one option was medicine and the other one was the Ecole in Lausanne. In a way you can think about these as two different career paths, but to me there are lots of similarities. It’s about caring for people - in both professions you need engagement, patience, genuine care, working in teams and passion.” Carrying on the celebration of exceptional dining experiences, Four Seasons Hotel George V maintained its unique, prestigious position under his lead, being the only hotel in Europe housing a total of five Michelin stars within three restaurants, a world leader in culinary experiences.

As a pianist, music is also very important to him. “I see myself as a conductor to an orchestra. I have a great cellist, a great violinist and more. In most cases I don’t know how to play those instruments, my aim and my role is to make sure these all blend together in perfect harmony. When they can excel individually, and when we find this harmony, that is when we all succeed.”

He lives according to the motto “choose a job you love, and you never have to work a day in your life.” This positive spirit helped him not only to succeed but also to develop personally through the various positions he held in the hospitality industry in Paris, Geneva, and Hangzhou, China.

Drege also focuses a lot on helping his team to grow. “My way of giving back is sharing experience and talking to people, mentoring them. Transparent communication, conveying a clear vision and being honest with one another and with ourselves is essential.”

He continues in Budapest with the same level of energy and commitment. “Gresham Palace is one of the most beautiful hotels in Budapest,  I am lucky to enter such a beautiful piece of art every day. This is already a gem, a beautiful diamond, the only question is, how do we find the right lightning in the right angle, how to polish the diamond so it can shine the best it can?”