Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since July 2018
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Current

Employment History

• Park Hyatt Guangzhou; Grand Hyatt Guangzhou

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in International Hotel Management, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada

Birthplace

• Tianjin, China

Languages Spoken

• English, Cantonese and Mandarin

Jessica Sun isn't just “Sun” by name but by nature, too.  “People say I bring the sunshine,” says the animated Senior Spa Director of the 69th floor Hua (“Flower”) Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou. “I believe it’s important to begin each day with positivity and celebrate the beauty and the joy around us. My focus for my team and myself is to ask what we can do for our guests, the Hotel and ourselves every day to foster a sense of positivity, connection and wellbeing.”

Inspired by these guiding principles, Jessica has blazed a trail at Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou since she arrived as Director of Spa in 2018. Renowned as one of the industry’s leading talents, she combines her naturally bright disposition with exceptional business acumen, consolidating the multi-award-winning Hua Spa as one of China’s premier wellness centres as well as one of the most profitable spas in the APAC portfolio of Four Seasons.

A trend-setter and innovator in terms of spa development, Jessica believes that a spa shouldn't be discussed in terms of individual treatments but the all-encompassing journey of vitality and joy that it facilitates. It is this approach to holistic body-mind-soul wellness that she is particularly motivated to share with guests and the community. She also relishes providing guidance for the spa operations - and the adoption of a well-being mindset - at the brand's sister properties in Shenzhen, Singapore, Jakarta, Dalian and Shanghai.

Jessica’s passion for the well-being industry is rooted in her deep connection to nature. Born in Tianjin, north China, she grew up spending time at the beach, diving in the sea, and engaging with the beauty of the natural world. Encouraged to be independent by her parents, she spent six years living and studying in Canada: travelling its vast landscapes; basking in its healthy air; interning in a hotel and graduating with a degree in International Hotel Management.

A people person at heart, Jessica was a natural when it came to hotel operations. But it was only when her then-fiancé learned to swim specifically to propose to her in the water (her "happy place") that she realised her life's calling and switched to the world of spa to help others on their own wellness journey.

At Hua Spa, Jessica fuses a connection to nature with spiritual wellness treatments, interweaving local products and elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine with advanced high-tech solutions. Ever eager to "move off the beaten path,” she most recently introduced the icoone body remodelling machine from Italy.

"By combining pioneering technology with traditional Chinese elements and the holistic wisdom of nature we are able to bring more immediate results to time-poor guests," she explains of her innovative approach. "Our vision centres on the principle of inner vitality, but we draw on a wide variety of modalities and techniques to help individuals reach their goals."

Outside of the spa environs, wellness remains central to Jessica’s life. She practices yoga with her husband and two young children, and regularly heads into the mountains with her family to hike, or snowboarding when possible in winter.

"It’s all about inner balance," she concludes of her own day-to-day quest for living well. “Being in nature with my family brings joy and beauty into my life – and helps me to support others in finding happiness and fulfilment. There will always be hard moments, difficult emails and daily challenges but as long as we never lose sight of the bigger picture, the bigger joy, then everything will always work out."