Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2023
• First Four Seasons Assignment: current

Employment History

• Hotel du Louvre by Hyatt, Paris, France; Hyatt Regency Casablanca, Morocco; Hyatt Regency Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris, France

Education

• Diploma in Hospitality from Cours Hôtelier de Besançon, France; Diploma in Japanese from Gakken GEM International Academy, Japan

Birthplace

• Epinal, Vosges, France

Languages Spoken

• French, English, Spanish, Japanese

General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto – it is a role that Fanny Guibouret has been preparing for all her life, in a way. “This job is my dream come true,” she shares with a smile, noting that it brings together two of her greatest passions in life: luxury hospitality and Japan.

As international travel resumes to pre-pandemic levels, Fanny and her team are on an ongoing mission to reinforce the Hotel’s top-tier position in Kyoto. This includes leveraging the property’s matchless setting, woven around an 800-year-old pond garden, as well as cultivating deeper roots within the local community, including artists, craftspeople and other keepers of Kyoto’s priceless cultural heritage.

As Fanny explains, “Our goal is for guests to experience the best of Kyoto, even within the Hotel. Along with curated adventures out in the city, travellers can immerse in local traditions, cuisine and natural beauty right here at our urban resort.”

Prior to joining Four Seasons, Fanny served as general manager of the Hotel du Louvre by Hyatt, Paris, where she led the property through a transformative journey spanning takeover, renovation and rebranding. “The hotel was considered the most luxurious address in town when it first opened, but lost its glory subsequently,” says Fanny, recalling the Herculean task that lay before her team – to reposition the property, rebuild their service, and regain the trust of the market. By the end of her tenure, the hotel was outperforming expectations across all indicators. Her noteworthy achievements won her the Jay A. Pritzker Award for GM of the Year.

Hospitality runs in Fanny’s blood, with a strong family connection to the industry. With both her parents working with Club Med – “it’s where they fell in love!” – she grew up in resorts around the world, all the way from Paris to New Caledonia. Surrounded by guests and staff members of wildly varying backgrounds, young Fanny developed an early affinity for people and travel. By the age of 12, she had decided to become a hotelier. “Both my siblings also joined hotels, by the way – we are a hospitality family through and through.”

After earning two diplomas – one in hospitality from Cours Hôtelier de Besançon and another in Japanese from Gakken GEM International Academy – Fanny began her career with a luxury hospitality group in Paris, cutting her teeth across multiple functions, including front office and catering sales. In 2003, she moved to Casablanca, rapidly working her way up from director of rooms to executive assistant manager for sales and marketing and ultimately to hotel manager.

Blessed with boundless curiosity and an open mind, Fanny views every interaction as an opportunity for connection, learning and joy. What she enjoys most is meeting people and forging meaningful links with them across the boundaries of culture, language and belief. “Sharing a meal, a conversation or even just a joke - these are the moments I treasure.”

The same philosophy extends to her leadership style, one based on building strong relationships and honouring the diverse talents within her team. “I truly believe there is no position in a hotel that is more or less important. Each team member is equally important, equally deserving of attention, care and respect,” she states, adding that it is vital for those who have grown into leadership roles to give back the support and mentorship they received along the way.

When she is not at work, Fanny can be found spending time with her husband and four children – all of whom are well on their way to speaking fluent Japanese. A close-knit family, they love to play board games, cook Asian food, and go mushroom-hunting in the forest. Watching Ghibli movies together is another favourite activity – “we are so excited to explore all things Ghibli in Japan!”

Fanny also has an artistic side, with a penchant for handcrafting intricate brooches. If you happen to meet her, you will likely catch her sporting one of these eye-catching creations – the perfect signifier of this General Manager’s warmth, vibrancy and congeniality.