Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2024
• First Four Seasons Position: Current

Employment History

• Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, assorted destinations; Hotel Arts Barcelona, Spain; Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Quinta do Lago, Portugal

Education

• Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril, Portugal

Birthplace

• Coimbra, Portugal

Languages Spoken

• Portuguese, Spanish, English, French

With duties proportional to the opportunities of the destination, Bruno Fernandes has a lot on his plate as Chief Concierge at Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor. “The island has so much to offer, and our guests are ambitious to experience things, so we’re constantly on our toes,” he says of guiding the action at the Concierge Desk in the bright and airy lobby of the landmark property. “It’s interesting to add up the range of services we provide, and all the ways we can dream up for guests to use them.”

Quite a range, indeed, including pinpointing cultural and recreational offerings for guests to engage across the island. Those include a suite of unique experiences and one-of-a-kind excursions generated by Fernandes and his team and led by local experts, such as Tracing Formentor’s Legacy, A Journey Through History, Romance and Inspiration, and the mountain tour Enchanting Tramuntana that takes in rustic villages and a Carthusian monastery. Guiding guests to memorable moments is only part of the demands for the Concierge: Days are also busy with tasks from arranging onsite amenities and services, to lining up transportation and shipping, and ensuring myriad conveniences for guests.

Like Fernandes, most of the talent providing clicked-heeled attentiveness from the Concierge Desk are members of Les Clefs D’Or, the international professional organization of top-flight hotel concierges. Their collective membership assures that Resort guests can count on the finest services in the field, as well as the team’s ability to tap connections to thousands of fellow concierges across Spain and around the world who can aid in fulfilling requests.

Whatever their connections, Fernandes’s team is “busy all the time,” and that’s like catnip for Concierges. “Our team is always excited to see what’s waiting for us at the Concierge Desk. That’s what we live for,” he says, noting that, like the sun above, Concierges never turn off. “We’re always on: Looking for new things for guests, trying them before recommending them, and knocking on doors to strengthen and relationships and ensure that vendors are ready to welcome Four Seasons guests.”

Born and raised in Coimbra, Portugal, home of one of the oldest universities in Europe, Fernandes initially planned to pursue a medical degree, but instead chose hospitality upon realizing that both fields focus on taking care of people despite fulfilling different needs and desires. He also realized that being contented at work was not only requisite for success but also positive for his health and happiness. “It’s makes me feel good to make a hotel guest’s day. It all goes hand in hand.”

Fernandes got started at a hotel front desk but lasted only three weeks when he volunteered to fill in for an unexpected opening for a concierge. Though he’d planned to hang on only until a replacement was found, things “just clicked” and he decided to stay. “I realized that fielding all sorts of requests exposed me to new things, and I was learning all the time. Every day was different with opportunities to meet people and make their lives better.”

Guests of several hotels benefited from Fernandes’s career switch, as his management responsibilities and concierge smarts grew through postings in Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi, and other properties on Mallorca. When opportunity arose to be part of Four Seasons revitalization of the historic property at the northernmost point of Mallorca, he joined the opening team. “It has been one of my career goals and an amazing experience,” he recalls of polishing the operation of the Concierge Desk before welcoming the Resort’s first guests. “I wanted to be part of an ambitious brand, and Four Seasons is something for me to step up to.”

With his work as his life and his life as his work, Fernandes has no shortage ways to stay active and engaged on Mallorca away from the Resort. “The thing is, I do things with friends,” he says with a laugh, noting “good music, good books, and good company” as keys to enjoying himself on downtime. “I’m getting to know all sorts of new places and trying every new thing.”