Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 1999
  
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Assistant Room Service Manager, Four Seasons Hotel New York

Employment History

• Four Seasons Megève Collection; Four Seasons Hotel Prague: Four Seasons Hotel Baku; Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence; Four Seasons Hotel Prague; Four Seasons Resort Hualalai; Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Chateau De Bagnols, France; Four Seasons Hotel Austin; Four Seasons Hotel New York; Waldorf Astoria, New York

Birthplace

• St. Etienne, France

Education

• Bachelor of Science, International Hospitality Management, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland

Languages Spoken

• French, English

Stéphane Gras began his career as a member of the room service team at Four Seasons Hotel New York during the 1990s. The same high standards have since followed him throughout his career with the group. "When it comes to restaurants, you inevitably have your own personal standards and tastes, but you have to be sure to offer an experience that guests will really enjoy.”

Although his responsibilities do not allow him to spend as much time as he would like on the ground, Stéphane Gras is convinced of the value of communicating personally with his clientele to stay abreast of trends and ensure that the offer is relevant to existing clients and attractive to new ones.

Stéphane Gras was raised in a family of fine food lovers in the heart of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. He visited countless restaurants throughout his childhood, driven by his parents' passion for gastronomy, but rarely had the opportunity to travel outside the country. "My parents were real gourmets and we always ate in very good restaurants," he says, remembering how much he enjoyed the attention and precision of haute gastronomy, especially in top Michelin-starred restaurants.

In agreement with his parents, Stéphane Gras saved up for a few years before enrolling at the famous Swiss Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne. Given the numerous nationalities in the school’s student body, "that's when the international dimension of the hotel business really came alive," he says. "I soon felt the urge to discover other cultures. I could have focused my career on France, but I wanted to discover something new.”

Since then, his experiences with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have taken him to the four corners of the world with his wife and two daughters: the United States (New York, California, Hawaii, Texas), Egypt, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, and more. After 20 years abroad and a series of extremely enriching experiences on a professional, human and cultural level, Stéphane is now reconnecting with the west coast of the United States and discovering the magic of San Francisco.

Outside of work, Stéphane is passionate about vintage cars. He also plays golf (handicap 18) and enjoys downhill skiing - two disciplines that will enable him to make the most of Northern California.