Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

Four Seasons Tenure

• 2000-2004, 2017-2021, now since 2024
  
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Assistant Catering Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Berlin (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)

Employment History

• The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Residences Tel Aviv, Israel; Four Seasons Hotel Sao Paulo (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Park Hyatt Mallorca; Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica; Grand Hyatt São Paulo; Andaz London Liverpool Street; Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow; Park Hyatt Zurich; Four Seasons Hotel Chicago; Four Seasons Hotel Berlin (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston

Education

• Bachelors Degree, International Hotel Management, Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne, Switzerland; Baccalaureate in Economics, Trogen, Switzerland

Birthplace

• St. Gallen, Switzerland

Languages Spoken

• German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese

A pioneering, multi-lingual hospitality veteran and strategic visionary with diverse experience shaping some of the world’s foremost luxury hotels, Michael Schmid is a felicitous addition to the dynamic energy, creativity and high-care curation of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in his role as General Manager.

Raised in South America, Schmid gained his hospitality wings from the prestigious Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in his native Switzerland and has since carved out an extraordinary resume in leading luxury hotels and resorts spanning North America, Spain, Russia, England and Brazil.

Along the way, he has consolidated a reputation as a consummate professional and results-oriented leader, blending unparalleled business acumen with an intuitive capacity for crafting meaningful hospitality experiences for guests and staff alike.

Schmid’s journey with Four Seasons first began in 2000 at the former Four Seasons Hotel Berlin, Germany as Restaurants, Catering and Banquets Manager, followed by a move to Four Seasons Hotel Chicago as Food and Beverage Department Head Tournant. In 2017/18, he returned to the fold at the helm of the inaugural opening of Four Seasons in Brazil, leading a team of 220 dedicated to showcasing the brand’s Hotel and Private Residences in the cultural hotspot of Sao Paulo.

Swapping the spirited populous surrounds of Brazil’s largest municipality for the vibrant multicultural buzz of Seoul, Schmid’s latest role sees him bring his unique blend of dedicated leadership and operational vision to the Korean capital; his energetic and engaged management style the perfect match for Four Seasons contemporary Gwanghwamun urban oasis, where rich historic traditions meet cutting-edge creativity.

In his role as General Manager, Schmid combines extensive hands-on and strategic experience across food and beverages, rooms operations, project management and brand-building with his natural warmth and people skills – fuelled by his multi-lingual fluency – to forge unforgettable experiences imbued with quality, care and integrity.

“I’m passionate about empowering my team to provide the highest level of personalised luxury service for our guests, while driving innovation across every aspect of operations,” he says. “And I’m excited to share my diverse, global experience while staying true to – and inspired by – the authentic spirit of this remarkable hotel and destination… as well as the guests and staff at its heart.”