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Four Seasons Hotel Suzhou

  • No. 88 Si Ji Road, Suzhou, 215000, China
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Arthur Ho

General Manager
“The main thing for the team is to deliver luxury with genuine heart. That’s the foundation of the Four Seasons experience and what gets guests coming back for more.”

 

Four Seasons Tenure

  • Originally hired 2002; now since 2022
  • First Four Seasons Position: Opening Director of Rooms, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)

Employment History

  • The Biltmore Mayfair, London; The Bailey’s Hotel London; Four Seasons Hotel Pudong, Shanghai (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen; Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip; Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong; Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)

Education

  • Bachelor of Science, Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Birthplace

  • Hong Kong

Languages Spoken

  • Cantonese, Mandarin, English

“We’re an urban oasis with unique nature, privacy, and convenience to the financial hubs and culture of the city,” says Arthur Ho, reflecting on some of the many inviting qualities of the property he oversees as General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Suzhou. The key for the team he has assembled is to “deliver luxury with genuine heart,” he adds. “That’s the foundation of the Four Seasons experience and what gets guests coming back for more.”

Now at his sixth address in nearly two decades with Four Seasons, Ho has abundant experience managing teams to do just that. He has much to work with in Suzhou, a thriving centre of economic and leisure activities dotted with historic attractions and offerings for travellers of all sorts and ages. The Hotel is in the heart of the action yet pleasantly remote, occupying a private island in landmark Jinji Lake just a quick hop from business and historic districts of the culturally rich city renowned for scenic canals, stone bridges, and UNESCO World Heritage listed Classical Gardens, as well as an international golf club.

“The beauty of Suzhou inspires so much onsite here,” he says, noting the arrival experience to the private island via a bridge and grounds manicured with greenery for an ambience of contemplative calm. The Hotel has a dual nature, operating like a business address for the corporate set from local and international companies headquartered in the surrounding Suzhou industrial park, and like a resort for leisure and family travelers who arrive from nearby cities for relaxed stays, wellness treatments, and entertainment for children through the Kids For All Seasons program.

Ho believes the restaurant collection is a magnet for guests. “Our outlets are designed as destinations and conceived for guests to feel welcome,” he says, pointing to the premier Chinese restaurant with seven lavish private dining rooms and modern cuisine from local Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, with influences from Cantonese cuisine.

There is also an all-day restaurant serving a wide selection of Pan-Chinese cuisine, a lobby lounge and lobby bar with a panoramic view of the lake. “Culinary expectations are high in Suzhou. Traveling to an island is not like walking down the block, so we take great care at the table to ensure that every appetite is rewarded.”

Ho is well acquainted with the luxury hotel scene around Suzhou, having worked previously for Four Seasons in Shanghai Puxi and Pudong. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the U.S., he was drawn to hotels by the clientele they attracted – “everyone always seemed so nice and well dressed” – and gleaned early that he was well suited for hospitality. After studying hotel administration in Massachusetts, his career path took him to Europe for a management turn in London, and then to China on the opening team in Shanghai.

His time with the company has been enriching as he rose within the Rooms division before being appointed Hotel Manager in Macao and General Manager in Shenzhen and Pudong. He left the company for a few years starting in 2018 to manage two hotels simultaneously in London, and used the opportunity to enroll his sons in boarding schools in the UK.

How’d that go? “Very well, actually,” he says, adding with a laugh, “they’d both been raised in luxury hotel environments. Their mother and I felt it was important for them to know that hamburgers don’t just appear when you make a call and request for them.”

Now back with Four Seasons, Ho enjoys opportunities to play tennis, though he has yet to find the right tennis coach to practice and refine his two-handed backhands. Meanwhile, he is excited by the company’s continued growth in China. “Brand awareness is healthy,” he says, noting that Four Seasons will continue to open new hotels in China over the next several years. “We are excited to be part of the local community and to be welcoming guests to this private island address that offers a lifestyle that is uniquely Suzhou accented by uncompromising service that is uniquely Four Seasons.”