Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Pearl-Qatar

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2024
• First Four Seasons Position: Current

Employment History

• W Hotels, Doha; ASTRA Miami; Nusr-Et, Miami; Miss Paradis, New York City; The Plaza, New York; Trump SoHo, New York; Morgans Hotel Group, New York

Birthplace

• Ottawa, Canada

Education

• Forbes 5 Star Hospitality Training; Wine Steward/Sommelier, American Sommelier Association; Varietals and Regions, Wine Steward/Sommelier, International Wine School of New York; School of Translators and Interpreters, Estudio Sampere in Madrid, Spain.

Languages spoken

• English, French, Spanish

There is no shortage of impressive restaurants throughout the capital of Qatar, but it takes more than superb cuisine to fill their tables. “Dohans need to feel special to stay interested,” says Rodney Belanger of the formula for success he has shaped as General Manager of Chicago Rare, the signature American-style steakhouse of Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Pearl-Qatar. “Guests from the city and across the Gulf Cooperative Council states want to be treated like they’re the most important people in the world. So, we create an aura that makes them feel like royalty.”

The key to Chicago Rare’s aura is what Rodney calls the trifecta: Great food, genuinely attentive service, and dazzling entertainment. While the first is the mission of the kitchen, he oversees the rest. “Building the right team was the first thing on my agenda, and I hired for personality,” he recalls of his 2024 appointment to lead front-of-the-house operations of the Michelin-selected restaurant and its accompanying bar. Skills can be taught, he adds, but cordiality is what coaxes guests to return. “Every seating is another opportunity for us to show people how devoted we are to their enjoyment.”

Leading a team of 25 in the dining room and coordinating with another 15 in the kitchen, Rodney’s management style is to not only teach, but also to create excitement. He wants servers to be enthused about leading guests through their culinary experiences, and familiarity with every dish on the menu, including specials. “We’re not just taking orders. We’re telling stories to keep clients captivated.”

It's a strategy he learned years earlier in Miami where he spearheaded the opening the first Nusr-et Steakhouse in the U.S. “Knowledge is power,” he says, especially for the diverse team of Chicago Rare, whose members hail from Southeast Asia, the northern and southern reaches of Africa, and other regions beyond. “My goal to build their confidence to put them at ease at the table while building their abilities for their continued success.”

And what of the trifecta’s third element? Rodney also conceived Chicago Rare’s ongoing entertainment programming, which sees a live jazz ensemble laying down grooves four nights a week. “The jazz can’t compete with the service, though. Everything complements each other.”

Hailing from Ottawa, Rodney pursued many avenues to make spending money back in the day, from youthful newspaper routes, to restaurant gigs, to construction. When the city’s first boutique hotel opened in the heart of downtown around the turn of the millennium, he quickly found his way onto the team as a part-time doorman. He can still recall his first day as the first hire of the service department, which he spent screwing together room service trays, illustrating his value.

By the time the hotel began welcoming guests, he was head doorman. “I’d been working at a roofing company, and I always came home with tar all over my clothes. When I started in hotels, my parents were so excited they bought a beautiful new uniform.”  

After getting married, Rodney followed his wife to New York City, where he landed as a restaurant manager at the Hudson Hotel. Within two years, he was assistant director of restaurants for the then-white-hot property, and he was later tapped to open its sister Royalton Hotel, at the time a magnet for chic and media types. “Looking back, I realize how important it was for me to gain experience working with influential people – both in the dining room and the kitchen.

After more experiences in New York, Rodney carried that experience first to independent restaurants in Miami, and then across the Atlantic when his wife’s job took her to Madrid. Rather than remain in Spain, he headed instead to Doha to manage a Latin American-themed restaurant at an international luxury hotel.

While on duty one evening, he took a call from the General Manager of Four Seasons at The Pearl, who wanted to throw a party for 50 members of his opening team. Coincidentally, the Four Seasons was advertising for a General Manager for a steakhouse, so Rodney embraced the opportunity to blow them away with an amazing lunch. Following the event, he followed up with an email emphasizing his various experiences opening restaurants in the States.

Five interviews later, he was right where he wanted to be. “There aren’t many companies at the top of the hotel mountain, but Four Seasons has always been there.” Indeed, Rodney remembers the thrill of accompanying his parents for dinner at the company’s former address in his hometown. “Even when I was young, I knew Four Seasons was the place to be.”