Four Seasons Hotel Madrid announces the appointment of Alejandro Bernabé as its General Manager and Regional Vice President after more than five years as the General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, making it his second hotel with the company. After eighteen years outside of Spain, having worked for AVANI Hotels and Kempinski Hotels & Resorts in Geneva, Bangkok, Dubai, among others, Bernabé lands in the Spanish capital with the following premise: “I’m here to take things to the next level and show the people of Madrid that our spaces and experiences are also theirs to enjoy.”
Bernabé is no stranger to Madrid. Hailing from Castellón on Spain’s east coast, he studied for a time at a historic university in the city and has vacationed here off and on over the years. He originally fell into hospitality “by mistake” after earning a degree in finance in the US and then realizing the field wasn’t his thing. He went on to earn a degree in hotel management in Switzerland, following a friend’s advice to pursue a hotel career so that he could remain abroad.
Alejandro Bernabé’s hotel career has been filled of proud moments, but none quite measures up to the one that engages him now as General Manager and Regional Vice President of Four Seasons Hotel Madrid. “This property essentially reconfigured Madrid, making luxury cool in the capital and drawing international travellers to what I believe has become one of the most vibrant cities in Europe,” he says, adding nimbly, “I can’t say enough about the fantastic job my predecessors and the company did in establishing the Hotel to reposition the area around it. Now, my goal is to take things to the next level by showing locals that our amenities and experiences are theirs to enjoy, too.”
Now on his second assignment for Four Seasons, Bernabé is pleased that the high expectations he had of company culture when he joined have proven “100% right.” He likes to be everywhere at the Hotel, visible and approachable, and he believes strongly that the talent he leads is what has made the property such a standout. “This was Four Seasons debut in Spain, so it attracted people from all over the world. We’re a real melting pot, and the team’s dedication to service is genuine.”
For the first time in a while, Bernabé is working in a destination whose primary language is his own, enabling easy communication toward building trust with the team, partnerships with area businesses, and relationships with Madrileños. “The primary message I want to get across is that we are just as inviting for wellness treatments or beers with friends as we are for weddings, events and overnight stays.”
