Impressed by the City and the Location

Yulia Selyukova arrived in the Hungarian capital last November to take over as General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest after her predecessor, Thibaut Drege returned to Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, now as General Manager. She talks about her career and the hotel chain that provided her with tremendous support as well as how she plans to build on the vision she has inherited from her predecessor.

Yulia Selyukova has been with Four Season Hotels since 2014. She admits to Diplomacy&Trade that it has been a very long time but as she puts it: “time flew and I don't really feel it like 11 years.”

She began to work in the hotel industry back in 2008 and following a spell of over five years at Marriott International, she joined the pre-opening team of the Four Seasons hotel in Moscow, working there first as Director of Sales and then as Director of Marketing before becoming Hotel Manager the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow from April 2019 to November 2022 (as Acting General Manager there from March 2020 to September 2021). She recalls warm feelings from her initial period at the company: "I was amazed at how supportive wonderful people were around me who really wanted me to grow, who corrected me with the best intentions. It's not in every company that you can have no fear to ask questions, no fear to say, you know, 'I don't know this, can help me, I don't understand this,' etc."

It was at the end of 2022 that she brought her expertise to the Four Seasons Hotel Doha. She arrived there following the 2022 FIFA World Cup as Hotel Manager, stepping into a leadership role at a pivotal moment as the city transitioned from the global spotlight to its next phase as a premier travel destination.

Budapest, a great place to work
Three years later, it was from there that she came to Hungary’s most iconic hotel. As to how much she had known about Budapest and this Four Seasons hotel before she took up this position here, she says that “not a lot, but much more than I had known about Doha before getting there. I had been to Budapest several times before but when I arrive last fall, the city looked very different.”

She recalls that her last journey to Budapest “must have been some 12 years before my visit last August when I came to meet Thibaut [Drege] for a couple of days as my predecessor was about to move to Paris. Actually, I love Hungary and I love Budapest. I'm originally from St. Petersburg, Russia and the architecture in some parts of the Hungarian capital really reminds me of my home city. So, I like Budapest and the Gresham Palace. Although it's not a small property, it has a kind of boutique appearance. There is something special in the team and in the building, and also in the location, of course. I think it's combination of everything. I knew it would be a great place to work.”

Amazing city, amazing building
Recalling her first impression and what she has experienced for the 4-5 months that she has been here, she says she just can't get enough of the beauty of the city and the hotel building. “I live in the Castle District on the other side of the River Danube and when I walk every day across the Chain Bridge, and I look at the building: it's just ‘wow’, it's a beauty in a very beautiful city that offers a lot to visitors. It is sometimes, you know, what I learned in life is that when we are getting used to something, we stop to value it and appreciate it no longer. However, life gave me this situation and I realized very quickly that we never have to forget what we are given and where we are and all those things that we have around us. The beauty of the city is amazing and I knew that being a general manager here would be a great thing for me, and having strong connection with the city and Gresham Palace, I can contribute a lot into the further success of the hotel and its team.”

On the footsteps of the predecessor
When asked whether she can build on the foundations left behind by the previous General Manager, Thibault Drege, or she is likely to come up with new ideas and write her own story regarding the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest, Yulia Selyukova highlights that “Thibault was like a mentor to me at that time. In our wonderful company, Four Seasons, which gives a lot of opportunities to people, they told me one day that I can be a hotel manager. I traveled to several to several members of the hotel chain to learn and gain experience and the last stop was the Hotel George V in Paris, where Thibault was a hotel manager. That's when we first met. I spent a couple of weeks there with him and also with his team – I followed whatever he was doing. So, I know a little bit of his style and his handwriting. Of course, I'm different and I have different backgrounds, but we have many things in common. That’s how we know each other.”

She stresses that Thibault Drege had a great vision for the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest. “However, I believe that it's always the time for a new start. It was especially so in 2023 after the new coronavirus epidemic when it was a kind of new time as the world started to travel again. At the same time, customers' expectation changed tremendously, they became more sensitive, looking for personal connections and memorable moments more than ever. We all want to have professional and genuine people around us and authenticity, not only smiling, but behind the smile we want to feel the warmth as we are humans. I think what Thibault put in place here is a great vision and also, he started the conversations about renovation of the palace. My first impression was that the majority of employees are very proud people who want to do excellent job, but you need also to inspire, to motivate them. So, basically, my job is to continue all this. Of course, my style is a bit different. There are plenty of things that we can do from commercial and marketing perspective. We are also considering opening another restaurant, given we have an amazing space of Gresham room. Given the new products are common and given that big brands are coming to the city, which from one side is competition but honestly, it's fantastic because they will bring the customers and they will help to elevate the destination.”