From the bright lights of Paris to the Zen gardens of Kyoto, Fanny Guibouret makes the move to Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto as General Manager.
A veteran hotelier with more than 20 years of experience in luxury hospitality, Fanny officially joined the team on January 18, 2023. With Japan now open to international guests and global travel set to resume to pre-pandemic levels, she is on a mission to reinforce the Hotel’s top-tier position. This includes making the most of the property’s incredible setting, woven around an 800-year-old pond garden, as well as deepening ties with local artists, craftspeople and other keepers of Kyoto’s priceless cultural heritage.
As she explains, “We want our guests to experience the best of Kyoto. Along with curated adventures out in the city, travellers can immerse in local traditions, seasonal cuisine and natural beauty right here at our urban resort.”
Fanny holds a diploma in hospitality from Cours Hôtelier de Besançon in France, as well as a diploma in Japanese from Gakken GEM International Academy in Tokyo. Spanning iconic destinations such as Paris and Casablanca, her professional journey has covered multiple functions, including front office, catering sales, rooms, and sales and marketing.
Most recently, she served as general manager of the Hotel du Louvre by Hyatt in Paris, where she led the historical property through a transformative takeover, renovation and rebranding. Her noteworthy achievements won her the Jay A. Pritzker Award for GM of the Year.
Hospitality runs in Fanny’s blood. With both her parents working with Club Med, she grew up in resorts around the world, all the way from Paris to New Caledonia. Her siblings, too, joined the hotel line – “we are a hospitality family through and through.”
Curious, open-minded and genuinely interested in people, Fanny views every interaction – whether with guests, team members or local residents – as an opportunity for connection and learning. On a personal front, she loves to cook Asian food, play board games and go mushroom-hunting with her husband and four children, all of whom are well on their way to speaking fluent Japanese.
“We are thrilled to be in Kyoto. In a way, I have been waiting for this job all my life,” she shares with a smile, noting that it brings together two of her greatest passions: luxury hospitality and Japan.
To know more about Fanny, view her profile.
