Innsights

Connecting accommodations with experiences

INTERNATIONAL PROFILE: FOUR SEASONS HOTEL - AMMAN, JORDAN feature from the FALL 2023 issue of STAY Magazine.

Jim Byers

November 21st, 2023

NICK SOLOMON WAS JUST STARTING HIS JOB AS GENERAL MANAGER AT THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL IN AMMAN, JORDAN EARLIER THIS SUMMER, AND WASN’T SURE ABOUT SOMETHING.

“When I arrived here, I asked our director of finance for an insurance broker for my home. He asked me why. And I said, ‘In case someone breaks in and steals something.’ He just laughed and said, ‘We’re in Amman. That doesn’t happen.’”

Jordan is in the Middle East. Safety is commonly a concern in this part of the world, so it was natural that Solomon — and potential visitors to the country — might give it some thought. In a video interview with STAY magazine, Solomon, a husband and father of three children, said safety was the first thing he thought of when he found out he was moving from the Four Seasons Seychelles to the hotel in Amman, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year.

“[But] there hasn’t been any kind of (security) incident in almost two decades. There’s no violence here. There’s no petty theft,” he explained.

The Canadian government travel website says to exercise a high degree of caution when visiting Jordan, but it says the same about the U.K. and France.

The hotel opened in May 2003, and Solomon said there was a big anniversary party in 2023.

“We had a gala dinner for about 500 people to celebrate,” stated Solomon. “We had top hotel execs and our ownership group (the property is owned by METICO, a private company based in Jordan), and a real who’s who from Amman. We also had 23 colleagues who have been working at the hotel since it opened.”

Solomon said the hotel was the only luxury property in Jordan when it opened in 2003, and was the first purpose-built Four Seasons in the Middle East.

It also brought more luxury hotels in its wake, as Amman is now home to a Ritz-Carlton, a Fairmont and a St. Regis. All are clustered together in what’s called The Fifth Circle of Amman.

Yasmin Sati, the hotel’s director of public relations, says the Four Seasons is the first and only hotel in Amman to get a five-star rating from Forbes.

Asked what separates his hotel from the competition, Solomon said it’s not so much the bricks and mortar.

“There’s a strong culture that’s very deeply forged into the company. It’s one of the benefits of working for Four Seasons; you have 55,000 of the best employees around the world. Whenever we open a new hotel, we bring people from established hotels that know the culture. It’s kind of our secret sauce.

“What makes this particular hotel special is the people,” he said. “This is their home, and they treat people like they are guests in their living room.

“It’s a matter of recognition as well. We have 192 rooms (29 are suites) and multiple restaurants. We can have a couple thousand people at the hotel when we’re really busy. But our hotel guests appreciate that we know who they are. We know them by name, and we welcome them back and remember what they like for breakfast. That’s generally why people are so loyal to Four Seasons.”

The property was completely renovated in 2021, including new rooms. The city is a mix of old and new, so the hotel tries to reflect that.

Although it’s technically on the Asian continent, Solomon said Jordan has a very Mediterranean feel.

“If you’re picturing the desert or picturing Dubai you couldn’t be further from the truth. When I first arrived here, I was blown away. There’s lots of white buildings and green conifers and green hills.

“Many people like to refer to this area as the Mediterranean (a mere 110 km away) versus the Middle East,” he said. “We have a lot of archaeological sites and ruins within a 10-minute drive of the hotel that were built by the Romans or built by the Greeks. The food is very much influenced by the Mediterranean as well. Definitely, there’s one foot in the Middle East and one in the Mediterranean.

“With all our hotels we try to stay true to the location we’re in and make sure that we feature local cuisine. We also have some great international concepts. We have a French brasserie and a Mediterranean terrace that appeals to visitors and locals.

“This is definitely the place to be from an F&B perspective.”

As well as top-flight food, the hotel features both an indoor and an outdoor pool, a large gym and more than 3,000 square metres of meeting space.

Sati said the hotel can arrange tours to the magical city of Petra, Jordan, about three hours in one of the Four Seasons’ luxury vehicles. They also can set up tours of Wadi Rum, a UNESCO heritage site famous for its rock formations and petroglyphs, or the green hills and parks north of Amman.

“Guests also can take cooking classes with local women, learn about Jordan’s creative arts scene, or go on a cycling or or hiking trip.

“We connect accommodations with experiences. That’s how we stand out from the competition,” she said. “We don’t just sell the hotel; we sell the destination.”

Solomon said the Four Seasons Amman is very popular with diplomats, but also with tourists.

“Our business mix is about 50 per cent leisure and 50 per cent corporate. A lot of companies previously based in Iraq, Lebanon or Syria now have their headquarters here. Amman is coming on as a tourist destination, too. We’re a 45-minute drive to the Dead Sea. Jesus’ baptism site is 45 minutes away, there’s so much to see and do in the area.”

Solomon said Jordan’s tourism board often talks about places like the Dead Sea and Petra.

“But there really isn’t any kind of luxury hotel offering in any of those places. People are realizing that you can see those places and stay in a Four Seasons hotel in Amman because everything is so accessible."

Solomon started his tourism career as a server in a restaurant. He also worked in the kitchen and served as a chef. He later started working at small, luxury hotels, some with as few as 10 or 11 rooms.

“They were small, but sometimes a couple of thousand dollars a night. There was fine silver and fine art on the walls. That’s where I learned about quality.

“I’ve kind of scaled up in terms of the size of hotels I work at, but I’ve retained the quality and attention to detail.”

Solomon said he loved being a chef but missed interacting with hotel guests.

“I enjoy being around people and I enjoy interacting with people. When I got into leadership, I realized how much I enjoyed being the leader of a team. I enjoy interacting with my team members as much as I do my guests.

“And I love hotels. I love everything about them. It’s like an orchestra; how things smell, the volume of the music, the flowers. There’s so much thought that goes into every detail. People don’t realize, but it’s incredibly creative. That’s what I really enjoy.”

So, I ask, are you one of those hotel GMs who walks through a lobby and moves a painting a quarter of an inch?

“Exactly,” he said with a laugh.

He can joke about it, but Solomon also knows he’s setting an example for staff.

“The best general managers, the best hotel managers, are always out on the floor spotting things with their own eyes.”

Solomon, who was born and raised in Cape Town, said his work has taken him all over the world, including Colorado (The Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa) and Ireland (Hayfield Manor). He has worked for companies such as One & Only and Westin, and spent five years at the Four Seasons Seychelles before taking over in Amman in early summer of this year.

“I live where other people go on holiday,” he said with a laugh. “Ski resorts, island resorts, city resorts, spa resorts.”

When he’s not moving hotel lobby flower arrangements or chatting with staff or guests, Solomon is busy with his wife and kids (an 11-year-old and two-year-old twins). He also loves golf and tennis.

“I also love history. We don’t have old castles in Cape Town. When I first went overseas, I went to Ireland and I enjoyed seeing the old castles. That really enchanted me. I enjoy trying to imagine what it was like to live in those days.”

Innsights