Hospitality giant has 500 jobs to fill in NOLa

By C.C. Campbell-Rock
Contributing Writer

Like elsewhere in the nation, New Orleans is struggling to contain the viral pandemic. Under the leadership of Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the city has slowed the spread of the virus and residents and visitors alike are waiting for the day when the city will return to what it does best, providing its unique brand of southern hospitality.

Despite the coronavirus, a planning team for The Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans has spent a little more than a year preparing the building which once housed the World Trade Center, at the foot of Canal Street, to open for business at the end of spring.

The Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences is a global corporation and the world’s leading luxury hotel chain. The Four Season property here will reflect New Orleans’ culture, cuisine, and southern hospitality, including 341 rooms, two restaurants and a signature bar. The corporation will also offer 92 luxury condos to people who want a great view of the Mississippi River and access to downtown New Orleans.

At a time when unemployment is high, the Four Seasons’ plan to hire 500 staffers is music to the ears of New Orleans residents.

Beginning Monday, February 8, 2021, Four Seasons will begin recruiting to hire for the following areas: Reservations, Guest Services/Front Desk, Sales and Marketing, Security, Restaurant, Bar, Kitchen, Spa, Maintenance, Housekeeping, Laundry, Residential, and Stewarding.

All candidates are required to apply online at http://jobs.fourseasons.com.

“We’re not just a hospitality company but we’re into promotions and growth. We have a strong culture of promoting from within,” says general manager Mali Carow. “The sky’s the limit.”

Carow is an example of the advancement opportunities offered by the Four Seasons corporation. She started working for the company to earn money for college tuition. She started as a server in the hotel’s food and beverage department. She continued working for the company while attending grad school. It was then that she realized that she enjoyed working at the hotel. A mentor at the hotel encouraged her to become a career profession in the hospitality industry. Today, Carow is a general manager of the Four Seasons corporation.

Applicants don’t necessarily have to have hotel skills but Carow is seeking candidates who have the energy, personality and willingness to provide the best southern hospitality possible. “We are the trainers,” Carow says, of the Four Season management team, “This is the part of my job that is so exciting, to mentor people with no skills and train them and watch them blossom.”

“New Orleans candidates are our top priority,” Carow adds.

Employees of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans will receive a comprehensive benefits package, including: Discovery stays at Four Seasons hotels worldwide, paid Holiday and Personal Time Off (PTO), daily complimentary employee meals prepared by the Four Seasons Culinary Team, complimentary dry cleaning of employee uniforms, discounted parking, and an Employee Assistance Program.

This article originally published in the February 8, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.