From Bora Bora to Rabat: A New Leadership Role Within Four Seasons
Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr has appointed Romain Chanet as General Manager. According to his professional profile, he took up the position in August 2026, having previously led Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora from January 2022 to July 2026.
This internal move comes less than five years after he joined Four Seasons and represents a significant change of environment: from island resorts in the Pacific to an urban luxury hotel housed within a historic complex overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Originally from Deauville and the third generation of a family of hoteliers, Romain Chanet has worked across Europe, the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific. His experience spans commercial, financial and operational leadership roles with Marriott International, Starwood Hotels and Four Seasons.
A Career Built on Revenue Management and Hotel Operations
Romain Chanet’s career has a distinctive feature: before moving into general management positions at luxury hotels, he spent more than a decade specialising in revenue management and commercial strategy.
Following an initial position at London’s Le Gavroche restaurant in 1999, he joined Renaissance Paris La Défense in 2000. He progressively moved into revenue management before assuming broader responsibilities at Marriott Champs-Élysées and Renaissance Vendôme.
Between 2007 and 2008, he oversaw revenue analysis for a portfolio of nine Marriott hotels in Paris, representing approximately 2,250 rooms.
He subsequently joined Starwood Hotels, where his responsibilities included overseeing revenue strategy for Le Méridien Étoile and Le Méridien Montparnasse, two properties comprising nearly 2,000 rooms.
In 2011, he became Director of Revenue Management at Le Méridien Étoile while joining a development programme designed for future general managers.
This period enabled him to progressively broaden his expertise across hotel operations, food and beverage, events and team management.
New Caledonia, Seychelles and Bali: International Resort Leadership
In 2013, Romain Chanet assumed his first hotel leadership role at Le Méridien Île des Pins in New Caledonia.
His responsibilities included supporting a renovation programme and improving operational performance. According to his professional record, the property achieved gross operating profit 11.4% above budget in 2014, alongside an employee engagement index of 93%.
He subsequently became General Manager of Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove in the Seychelles, serving from 2015 to 2018. His tenure combined the repositioning of the food and beverage offering, improvements in financial performance and environmental initiatives, including a coral restoration programme.
In 2018, he joined Soori Bali, a property affiliated with The Leading Hotels of the World. During his tenure, he oversaw a team of 220 employees. According to the results detailed in his CV, GOP improved by nine percentage points, while flow-through, measuring the proportion of revenue growth converted into operating profit, reached 73%.
From July 2019 to December 2021, he returned to New Caledonia as Multi-Property General Manager of Le Méridien Nouméa Resort & Spa and Le Méridien Île des Pins. During this period, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, he oversaw operations and preparations for the resumption of business activity.
In January 2022, he joined Four Seasons in Bora Bora, remaining there until July 2026.
In Rabat, Responsibility for a Heritage Hotel Asset
Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr occupies a restored 18th-century royal palace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The property combines Moroccan architectural heritage with international luxury hospitality standards. Its management requires a balance between preserving the property’s identity, meeting the brand’s operational requirements and developing its commercial positioning.
Romain Chanet now oversees all aspects of the hotel’s operations, from guest experience and team management to financial performance.
In the official announcement, he emphasised the importance of the hotel’s architectural heritage and its employees in shaping the hospitality experience.
His arrival comes as Rabat seeks to strengthen its tourism appeal and positioning in the upscale and luxury segments, particularly among international travellers.
A Background That Also Includes Hotel Investment and Asset Management
A graduate of École Hôtelière Savoie Léman, Romain Chanet also completed a Cornell University programme in Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management in 2018.
This qualification complements a career already strongly focused on asset performance, revenue optimisation and margin improvement.
Throughout his career, he has also received several professional distinctions, notably in innovation, revenue management and the development of hotel concepts.
THT Analysis | An Appointment at the Intersection of Operational Performance and Heritage Asset Management
Beyond an internal leadership move, this appointment illustrates the value luxury hospitality groups place on executives capable of combining several dimensions of hotel asset management.
Romain Chanet’s background brings together three complementary areas of expertise: revenue strategy developed at large urban hotels, operational leadership of international resorts and the management of repositioning projects.
For a property such as Four Seasons Rabat, whose value derives as much from its history and architecture as from its operations, this combination could provide a platform for further development.
The challenge extends beyond maintaining Four Seasons’ service standards. It also involves strengthening the property’s competitiveness, maximising its various revenue streams and establishing a sustainable market position.
His understanding of profitability and asset management could also help facilitate dialogue between the operator’s objectives and the financial expectations associated with the underlying real estate asset.
This final consideration represents a strategic interpretation of his career rather than a specific objective announced by Four Seasons.
At a Glance
Appointment: Romain Chanet, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr.
Effective date: August 2026, according to his professional profile; publicly announced in November.
Previous position: General Manager, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora (January 2022–July 2026).
Experience: More than 25 years in international luxury hospitality, including Marriott, Starwood and Four Seasons.
Expertise: Revenue management, hotel profitability, operational leadership and resort repositioning.
Education: École Hôtelière Savoie Léman; Cornell University certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management.
