Simon Pettigrew Guides Four Seasons Through A Renovation And Plans For Another Round While Stressing Focus On Quality

After landing in the hospitality industry "by accident" back in his native England, Simon Pettigrew has risen through the ranks. Today he serves as general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami.

Mr. Pettigrew has worked for the luxury hotel chain for 25 years. He worked at numerous Four Seasons locations throughout North America before coming to Miami early last year.

"I always love the [city] that I’m in," he said. "Wherever I go I find the good in every single place, and Miami has just been an incredible destination in my year-plus."

In Miami he’s encountered an interesting destination, which attracts business travelers and leisure visitors alike. The Four Seasons Brickell has a resort feel while being in the middle of an urban setting, he said.

Mr. Pettigrew oversaw the completion of the Miami hotel’s first renovation since 2003, which included a redesign of rooms and the launch of a new restaurant — Edge, Steak & Bar. He supervised the renovation of the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver before the 2010 Olympic Games and the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.

The Brickell hotel might see more changes in its near future. Mr. Pettigrew said a design firm has been hired, and the hotel is in the formative stages of giving some of the hotel’s public areas an overhaul.

Aside from overseeing the hotel’s operations, Mr. Pettigrew sits on the board of the Greater Miami & the Beaches Hotel Association.

During his many years in the hotel industry he’s experienced good times and bad.  He used his collaborative leadership style during the downturn of the economy to figure out how to react without sacrificing the guests’ experience.

"I think every hotel reacted in a similar way regardless of the location," he said. "I was in Vancouver during the downturn, but I think everybody had to look at efficiency. How do we do a little bit more with a little bit less? The most important thing was retaining as much of our resources, talent as possible. We’re in the people business, so we have to retain those superstars as a primary goal."

Mr. Pettigrew discussed his experience in the hospitality industry and the hotel’s recent renovations with Miami Today staff writer Patricia Hoyos at the Four Seasons Hotel.To read the entire issue of Miami Today online, subscribe to e -Miami Today, an exact digital replica of the printed edition. To read this profile article in its entirety, subscribe to e-MiamiToday. With the e-MiamiToday you will be able to read the entire contents of Miami Today online exactly as it appears in print. Or order this issue, to receive a regular printed copy of this week’s Miami Today. You may also subscribe to the printed edition of Miami Today to receive the newspaper every week by mail. If you are reading this in Miami Today’s “Online Archive” as an archived web page and would like to see the entire article that was published, call Miami Today, 305-358-2663 and ask for the Circulation Department.   Top Front Page About Miami Today Put Your Message in Miami Today Contact Miami Today © Copyright 2012 Miami Today designed and produced by Green Dot Advertising and Marketingvar gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-4990655-1″);pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._trackPageview(); var _rsCI=”us-bpaww”; var _rsCG=”0″; var _rsDN=”//secure-us.imrworldwide.com/”; var _rsPLfl=0; var _rsSE=1; var _rsSM=1.0; var _rsCL=1;