Benjamin Moury or hotel youth
Suit impeccably tailored, tie perfectly knotted, hair neatly styled, Benjamin Moury arrives at our appointment at the Bar des Bergues with a determined stride. In a slightly hoarse voice – giving the false impression of not having slept all night – he orders a sparkling water with fresh ginger… just to give himself a boost. Naturally cheerful, he quickly lends himself to a relaxed interview. Let’s meet a hard-working man who has climbed the ladder of the famous hotel group’s hierarchy and has no intention of stopping there.
Parisian brasserie
From an early age, Benjamin Moury has always had the restaurant business in his blood. The son of restaurant owners in the Paris suburbs, he grew up with his father behind the stove and his mother in the dining room. In his family’s gourmet fish and seafood establishment, he cultivated the art of daily service and hospitality. “There was only one meat on the menu, and it was tournedos Rossini, which was delicious. My favorite dish is still sole meunière,” he recalls. With a scientific baccalaureate in his pocket, the young student was passionate about biochemistry, but came up against a level of student competition he hadn’t expected. In his second year, he decided to leave academia and work temporarily for a major hotel chain to finance a trip to Thailand with friends. On his return, he applies for a permanent contract…
He spent three years at the Marriott on Paris’s Left Bank. With its 740 rooms, he started out as a commis, then became a chef de rang, responsible for a coffee shop within the hotel. The young apprentice continued his ascent to the banqueting department and its 5,000 square meters on three floors. “An experience I’ll never forget. Depending on the reception, it’s pure adrenalin. At just 20, he became banquet maître d’ before being approached by the Four Seasons George V in Paris, a hotel on the rise at the time. After a string of interviews over four hours, he landed the job of chef de rang in the La Galerie area. In 2010, the Four Seasons adventure begins in the heart of Paris’ 8th arrondissement.
Patience and loyalty
Benjamin Moury has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the hotel industry, honing his approach to service. “Every person I’ve met has taken the trouble to deform me in order to train me better”. He then moved to the summits of the Megève resort, where he took part in the opening of the hotel in Haute-Savoie as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager. After two summer seasons and one winter season, he landed on the shores of Lake Geneva at the Hôtel des Bergues Four Seasons. “I still remember crossing the Mont-Blanc Bridge for the first time and gazing at this magnificent edifice”. From the mountains to the lake, he kept his F&B job – as they say in the jargon – and became department manager two years later.
The timing smiled on him; the departure of the assistant manager offered him the opportunity to apply for the position, which he landed in September 2021. Benjamin Moury was barely 33 when he reached the top echelons of the emblematic palace. His secret? Whether in life or in work, I’ve always believed in loyalty. The Four Seasons Group recognizes perseverance, patience and loyalty. That said, you also have to give time to time. Throughout my career, I’ve never jumped the gun, and if I had, time would have caught up with me anyway.
The future
And then there was the fire which recently destroyed part of the hotel’s attic and seriously damaged the Izumi restaurant. Benjamin Moury is not giving up, quite the contrary. With new projects on the horizon, including the revitalization of the Italian gourmet restaurant Il Lago and the renovation of certain rooms and suites, he and the entire hotel team clearly have no time or intention of resting on their laurels. For this talented hotelier, there’s still a long way to go! Let’s hope Geneva can keep him for some time to come…
