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00:00From the Scottish Highlands to the South Coast, the UK is proud to boast 116 five-star hotels.
00:10But in the heart of the capital, One Road is a luxury hotel hotspot.
00:16Home to eight five-star establishments and one unique destination.
00:22Welcome to Four Seasons London at Park Lane.
00:27Hello, sir. Welcome back. How are you?
00:29Now entering its 55th year, the hotel welcomes thousands of guests.
00:34Good afternoon. Concierge Desk, Mary speaking.
00:36From famous faces to royalty.
00:39Offering first-class service and Michelin star excellence.
00:45I have a very, very structural request.
00:47Mind-blowing.
00:49For the first time, the hotel has opened its doors.
00:53This is not good.
00:55OK, that sounds like a problem.
00:57To allow exclusive all-areas access.
01:00This one, I think, is about 2,500.
01:02It's like working in a kindergarten.
01:04But presenting five-star perfection...
01:07I'm like sunshine.
01:09...takes an army of hotel staff...
01:11Let's sit down.
01:12...who will stop at nothing to provide that personal touch.
01:16As long as it's legal and moral, we're going to make it happen in this rate. Yeah.
01:21This time, what does it take to keep a top hotel running like clockwork?
01:28That needs engineering.
01:30Where every minute of the day counts.
01:32Enjoy your service, guys.
01:34Prepare to spend 24 hours behind the scenes at Four Seasons.
01:40Four Seasons on Park Lane.
01:43Open 365 days a year,
01:46delivering five-star service morning, noon and night.
01:51Four Seasons is 247.
01:54It never shuts down at all, day, night, day, night.
01:57Salaam alaikum. Good to see you.
02:00When I think of the hotel, I think of Michelin star excellence.
02:05Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey. Cognac.
02:08That's how we do it, man. That's how we do it.
02:10You need each and every element of that
02:13to actually make the hotel function.
02:16Out of the 400 strong staff,
02:19one of the first to clock on in the morning is Victor.
02:27I usually wake up at five.
02:30I wake up at four and I go off to bed at nine,
02:33and I go to work at eleven and I won't wake up again.
02:36That's my method of standardisation.
02:38I go to work at five, I come home at ten and I go to work at eleven.
02:43One of the first to clock on in the morning is veteran floral designer, Rose.
02:48I'm giving them a drink because they've been travelling, just roughly cutting them.
02:53The flowers are delivered here every morning.
02:56Sometimes it's one trolley full, sometimes it's four trolleys full.
03:00I take those down to the basement where my workroom is,
03:04then I'll have a cup of tea and then I'll go back and start.
03:08I feel an enormous sense of pride for doing the flowers for this hotel.
03:16The atmosphere I'm trying to conjure is a sort of sense of place,
03:22a warmth, it's freshness, it's life, it's nature.
03:26It's a welcome, so it's very important.
03:31Every week for the last 36 years,
03:34Rose has created a new design for the lobby, which she refreshes a few days later.
03:40So we're doing pink today, we try and do a different colour every week.
03:44While the floral fairy godmother makes the hotel blooming beautiful for the guests,
03:50another wizard is whizzing in.
03:53Morning.
03:54Oi, oi.
03:55Oi, oi.
03:56Keeping the 196 guest rooms, 16 corridors, lobby and lounges,
04:03spick and span, requires a housekeeping army of 83.
04:09But when you have enough exquisite Axminster carpet to cover an entire football pitch,
04:14you need a dedicated specialist.
04:17My name's Stephen Boom, but everyone here at the Four Seasons calls me Boomy.
04:22I'm working for the engineering department as a carpet and upholstery cleaner.
04:26Whether it's tackling plush rugs in the lounges,
04:31or the patterned carpets in the bar,
04:33the Prince of Deep Pile is never beaten.
04:37He is, yes, he's a magician, yes, I will tell you so.
04:40He loves the fact that we have a light carpet.
04:45This type of carpet, as lovely as it is and as great as it looks once it's cleaned,
04:49every little individual stain shows up like a sore thumb.
04:53Boomy's nemesis, however, is the brand-new cream carpet in the restaurant Pavillon.
05:00The biggest problem I have is the grease.
05:03But buttery Michelin-style sauces are no match for Boomy and his top-secret formula.
05:10This is quite a bad area here, so if I use my chemical, it's just going to go straight away.
05:16Spray, extract, move on.
05:20Boom, and the mark is gone.
05:28Without cleaning personnel, what world would we live in?
05:32No matter how messy it is, no matter what's gone on,
05:35I can make things look a lot better very quickly.
05:39Best in the world.
05:42Number one.
05:44It's spot-free.
05:46That's what I'm here for, you know.
05:49Until about an hour's time when someone spills something.
05:55With its carpets pristine and ready to receive guests,
05:59next to rise and shine is award-winning restaurant Pavillon.
06:03OK, service, please.
06:056.30am is when breakfast fires up.
06:08As well as guests staying at the hotel, for £25 and upwards,
06:13visitors can tuck into a Michelin-starred menu of elegant, refined classics
06:19and unique specialist creations.
06:22Let's go, kids.
06:24Running the show for this morning's performance is manager and aspiring actor, Roberto.
06:30What's the most important meal of the day?
06:32Breakfast, obviously.
06:34OK, guys. Morning, how's everyone?
06:36The restaurant is still strong in our Medallia scores, 100%.
06:40Well done, guys.
06:41I like to be organised. I like to work fast.
06:44And I like breakfast myself, which helps when you're managing breakfast.
06:48You kind of need to like what you do.
06:50OK? Thank you, guys. Have a great shift.
06:54People come to a hotel to be looked after.
06:57This is their home away from home.
06:59So, what's the first thing you do in the morning?
07:01You get up, you have breakfast.
07:02How are you?
07:03How are you? Good.
07:04Heading up the morning service is Antipodean senior chef de partie, Sian,
07:09who's already been on the go since 5.30am.
07:13We get guests that come straight on 6.30, so we need to be set up for 6.30.
07:17It's already eight minutes past that, so we're a bit late today.
07:23Sian, Roberto and the team will serve up to 150 Michelin-star quality breakfasts each day.
07:30Check on French toast.
07:31Working their way through an exorbitant 55,000 eggs a year.
07:37Just ready. They're very delicate.
07:40From the creamy sauces to the flaky pastries, everything is made in-house.
07:45We have all of these pastries.
07:47We've got chia pudding, fruit bowls, mixed berries.
07:53To elevate your eggs to bucket-list level, for an extra £25 per teaspoon,
07:59caviar adds a real dollop of luxury.
08:03You can actually order whatever you want as a guest here.
08:05We'll run and find it for you and make it.
08:07We don't say no to the guest.
08:09I have a very, very special request.
08:11Yes?
08:13You do me a sausage sandwich.
08:14See what I mean?
08:17Sausage sandwich.
08:19That's not on the menu.
08:22But at Four Seasons, it's not just about giving people what they want.
08:26It's about giving them what they didn't know they wanted.
08:33Mesdames et Messieurs, prepare yourself for the pièce de breakfast résistance.
08:39A dish that boldly goes where no croissant has gone before.
08:43It's the egg and avo viral sensation.
08:46The croast.
08:49It is a gorgeous dish. It's amazing.
08:52Take it away, Sian.
08:54Today I'm going to plate up the avocado croast for you.
08:57I have a fresh croissant baked in-house in the bakery upstairs.
09:01We toast this one on the press toaster.
09:03I have guacamole, made fresh every morning.
09:07It's topped with one of our perfectly poached eggs, which we steam 63 degrees and then poach.
09:13Then we have a rocket salad, which is Italian rocket,
09:16dressed with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
09:20And a shallot dressing, which we make with pickled shallots.
09:24And then it's finished off with some parmesan cheese, which we grate all over the top.
09:35And at £26 a pop, one oeuf is never enough.
09:42Enjoy, everybody.
09:46Coming up, director of guest experience Andrea is on firefighting duty.
09:52We've got a bit of a melting pot of situation that needs to be fixed.
09:56It's all pillow talk in housekeeping.
09:58Place this in a nice way, sexy way. Wow factor on.
10:02And as an important guest arrives, assistant housekeeping manager Giorgi has an urgent wardrobe malfunction.
10:11Well, that needs engineering.
10:17On Park Lane, all 10 floors of Four Seasons are in full swing.
10:23Do you know how much luggage they have?
10:25While some guests enjoy the view from the top floor fitness centre.
10:29I haven't found another gym like this anywhere.
10:32Downstairs, resident seamstress Nadia is busy embroidering bespoke gifts.
10:38I'm going to have a look at this.
10:40Downstairs, resident seamstress Nadia is busy embroidering bespoke gifts.
10:46I like it now.
10:48Ready to give to director of housekeeping Ivan for today's briefing.
10:54Hello, here we are. Let's kick it off.
10:57There's a lot of things that are part of housekeeping.
11:00Every day is different, but I challenge you to run a hotel without housekeeping.
11:06Today, Ivan's 20-strong team will need to prepare around 8 to 10 rooms each during their 8-hour shift.
11:15Thank you all for waiting.
11:17Today we've got 45 arrivals, 25 departures. Occupancy will increase.
11:23We've got a couple of guests celebrating birthday.
11:25Then we've got Mr. McIntyre. We know him very well. He's returning. He's a very nice guest of us.
11:31He likes us because he tends to send us a gift for Christmas. He's very generous to us.
11:38Then we've got high-returning guests to the company.
11:40We're going to put one of these embroidered pillowcases that we prepared for them.
11:45Ingrid, I want you to place this embroidered pillowcase, please.
11:48Nice way. Sexy way. And wow factor way.
11:53Okay, I promise you.
11:54Please.
11:56Every single day, housekeeping changes around 980 kilos.
12:02That's almost a ton of the highest quality bed linen.
12:07Every perfectly presented bed comes with a choice of three different mattress toppers and a menu of seven types of pillow.
12:16But as mother used to say, these beds don't make themselves.
12:21I'm Alexandra. I am a roommate attendant at Four Seasons in the housekeeping department.
12:27I would like to show you how we are making a bed here for our best hotel in the world.
12:36First up, it's the pillows. And why have two when you can have six?
12:42And the last ones.
12:44Now there's time to lay your head.
12:46It's time for a bottom sheet, which is very precisely folded at each corner.
12:51Like a nice and tidy triangle.
12:55Now we're going to do a top sheet.
12:57Also done as precisely as the bottom sheet.
13:01Here we have special pockets where we can help ourselves with the weight.
13:09The size of this roll, we can try with our hand like that.
13:14Next, the pillows go on.
13:16These front pillows, we are doing like a smile.
13:20And it's all done.
13:22With each bed taking ten minutes to make, and each room an hour to prepare,
13:27by the time they clock off, Ivan's team will have clocked up 23,000 steps each.
13:34Hello stranger.
13:35Hello.
13:379am is when the house is ready to move in.
13:40It's time to move in.
13:42It's time to move in.
13:44It's time to move in.
13:46Hello stranger.
13:47Hello.
13:499am is when the hotel's glamorous director of guest experience steps into the spotlight.
13:57This is not the job for the faint of heart anyway.
13:59It's not the job for the timid or the shy.
14:02A bit of a flamboyance has never killed anybody.
14:05Italian-born Andrea has been masterminding the Four Seasons guest experience for the last two years.
14:12Front of house is always the brain of the hotel, and housekeeping is always the heart of it.
14:17There is no questions about it.
14:20For Andrea, every day is about striving.
14:24Reception and dress picking, how can I help?
14:26For five-star excellence.
14:28Oh, Mr Marco. How's it going?
14:33Oh boy, sounds like trouble.
14:35I would say that Andrea is the opposite than me.
14:39I am more of a hands-on, and Andrea is pam, pam, pam.
14:43And I love that.
14:46It's now just gone 11, and Andrea is primed to deploy his trademark efficiency.
14:52So today is actually a very hectic day.
14:54We've got 62 arrivals left, and it's 11.20 on Friday.
14:59We've got a bit of a melting pot of situation that needs to be fixed.
15:02Failure to prepare is prepared to failure.
15:05How's the mood? How's the vibe?
15:07Much better now.
15:08Yeah? Well, thanks for that.
15:10We have a vibe check, yes. I do like that, actually.
15:14I do like to check on that.
15:16You know what they say, a good manager is far more important than a good doctor.
15:20Of today's arrivals, one in particular is of utmost importance.
15:25You, sir, just so you know as well, one of the biggest VIPs of today is going to be the presidential suite.
15:31Yeah? Staying with us for a few nights, four-bedroom presidential suite.
15:35So it's going to be huge.
15:37They're coming from Heathrow at 1pm, so we just need to be ready for that arrival experience.
15:42We won't have a second chance to nail that.
15:45But for staff like Andrea, time is always ticking.
15:50Yeah, so we've got guests due in literally an hour.
15:53It's one of the biggest VIPs of the day.
15:57And this very important guest has booked the most expensive suite in the hotel.
16:03So yes, this is the presidential suite, yeah?
16:05It has one number and one only, and that's 500.
16:08Whenever a guest wants to really have their ultimate four-season experience,
16:11they always ask for the presidential suite.
16:13So whatever you want us to do, as long as it's legal and moral, we're going to make it happen in this suite.
16:20The presidential suite comes with a deluxe king bed as standard,
16:24luxurious marble bathroom, and a dining room table for six.
16:30If this table could talk, oh boy.
16:33There are some special touches that our housekeeping team has been doing,
16:36such as the monogrammed bathrobes with the name of the kids on it.
16:40I think it's such a nice touch to be fair to you.
16:42So the three-bedroom suite comes at a price of roughly £12,000 a night.
16:47So for this entire estate?
16:49We're talking about £55,000.
16:51OK.
16:53The very private VIP guest is bringing along three children.
16:57So I would say, let's arrange a section for the kids.
17:01And perfectionist Andrea has thought of everything.
17:04The camera.
17:05Absolutely...
17:06Wonderful.
17:07...everything.
17:08Great. Well done, Lana.
17:11Yeah? Perfect.
17:14OK, let's go. Yeah?
17:18Cool.
17:19You might think of me as a mix between a detective, a party planner,
17:24and eventually someone that is trying to make you happy.
17:27Lana, if my tie drops and I don't realise that,
17:30you are allowed to tell me off, yeah?
17:33Yes.
17:35I love silk ties, but they drop all the time.
17:38After a busy morning making guests' wishes come true,
17:41even this dynamo needs to recharge.
17:44OK, I might go and indulge in a bite.
17:48Enjoy.
17:49Is that all right for you? Absolutely.
17:53While Andrea sneaks out to the staff canteen for a rest and a ristretto,
17:58others are just warming up.
18:00So how are you today?
18:02You finished late, no?
18:03Yeah.
18:0511.30?
18:06Almost back to back.
18:07May.
18:08It's now midday and some of the guests are already stepping out into the city.
18:13Hello, madam. As-salamu alaykum. How are you?
18:15But before the rush of new arrivals...
18:17Welcome to the Four Seasons. How are you?
18:20..it's the doorman's turn to take centre stage.
18:23Have a great day. See you soon.
18:25First impression do last.
18:27Welcome to the Four Seasons. How are you?
18:29My name is Martin Oladude.
18:31I'm a door attendant and I've worked for Four Seasons parking for 14 years.
18:36My role is ambassador of the hotel.
18:39And this is why I'm like sunshine.
18:42Hello, sir. You're welcome to the Four Seasons.
18:45Did you see your laces not tied properly?
18:47The first contact when the guest arrives
18:50and the last contact when they leave.
18:53See you soon, inshallah.
18:57Sir, it's an orange, please.
18:59Martin is a fantastic doorman.
19:01He has a huge personality, but he also has a wonderful memory.
19:04So he remembers guests who possibly haven't even stayed with us here for ten years.
19:09Good afternoon, sir.
19:11Of course, I have met Mr Morris.
19:14Bless your heart.
19:16He's always got a smile on his face.
19:18He always says everything is fabulous.
19:20Fabulous, thank you.
19:21Which really brings a lovely sort of positive vibe to the team.
19:25See you later, alligator.
19:28Guests, when it comes to guests, this is why we are here.
19:31This is our purpose.
19:33From the bottom of my heart, I love it.
19:36Take care, sir. Have a good day.
19:44Each day, any number of guests can be checking out of the hotel.
19:48But with even more set to arrive,
19:50high noon signals a flurry of new faces.
19:57Time is ticking.
19:58So I'm going to be going to the meeting, to the Ops meeting.
20:01They should hopefully be checking in soon.
20:03Straight to the Presidential Suite.
20:05Let's go.
20:06Cool. Amazing.
20:07Ciao. I'll see you later.
20:09I always like to say,
20:12that every guest that comes through these doors is a VIP.
20:15However, some VIPs need a bit more love and attention than others.
20:22Before the rush of afternoon guest check-ins,
20:25housekeeping run their final room checks.
20:28We just need to make sure that everything is in order.
20:30And springing into action is Ivan's right-hand man, Gioji.
20:35Housekeeping. Hello.
20:37How are you doing?
20:39How are you doing? Done?
20:41Hungarian livewire Gioji has been enforcing the hotel's five-star values
20:47for the last three years.
20:49I mean, I'm trying to focus on all the things
20:51that the guests would not be able to check themselves.
20:53So when curtains are not in a way that are presentable,
20:56that's something that I would need to fix immediately.
20:59The bed needs to be very, very neat as well.
21:01And then after that, all that has been fixed,
21:03I can get into the smaller details
21:05and make sure that everything is okay as well.
21:07So definitely we are looking ahead very, very busily.
21:11I'll just quickly run through the bathroom.
21:14And most of it is done.
21:17Housekeeping.
21:19Gioji whizzes his way through up to 50 rooms a day.
21:23This is a big room. We will be here for a while.
21:25And this one needs to be ship-shape
21:28for returning guest and friend of the hotel, Mr McIntyre.
21:32But with a guest due in less than two hours...
21:35I'm hoping not to find any big issues.
21:41..time is of the essence.
21:45That's not good.
21:50Coming up, it's murder on the lobby floor...
21:53Mr Ivan, you are killing me, aren't you?
21:56..a DIY disaster...
21:58You can't be leaving stuff like this.
22:00..and with the guest imminent,
22:02it's squeaky door time for Gioji.
22:05CLEARS THROAT
22:21It's now afternoon at the hotel on Park Lane.
22:25The hotel has been described as a ship
22:27and it's ploughing a course through the sea.
22:30There is people in charge and there's people navigating it
22:33and there's people stoking the engines.
22:35And without everybody working together,
22:37it flounders in the water.
22:40I'll let you take a look at the menu.
22:42If you have any questions, let me know.
22:44While guests dive into the hotel's fine dining...
22:47We have the pithilette,
22:49and then we have, of course, soufflé or cream cheese.
22:52..others set sail to see what luxuries Mayfair has to offer.
22:56Thank you. Bye-bye.
22:58And the doormen are warming up on the sidelines
23:00to greet regular guest Mr McIntyre,
23:03who they know has a particular passion.
23:06Chelsea's playing in Arsenal Saturday.
23:09Is he going for a game? Of course, he's a Chelsea man.
23:12So see you soon, inshallah.
23:16A day in the life here at Four Seasons Hotel for the staff
23:20is all about the surprises.
23:22It's the surprises that's going to come through the door
23:25or pick up the telephone,
23:27and it's those challenges that keep us all on our toes.
23:31This room is earmarked for Mr McIntyre.
23:35But assistant housekeeping manager Giorgi
23:38is still waiting for engineering.
23:41And engineering can have a look while I am checking the room.
23:45Take care, sir. Have a good day. Thank you.
23:48With the room's occupant arriving any minute now,
23:51front of house need to buy housekeeping some extra time.
23:56It's always lovely to welcome Mr McIntyre back.
23:59He's one of our most long-standing guests,
24:02but he's also an extremely easy-going gentleman,
24:05and when we welcome him back, it's like welcoming back a friend.
24:09Mr McIntyre is an American Bermuda-based lawyer
24:12for an international law firm.
24:14He often travels with his wife, but this time he's solo.
24:18Thank you. Welcome back.
24:20Thank you, thank you. Nice to see you again.
24:23How was your journey? Very good, very good, as always.
24:26As Mr McIntyre unloads downstairs...
24:29Thank you, thank you.
24:31...upstairs the engineer has arrived to tackle the squeak.
24:34Hey, come on in.
24:36Eric, this one, can you do something with this?
24:43Just the hinges, maybe?
24:50How is it looking?
24:52Not good.
24:56OK, well, it seems like it's going to take a little bit longer than we expected.
25:00Down in the lobby, it's over to front-of-house manager George.
25:05Mr McIntyre, welcome back. Thank you.
25:07How are you? Nice to be back.
25:09It's good to see you back. Always good.
25:11After a short little gap.
25:13So, a busy nine days with us,
25:15or do you have a bit of time for yourself whilst you're here?
25:17Work and play. Work and play.
25:19Chelsea on Thursday, right? And Sunday.
25:21Yeah.
25:22Our returning guests are an incredible section of our clientele,
25:26and I might say actually one of the wittiest ones,
25:29because they do start to become a part of our surroundings,
25:33a part of the environment, a part of the people that we like the most.
25:37And then you warmly welcome back someone that you had good memories with.
25:42And when the whole hotel knows your favourite football team,
25:45that's five-star service.
25:48Feeling confident? Full on tonight.
25:50Full on tonight. Yeah, exactly.
25:52Exactly. Did you watch the United game?
25:54I was there. You were there? Yeah.
25:58Now, in added time, Georgie returns to inspect the room.
26:03How's it going?
26:05He thinks it's all over.
26:08How's it going?
26:14Neat. So, this is done.
26:16It is now.
26:21I'll show you the way up and get you settled in.
26:24We have a lovely room facing over the front for you up on the ninth floor.
26:27Thank you. Just this way. Thank you very much.
26:29We cannot let this down. We cannot drop the ball.
26:32Let's keep it up. We are here for the guests.
26:37On to the next one.
26:43Mr McIntyre will spend the next nine days in this room,
26:47which, for between roughly £1,100 and £1,900 a night,
26:52comes with a king-sized bed and front-row seats to Hyde Park.
26:57If there's anything you need while you're here, just let us know.
27:00Thank you very much, as always. Thank you so much. Welcome back.
27:03The point of the service that we're trying to provide
27:06is that the guests feel like they are part of our Four Seasons family.
27:11You know, when you come here, you know this is sort of like an oasis.
27:16Whatever is going on out there, this place is always peaceful, quiet.
27:21And the people, all the ones I know, they've been here for a long, long time.
27:24And I've now known them for, I think it's 12 years now.
27:27You know, you get to know the faces.
27:29And you know what else I like? It's silent.
27:37At the hotel throughout the day, it's our job to create this sense of calm,
27:44a sense of peacefulness, a refuge for the guests coming in.
27:47So everything that has to happen in the background, we keep that in the background.
27:56Someone in the background who's been firing on all cylinders since 8am
28:00is Head of Purchasing...
28:02Hello. Hello. ..Ian Maynard.
28:04How are you? Good, you? Good, thank you.
28:06You strike me as a get-up-and-go kind of man.
28:08Don't stop. You don't? Don't stop.
28:10When do you stop? Sleep between midnight and six.
28:14And that's about it.
28:16Scoutmaster and Four Seasons veteran Ian
28:19oversees delivery of everything both guests and staff could ever want or need.
28:25Regular purchases would be things like bin bags.
28:29We will buy bin bags by the pallet load.
28:31The most outlandish thing I've probably purchased in the last few years
28:35would be a kitchen suite.
28:38From furniture to fine wines...
28:40Sorry, guys.
28:42..toiletries to toilet rolls...
28:44Hey.
28:46..it's Ian's job to make sure no-one...
28:48Sorry, sorry. ..is caught short.
28:51Onwards.
28:52Ian is a bit of a man of mystery, I guess, here in the hotel,
28:55because you often need something immediately.
28:58You ask Ian and he goes somewhere in the hotel that I have no idea exists
29:02and finds it from somewhere.
29:04We're looking for new plates for our amenities.
29:08Hopefully in here should be a sample.
29:12Because the motto of both scouts and purchasing managers is be prepared.
29:18Would you want to play with that?
29:20I would.
29:21Layers.
29:23Have you got a teaspoon, chaps?
29:25In circulation, at any given time, there are roughly 2,000 teaspoons.
29:32Teaspoons.
29:34All this cutlery.
29:36Not a single teaspoon.
29:38Here's a single teaspoon.
29:40Teaspoons are like the socks of hospitality.
29:43You buy ten pairs of socks, you put them in the washing machine.
29:46Weeks later, you've only got eight and a half pairs.
29:48They just go. Where do they go?
29:50Nobody knows.
29:54Make sure I put it back, otherwise it goes missing.
29:58From 17,000 pairs of slippers
30:01to 40,000 toilet rolls a year,
30:04nothing comes into the hotel without Ian's say-so.
30:08We bring all the food in, all the deliveries,
30:10everything comes in through the back door.
30:12It's all checked by my team to make sure that the quantity's there,
30:15the weight's there, the quality's there, it's there, there, there.
30:18We open at 8 o'clock in the morning
30:20and the guys will be constantly receiving and moving stuff around
30:23till 4, 4.30 when we go home, and it just does not stop.
30:28In the restaurant, the last of the guests
30:31are starting their five-star lunches.
30:34Mmm!
30:36But behind the scenes, there's no rest for the wicked.
30:40One is constantly working because...
30:42Housekeeping is on.
30:43..because housekeeping is the most important department going.
30:46Everybody thinks they're more important than the next person,
30:50and the trick is to make them all feel important all at the same time.
30:55I do it quite well.
30:57What we're looking at here is this PO here for Ivan.
31:00These are little milk bottles that go in the rooms.
31:03I can see that he's ordering 15 cases of it,
31:06and I can see that he's gone slightly over budget.
31:09It will affect the guest experience.
31:11Which is the one thing we don't... Non-experience.
31:13..which is non-negotiable.
31:15And at the end of the day, it's why we're here.
31:18Ian and Ivan may be used to looking after their own kids at home,
31:22but when it comes to work, they have their hands full with each other.
31:27Have you done this order twice?
31:29I did one for tomorrow, and then I need another one for next week.
31:32Right, so he's done two orders,
31:34so that will be delivered around about ten o'clock tomorrow morning.
31:37Yes!
31:38I consider Ian a friend. I respect him a lot.
31:41I learn a lot from him, and I truly admire him.
31:46You know what? I'm behind Frederic and James
31:50to approve the toilet rolls.
31:52And again, I need that before 2pm, right?
31:54It's like working in a kindergarten.
31:57He can be grumpy at some point,
32:00but he wouldn't be Ian without his grumpiness.
32:04I am grateful, and it makes my position and my department
32:09better working with people like Ian Maynard.
32:12Will you shut up?
32:14I mean it.
32:15You know how it embarrasses me.
32:17Every time I'm not here, I miss being here.
32:20I can't see myself doing anything else.
32:23So, yeah, I love my job.
32:30Four Seasons proudly boasts an average of 2.5 staff members for every room.
32:37But some rooms need...
32:41..more attention than others.
32:44When you are a five-star hotel,
32:46a dent in the wall no bigger than a quail's egg
32:50is a crime against hotel standards.
32:53And when rectifying the offending dent,
32:56why hire one person when you can deploy an entire department?
33:03OK, let's go.
33:05So I'm in charge of the engineering department,
33:08and I have 17 engineers,
33:11of varying different trades.
33:13We have decorators, we've got French polishers,
33:15we've got stonemasons that look after our marble polishing and repairs.
33:18We cover 24-7, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
33:23His nickname is the number one engineer in London.
33:26The engineering team are a backbone to our operations
33:30to ensure that everything in those rooms is finished to perfection
33:34and nothing is left to chance.
33:36For people that are paying money for this suite,
33:39you can't be leaving stuff like this.
33:42In order to fix this unforgivable glitch in the ambassador's suite...
33:46I think it was ported a couple of weeks ago.
33:49..the whole wall must be stripped...
33:52But the room's been occupied, so we've not been able to get in here.
33:55..and the hole filled.
33:57That's it until the filler dries now.
33:59Steve's next job is to re-paper the entire wall,
34:04and at £500 a roll, he's the only one who can get it just so.
34:173pm, and the front-of-house team are still meeting and greeting.
34:22How are you? Great, how are you?
34:24While backstage in housekeeping,
34:26assistant housekeeping manager Giorgi is playing catch-up.
34:30OK, what's happening?
34:32I have 14 emails to catch up with.
34:34And his next job is inspecting the newly re-papered ambassador's suite.
34:39So it was approximately here, just above the sofa,
34:43so it was quite visible, and the engineering team had to step in.
34:47The offending dent is now unidentifiable.
34:51Hi, it's Giorgi. The ambassador's suite is ready.
34:54Thank you, bye.
34:56That's hotel snags nil, housekeeping too.
35:03Coming up...
35:04Enjoy your service, guys!
35:06Pavillon braces itself for an onslaught of diners.
35:10Catch-up deal, a bit of vodka to finish up, nice and, you know, a bit spicy, let's call it.
35:15Florist Roz has a brush with royalty.
35:18Princess, princess, I'm the king of the market.
35:22And the night shift expects the unexpected.
35:26Don't scramble it. Don't scramble it.
35:30Oh, hell, it's about to set loose.
35:44It's early evening in Mayfair.
35:46Hello, how are you? Welcome back. Good to see you.
35:49The day's hustle and bustle is making way for Restaurant Pavillon to take centre stage.
35:57Let's go.
35:59Restaurant manager Romain began his career in Paris
36:04and, despite being just 27 years old,
36:07has been running the show since it opened 18 months ago.
36:11Tonight, so 36 booking for the moment for Pavillon.
36:1638 right now, thank you, chef.
36:19All of our guests of the hotel will come,
36:22all of our guests of the hotel will come,
36:24even for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.
36:27So we'll always grab a bit of their attention.
36:29So we always need to be part of the game.
36:33It's getting busy, chef is happy.
36:35So, yeah, I will say, enjoy your service, guys.
36:40Dinner for us is a bit like a theatre.
36:48For Pavillon, the main concept is this counter
36:51and that's for dinner that you can really feel the experience.
36:59Dinner at the Michelin-starred Pavillon is a unique and exquisite affair.
37:04Roasted bone marrow and it's cooked with a bit of chorizo oil.
37:07Whether you wish to order à la carte...
37:10A touch of dill, a bit of vodka to finish up, nice and, you know, a bit spicy, let's call it.
37:14Or spend £148 on a six-course extravaganza.
37:20Nothing is truly off the menu.
37:23We go further in terms of personalisation of the service.
37:28MUSIC
37:46But when night falls and the day shift leaves to rest and recharge,
37:51a new team prepares to take control.
37:54We will hand it over to our amazing night team.
37:56So, Massimo has come in this evening for the office shift
38:00and Kamal, who's here on the floor.
38:02Really unsung hero, I think, is a really great way to describe them.
38:05It's non-stop up here.
38:07Before clocking out, Victoria's last job is a briefing
38:10to let the night team know what to expect.
38:13So, we have two pre-orders for the morning.
38:15One is going to be at 6.30 and then one at 7am
38:18and it's going to be an English breakfast and then some other berries.
38:21So, VVIP, please make sure everything is wonderful.
38:24Thank you very much. Have a good night.
38:26The team may have been briefed...
38:28Good night.
38:29..but as night shift manager Kamal knows,
38:32the wee small hours bring unpredictable requests.
38:44Here we go.
38:47Whether it's a soothing late-night chamomile tea...
38:51Thank you. You're welcome.
38:53..or a bespoke sandwich for those midnight munchies...
38:56No side, no eggs, no cheese.
38:58..the night shift have got all requests covered.
39:01Enough eggs to feed a five-a-side football team...
39:04Tense, crumbling eggs.
39:06Tense, crumbling.
39:07..no problem.
39:09It is Kamal and Massimo's job to burn the midnight oil
39:13to keep the hotel fed, watered and wanting for nothing until morning.
39:20I will be the last person to bid farewell to the night shift
39:25and the first person to say good morning to the morning shift.
39:29It's very, very nice.
39:35Before dawn breaks across the city
39:38and the guests are still tucked up in bed
39:41dreaming of fluffy French toast and crispy croasts,
39:47the hotel enjoys a moment of peace and quiet
39:51before another day begins.
39:58Morning. How are you?
40:01Head florist Roz is already making her regular pilgrimage
40:05to London's floral mecca.
40:07To work at this level, it takes a huge amount of dedication,
40:11it takes a huge amount of passion.
40:14I've always felt it's almost like a vocation.
40:17It's me, it's who I am.
40:21This morning, she's catching up with long-term collaborator
40:25and inside man, Peter.
40:27Is my stuff here?
40:29Oh, gosh, yes.
40:31Princess, princess, princess.
40:35When it comes to sourcing the finest for four seasons,
40:39Roz uses nothing but the best.
40:41I held a royal warrant for Her Majesty the Queen.
40:45I supply all the royal families,
40:47flowers at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
40:50I'm the king of the market.
40:53All right, well, I'll set off back to the ranch then
40:56and wait for this lot to turn up.
40:58Have a good day and we'll see you soon.
41:00I'll see you soon.
41:02I feel an enormous sense of pride for doing the flowers for this hotel.
41:12The big part of my job is hoping to make people happy.
41:18Hoping that when they walk through the door,
41:20they're like, wow, this looks fabulous.
41:23Take off a few of the leaves because the leaves take up energy,
41:28so we want all the water to go to the flower head.
41:31You know, you put everything into it,
41:34but it's a very subjective art.
41:39I think the very fact that I've been here all this time
41:43just shows how important the Four Seasons is to me.
41:48It's been my life.
41:55Bonjour, good morning.
41:57Good morning, sir.
41:59I just came to say good morning.
42:01How are you?
42:03And just like that, things come full circle.
42:06So what are you going to give me now, the scrambled eggs well done?
42:09Yeah.
42:10As the 24-7 cycle at Four Seasons Park Lane begins again.
42:16They're going to see if they can get a second S class at 12 noon.
42:20Here are the Four Seasons, I'm telling you, you're always looking forward.
42:23Madam, you're welcome. How are you? Good to see you.
42:25Seeing our guest again brightens everything.
42:29Another walk?
42:31So there's never a bad day.
42:33Today is pure motivation, it's pure let's go.
42:36The more challenge today, the better for me.
42:39You know how to do it, right? One factor way.
42:42I promise you.
42:43At the end of the day, it is, guys, well done.
42:46Mr. McIntyre, welcome back.
42:49I end most days feeling like I've done a good job
42:51and our guests have had a great experience and that's why I'm here.
42:56I'll show you the way up.
42:57Thank you very much.
42:58You come back the next day ready to go again
43:00because it's such a fantastic experience to work in.
43:03I'm sweating like an Italian cow on the 15th of July.
43:08Everything we do is all about the guests.
43:11Done? Done.
43:13Making sure that their stay, their experience, their meals,
43:17their function has been the most memorable it can be.
43:21What we actually deliver on a daily basis
43:24is making sure that a guest feels a sense of luxury.
43:28I'm going to add a bit of white truffle.
43:32Sounds like it's going to fall apart any minute.
43:35Bit like the florist.
43:37It's an operation that runs 24 hours a day
43:39and when you get to the end of the day,
43:41you cannot believe where the day has gone
43:43and I actually never want to leave.
43:46But the good news is we get to come back the next day
43:49and do it all over again.
43:54Check on French toast.
43:58Next time...
43:59She's back.
44:00Some big spenders are checking in.
44:02The guest wants it blacked out completely.
44:04It's done.
44:06And the hotel must pull out all the stops.
44:09She likes this chilli oil, only from this restaurant.
44:12We're going to go and buy it for her.
44:13The countdown is on to some celebrity arrivals.
44:17It's happening.
44:18Thank you very much.
44:19Plus, when the owner of the entire hotel chain is coming,
44:24failure is not an option.
44:26Where are the keys?