Yvette Thomas-Henry

YVETTE

THOMAS-HENRY

Regional Vice President and General Manager

Yvette Thomas-Henry follows the mantra of “always strive to be the best at whatever you do.” She learned this early on from her mother who made this a calling card for her five children. “I took it a step further, by not just being the best, but being associated with the best,” says ThomasHenry. Keeping that mentality at the front of her mind, those words are evident in her ceiling-shattering journey to the top as the current Regional Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Nevis.

As a veteran of Four Seasons with a career spanning more than a decade, Thomas-Henry began her career with the leading luxury hotel company as Director of Rooms at Four Seasons Hotel New York in 2007 and soon became a known leader in the industry across the East Coast with a stop at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC. But it was her return to New York in 2013 where Thomas-Henry assumed the role of Acting General Manager following the transfer of the Hotel’s previous executive, that her own GM and hotel leadership future was crystalised.

In 2015, Thomas-Henry headed south to Atlanta and quickly took charge as the Hotel’s new General Manager. With a reinvigorated Hotel operation, which included refreshed guest rooms, new restaurant Bar Margot and a newly redesigned Penthouse Ballroom on the Hotel’s 50th floor, Thomas-Henry embraced the challenges and excitement of her newfound leadership. She brought with her a personal enthusiasm, a passion for hospitality, a focus on growing female leaders, a commitment for giving back to the community and the expectation of the same from her colleagues. Central to her style of management is a commitment to her team and to creating an environment that is focused on motivating everyone to be their best, to be empowered and be their most creative selves. Under her leadership, the Hotel achieved four years of financial success, including the most historic year of financial performance while also maintaining its status as AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Five-Star address in Atlanta. Now, the native of the United States Virgin Islands returns home to the Caribbean to lead the team at Four Seasons Resort Nevis as the company’s first Caribbean property emerges from a gamechanging, multi-year enhancement project.

Not always walking a path toward the hospitality industry, ThomasHenry’s interest in hotels piqued one afternoon while strolling through Central Park South after passing The Plaza Hotel, a luxury hotel that was hosting a job fair. With the need of a job to help cover college expenses and glamorous thoughts of meeting famous celebrities flooding her mind, Thomas-Henry popped in and was hired as a front office agent. From there, she was promoted into a supervisory role, which included the training management of line staff, and later led to an assistant manager position. From there, her career in the hotel industry took off. Prior to joining the Four Seasons family, Thomas-Henry held leadership positions at the property level with The Waldorf Astoria, Conrad Hotels and The Ritz-Carlton.

Never looking back, Thomas-Henry has flourished in the luxury hotel industry and notably as the first female African-American General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta and Regional Vice President with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. In her latest leadership role in Nevis, Thomas-Henry continues to oversee several properties, including two Caribbean resorts. Confident in her role and her accomplishments, Thomas-Henry advocates that this is a prime time for women to take charge and attain leadership positions such as hers. “Women bring such a special sense of style and an approach to leadership that is unique. The value of what we bring to the table is being recognised across many industries,” she says.

With a passion for the arts and the mentorship of aspiring female leaders in the hotel industry, Thomas-Henry has been an active speaker at the Castell Project in Atlanta, which is focused on accelerating the development of high-potential women in the hospitality industry. She has also served as a member of the Steering Committee for Women in Leadership for Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association and sat on the board for several organisations, including the Midtown Alliance, the Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center, The National Black Arts Festival and the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Additionally, Thomas-Henry has acted as a mentor for elementary school students at Tuskegee Airman Global Academy, an inner city elementary school in an underserved community, and has worked alongside her nearly 300 Atlanta employees to dedicate more than 500 hours of annual service toward local organisations across the city and lend support to organisations giving back to the community.

When she’s off the clock, Thomas-Henry enjoys travelling. Her preferred method for navigating short distances is via roller blades, a skill she honed in Central Park. When she boards a flight, her passport is likely to be stamped with international destinations. Thomas-Henry enjoys travelling with family and swears by annual girlfriend trips to places with great art, great food and great music.

Married to her high school sweetheart Thomas for nearly 30 years, the couple are proud parents of two wonderful, confident adult sons Myles and Jarrod. They have been some of her biggest supporters as she has risen through the ranks of her career. Born in St. Thomas, USVI and raised in St. Croix, Thomas-Henry credits her mother for constantly reminding her to be the best at whatever she does. Thomas-Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Language Pathology at Pace University, New York and a Masters of Science in Administration for Human Service from Audrey Cohen College in New York.