Looking Back, Stelliers 2017: Empowering Hospitality Heroes
Join us on a journey through the years with Stelliers as we take a closer look at our history, major achievements and notable honourees of the hospitality industry!
2017
In 2017, we made our return to Macau in order to host the fourth edition of our grand awards ceremony. Held at the glamorous Studio City Macau, the event was yet another iteration that celebrated the achievements of hospitality professionals from all across China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). In the same year, we continued to host the Asia competition, further solidifying our standing as the premier platform for recognising and elevating excellence in the hospitality industry!
Gonçalo Monteiro dos Santos
From Passionate Apprentice to Hospitality Visionary
Award Won in 2017: Rooms Hotelier of the Year
Position in 2017: Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Macai, Cotai Strip
Current Position: Vice President of Hotel Operations, Londoner Hotel and Conrad Macao
Gonçalo’s passion for the hospitality industry all began at a young age when he discovered his passion for cooking. Helping his parents with party preparations in the kitchen ignited his love for hospitality, prompting him to pursue a degree in hospitality management. His career took off when he joined the Four Seasons in Lisbon during the reflagging of the historic Hotel Ritz.
Over a decade, Gonçalo honed his skills in various Food and Beverage-related areas, including In-Room Dining and Restaurants, Bars and Catering. His dedicated and expertise led to his promotion as the Director of Food & Beverage in Lisbon. Seeking new challenges, he moved to Four Seasons in Macao, where he spent eight years rising through the ranks to the position of Hotel Manager in 2014.
In 2018, following his win as Stelliers Rooms Hotelier of the Year, Gonçalo embraced a new role as General Manager and embarked on the exciting journey of opening the highly-anticipated Four Seasons in Montreal, marking its re-opening in Canada. Two years later, he returned “home” to Macau, in order to oversee the opening of The Londoner Hotel.
This experience was particularly special for Gonçalo and his team, as they worked to transform the Holiday Inn Hotel into the lavish Londoner Hotel Macau – all of which also required extensive training and development of the entire staff, from Room Attendants and Front Office GRO to Servers. Nevertheless, the team embraced the challenge and delivered exceptional guest services, earning them numerous accolades over the last two years, including the prestigious Forbes 5-star recognition for the Londoner Hotel team.
Now, Gonçalo leads both The Londoner and Conrad properties for Sands China, showcasing his leadership skills and commitment to excellence in the industry in his pursuit of creating unforgettable guest experiences.
Is there any advice that you would like to pass on to aspiring hoteliers, or hoteliers applying to Stelliers this year?
“I believe that our goal should be to improve ourselves and our team every day. If we can overcome all of our hurdles together, supporting each other and accepting each other’s weaknesses and strengths, our teams can be much stronger and more consistent. As Steve Jobs said, “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close, in fact, that you tell them what they need before they realise it themselves.”
Are you ready to showcase your hard work and dedication to hospitality to the world? Applications for Stelliers 2023 are now open! Click “Apply Now” at the end of this article to submit your application today!
Applications Close:
June 16, 2023