To watch this episode, head to https://youtu.be/tMghGC2VZMo This week, we’re in one of the stunning bedrooms at Corinthia London, talking to a man whose story genuinely feels like a film. Simon Casson, now CEO of Corinthia Hotels and former President EMEA at Four Seasons, was once told at 15 that he was a failure, that his education was over, and that he should “learn to fix cars or join the army” He went home devastated. His mum came back from a bar shift, wrapped her arms around him and said: “Simon, you’re special. You’re going to be a leader of men. You’re going to achieve great wealth and success. And I believe in you” From washing dishes and sleeping in a room above a local restaurant… to becoming the youngest GM in Four Seasons… to running 45 hotels and 17,000 people… to now leading Corinthia’s push to “challenge luxury’s usual suspects” - this is a story of belief, graft, failure, and a very people first kind of success. In This Episode “You’re a failure” at 15 – the careers officer, the crushing conversation, and the one sentence from his mum that changed everythingDishes, cheap digs & cheap labour – washing up, living above the restaurant, then a “management training scheme” that was really just doing every job in the hotel (and secretly the best education imaginable)Castles, chefs & the Four Seasons bug – being spotted by Kit Chapman at The Castle at Taunton, working alongside a young Gary Rhodes, and being introduced to Four Seasons as “the greatest hotel company in the world”From managing to leading – the early disaster as Room Service Manager at Four Seasons London and the moment it all changedWashington, Doha, Dubai & beyond – Clinton era D.C., meeting heads of state and celebrities, becoming the youngest Four Seasons GM in Doha, opening hotels in the Middle East and Africa, and eventually becoming President for Europe, Middle East & AfricaSacrifice, anxiety & imposter syndrome – missing chunks of his kids’ childhood, hiding the fact he had no degree, and learning that pressure, doubt and growth often live in the same roomThe “second mountain” – stepping away after 35 years at Four Seasons, retreating to a farm in Croatia, and then being courted by global brands before choosing Corinthia as the place to write his next chapterCorinthia’s new chapter – why London was transformational, how New York became “the star of the Met Gala”, and what it really means to be a “true contender” in global luxury Stand-Out Quotes “When the whole world’s saying, ‘No, you can’t,’ you really just need one person to say, ‘Yes, I believe in you. You can.’” “We’re all masters of our own destinies. We all have to polish our own diamond.” “Leadership has to be rooted in humanity. It has to be rooted in kindness. It has to be anchored in really caring about people’s...
