At 24, armed with a Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Laussane, he went out into the world not to seek his fortune, but wealth in the form of experience, to return home to Switzerland one day and hopefully start his own restaurant. But destiny, which time and again proves it decides its own course, did not allow Armando Kraenzlin to do so. Instead, the world of hospitality caught the young man in its exciting grip and today 22 years later, he is a committed hotelier, the restaurant dream not just shelved, but happily abandoned!

The Four Seasons Hotel at Worli in Bombay is India’s first. And Armando who went about setting it up has in a way created a mini history of sorts. It’s surprising this Canadian hotel chain which has existed since 1961 took so long to make its presence felt in India. Though I was assured by Armando it was not for want of trying. They have, in fact been at it since 10 years! However India is glad they have finally opened their elegant doors here and with the same style and class that spells Four Seasons the world over, all of 82 properties that the group owns.

So what’s the route that Armando took to reach where he is today. Let’s trace his footsteps. When he decided to leave the chocolate shores of Switzerland, it was for three years, or so he thought. After applying to 50 overseas jobs he got one offer. It was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His family was aghast. From the safe cocoon of the Swiss mountain life to the mysterious Middle East was a scary jump. But not for Armando. He was happy to take the leap. His family thought he was mad. All fingers pointed at his father, an interior designer for restaurants and hotels, he had to own the responsibility! It was due to this exposure that Armando and his brother Adriano even as tiny tots, began their love affair with the world of food and wine, restaurants and hotels. Adriano is today a successful restaurant designer and Armando a committed hotel executive.

Armando never regretted his decision. “It was an experience which was incredible, right from touch-down in Riyadh, till a year later when I moved on, having learnt so much, having made so many friends who are till today my friends,” says Armando, nostalgically. “The hotel was called Al Khozama and it exists even today, just as popular as ever,” he adds.

The next job was at Regent Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, where he was for one year and where he received the phone call that changed his life, he informs. The offer to join the mother of all hotels: Oriental in Bangkok as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager. He stayed on here for six years, became passionate about the region, travelling all over: Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia… learning all the time. And best of all, the GM of the hotel, Kurt Wachtveitl became his mentor for life, who not only influenced him greatly, but helped Armando immensely. Wachtveitl is still with the Oriental in Bangkok – that’s 40 years in one place! Speaks volumes of the man.

Next came Cosamui, with the same group where he at a rather young age, 32, became General Manager. And then it was to Oriental, Singapore, after which his sojourn with Four Seasons began. He joined Four Seasons Jakarta in 1999 as the number two in charge and moved on to Four Seasons Kuda Hurra situated on a tiny 450 metres long and 80 metres wide island in the Maldives, as boss-man. He was to stay here for 18 months, but fell in love with the place, discovered he is an island man and stayed on for six years learning among other nice things, some serious bit of diving. And then one day a little bird whispered to him about the new Four Seasons that was in the offing in India.

He was already an Indophile while he was in the Maldives travelling every summer to parts of India even Indians don’t travel to. Ladakh, Assam, Shillong. In Lucknow he has been to every kebab house, in Darjeeling where he has been several times he studied all about tea, in Shillong he ate deep fried baby bees, an experience he isn’t keen to repeat in a hurry!

The fact remains that this up-market back-packer (who throws in a few belongings in a sports bag, not haversack, and just takes off) loves our country immensely and has been reading about its culture, cuisine, people, customs, traditions for a while. So when the India project was announced, he requested his company to put him in charge of the challenging new project. And they did. As simple as that.

“I love India and I love the policies of my hotel group. They do their best to help people be where they want to be, go where they think they are best suited, where they will do their best. I wanted to be here and here I am!” How nice is that. No wonder then, when the Tsunami hit their hotel in the Maldives and the devastation wreaked havoc in the daily lives of 450 staff members and their families (miraculously not one life was lost, although the hotel was destroyed 90%) staff and guests from all over the world raised half a million dollars to help them get back on their feet. It was in the second year that Armando was there and he not only succeeded in restoring the place in one and a half year, but also helped set up another Four Seasons hotel in Baa Atoll in the northern part of Maldive. It’s bigger with coral reefs and a tourquoise blue two kilometer long lagoon, where turtles come and lay their eggs on the beach, a place in the middle of nowhere, far away from the civilization.

After having lived in such a paradise it’s not surprising that Armando bought himself an island off Palawan in northern Philippines and is building a retreat for himself, family and friends. This activity is going on since 1999 and is still in the making, but that’s where he heads whenever he needs re-charging! Armando has got it all worked out and it is difficult to believe him when he says he is not at all orderly in his personal life, though professionally he is 100% meticulous. But it’s not in Armando’s grain to show off, it’s easy to see that in his demeanour, his talks, but you recognize a good manager when you see one. And Armando is just that. His love for cooking and being a restaurateur was replaced by wines and vineyards. He has gained a good bit of knowledge on the subject over the years but won’t allow himself the tag of being hailed a connoisseur. He merely smiles such notions away. But he has travelled to wine regions all over Europe and has the necessary expertise to impart precious knowledge, which he does, personally training his staff at the hotel in Bombay. From the first day that Armando came to the city on March 1, 2006, to set shop, armed with his mobile phone and laptop, when he sat at his desk under the light of a lone bulb in the basement of a structure which had come up but not much else, planning his team, building his hope, aspiring, it’s been a long journey. Two and a half years later, with the swanky hotel opened recently, Armando tries to express his feelings. He has a look on his face, difficult for me to describe. Then he nods, smiles and reminisces, “I was Employee Number 1, my job was to open a hotel, it was such an exciting mission… “

Thinking about it later, I got the adjective, the look on Armando’s face was one of exhilaration. Pure joy of knowing you worked hard, gave your best, selflessly, unstintingly. Mission accomplished, Armando is now on his way again. His bags are packed, regretfully and with a little heavy heart Armando leaves our shores to take charge of the island hotel he created in Maldives. A case of paradise regained. But like he says the excitement that India evokes can never ebb. And he will be back again, visiting, discovering new destinations and who knows perhaps Four Seasons may send him back to set shop again in some other spot in India!