In Brief: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai has named Ivan Giles as its new General Manager, entrusting him with operational oversight and strategic leadership at the luxury property in northern Thailand.
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Ivan Giles – Image Credit Four Seasons Hotels
Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai announces the appointment of Ivan Giles as General Manager, marking a new chapter for the resort amid the rice fields and mountains of Northern Thailand.
With more than 20 years of international hospitality experience across the Americas and Asia, Ivan arrives in Chiang Mai from Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, where he served as General Manager and led the resort through an important period of growth and transformation.
Born and raised in Mexico, Ivan’s journey in hospitality began close to home, with roles in Acapulco, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun. He joined Four Seasons in Costa Rica in 2004, beginning a career with the company that would take him from Lanai in Hawaii to the Maldives, where he held leadership roles across Kuda Huraa, Landaa Giraavaru, Four Seasons Explorer and the private island of Voavah. Along the way, food and beverage remained an important thread—along with a growing passion for developing people and creating meaningful guest experiences.
Most recently, Ivan returned to Four Seasons Resort Langkawi as General Manager, having previously served as Resort Manager from 2015 to 2017. During his tenure, he guided the resort’s repositioning within the luxury leisure market, oversaw an extensive villa enhancement program and led the team to record business performance and the distinction of two Michelin Keys.
At the heart of Ivan’s leadership is a genuine interest in people. His style is hands-on, approachable and shaped by years of working closely with teams in intimate resort settings. Whether with guests, colleagues or the wider community, he believes the most meaningful experiences begin with genuine human connection.
The move from Langkawi’s palm-fringed shores to Chiang Mai’s rice fields and mountains is a change of landscape, but for Ivan, there is something unexpectedly familiar about Northern Thailand—one that reminds him of home in Mexico.
“Our guests, our people and the community around us are at the heart of Four Seasons,” says Ivan. “There is something very special about Chiang Mai. Surrounded by mountains and rice fields, and deeply connected to Lanna culture, the Resort has a rhythm of its own. I want to preserve what people already love about this place while finding new ways for our guests to connect with the culture, the community and the people who make Northern Thailand so special.”
As Ivan settles into life in Chiang Mai, his focus is simple: to listen, to connect and to build on the sense of place that has long defined the Resort—while creating a new chapter together with the team and community around it.
