Luxury Hotelier - September 2007 - (Page 26)

26| Personalities people as people and not as a cost on your balance sheet.” Those people deliver the service that has become Four Seasons’ trademark. “We have, over the years, gotten people to understand the importance of it,” Mr. Sharp says. “With business or leisure travel, time is of the essence. We have to prove that we can help make the most of that.” Ms. Talbott agrees. “The reason Four Seasons has grown is that for so many travelers worldwide, time is the most scarce resource,” she says. In Four Seasons parlance, the goals are 3 P’s: people, product and profit. Clearly they complement one another, as the consistent focus on guests and staff has allowed the company to grow, from its first location in Toronto to now 74 hotels in 31 countries. Along the way, Four Seasons has garnered every important award for service excellence. Employees have voted it one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in each of the past 10 years. Helping to ensure that growth continues is Scott Woroch’s job. Mr. Woroch, Four Seasons’ executive vice president of Four Seasons’ pillars Founder Isadore Sharp established the pillars of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts at various times over the company’s 47-year history. Quality: “We will only operate medium-sized hotels of exceptional quality with an objective to be the best.”—1972 Service: “True luxury will be defined not by architecture or décor, but by service. So we must make the quality of our service our distinguishing feature and a competitive advantage.”—1976 Culture: “We will create a work ethic based on the Golden Rule to give our people a framework to pursue a superior service culture.”—1980 Brand: “We will grow as a management company and build a brand name synonymous with quality.”—1986 worldwide development, typically searches the globe for the company’s next hotel location. But he’s a people person, too. “Truly anybody with money can build a luxury, five-star hotel,” Mr. Woroch says. “What distinguishes Four Seasons is the service element, the people element.” Mr. Sharp said the people element only works when employees are empowered. “We can build beautiful buildings. Everybody else can too,” Mr. Sharp says. “How our employees serve their guests is the thing that can’t be copied.” Employees are chosen through a behavior-based interview process that includes at least four interviews before the final hiring decision. “You’re getting to know about their attitude,” Mr. Sharp says. “You’re trying to find out what they expect from the company, what they are looking for. Are we able as a company to give them that? So you’re really trying to develop an understanding of their personalities.” “It’s a huge commitment, but we believe it’s the right way to do it,” says Ms. Dubois du Bellay. What is luxury? “The world has gotten more complex. People think how they’re going to spend their time. It’s how people define themselves.” —Kathleen Taylor, president and chief operating officer, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Luxury Hotelier | September 2007 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.LuxuryHotelier.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Hotelier - September 2007

EDITOR’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER INFORM NETWORK PERSONALITIES INSIGHT INSIGHT PROPERTIES ROPERTIES INSPIRE DELIVER PROTOCOLS INSIGHT INNOVATE DEVELOPMENT INDULGE INSIGHT CONNECT UPDATE DOSSIER

Luxury Hotelier - September 2007

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