HotelChatter

Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy: Written by Isadore Sharp, the founder, chairman and CEO of the Four Seasons Hotels chain, this book is a must-read for aspiring hoteliers and loyal Four Seasons fans.

Sharp chronicles his life from his modest beginnings as the son of Polish immigrants to his success making Four Seasons one of the most acclaimed luxury hotel brands out there and even to the arrival of two new investors/owners, Bill Gates being one of them. Weaved throughout the book are stories of what makes the Four Seasons service what it is and how Sharp makes sure that no matter how far Four Seasons expands, the mission of offering "experiences of exceptional quality" remains.

Interesting tidbits we learned:

· Four Seasons started as the Four Seasons Motor Lodge in 1961 in Toronto.
· Isadore Sharp looked to the McDonald's business model when creating his own for Four Seasons.
· The most important in-room amenity to Sharp is the bed.
· Four Seasons hotels aspire to have the best in-room amenities, including the softest toilet paper in their bathrooms.
· Isadore Sharp talks about some of the stumbles in partnerships Four Seasons had made in a chapter titled, "A Few Bad Apples."

However, the book was written before the economy and the hotel industry took a hard hit and the tone seems a little too happy. There's none of that "doom and gloom" or "managing of expectations" that hoteliers talk a lot about these days. Indeed, the afterword was written by the book's co-author Alan Phillips just before the bank crisis of September 2008. So much of this success story seems to be missing a key element.

Sharp has now found himself doing a lot more work these days than he had anticipated, but the story of Four Seasons is still pretty engaging. And like we said, the ins and outs of the hotel business are fascinating even if some of the telling of it seems a little tedious.

We also liked how Sharp gives credit to his employees where credit is due, listing all of the Four Seasons tenured senior staff in the back of the book.

Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy is available in hardcover from Portfolio for $29.95.

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