Four Seasons is synonymous with luxury, with more Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards than any other hotel company. But the Canada-based company didn’t start out that way.
Its first property was a 125-room motel. Yet Four Seasons Motor Hotel, which debuted in Toronto in 1961, soon spread a more personal approach to service that outlasted the motel. Founder Isadore Sharp adopted the golden rule — treat others how you want to be treated — and has used the simple but effective service philosophy as the company credo.
Time and again, the brand has changed what we think of hospitality. It was the first to add shampoo in bathrooms, make beds a central feature in rooms and provide hair dryers and padded hangers. And Four Seasons was the first North American hotel group to employ concierges throughout its properties.
Today, the company operates 135 hotels in 47 countries and plans to expand to cities like Rio de Janeiro, Charleston and Venice. It also has moved beyond hotels into private jets and cruises.
As Four Seasons marks its 65th anniversary, we revisit some of the legendary hotels that shaped the brand’s legacy:
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
George V is not only one of the most legendary Four Seasons — it’s one of the most legendary hotels in the world. From the marble lobby adorned in thousands of rotating fresh flowers to the Eiffel Tower Suite overlooking the famed monument to exquisite cuisine in Le Cinq, every corner of the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel radiates French elegance.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
The idyllic Hawaiian haven, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has distinguished itself with its unique offerings. The Big Island’s only Five-Star hotel was the first Four Seasons to have a swimmable aquarium (an 1.8-million-gallon lava rock pool with more than 1,000 tropical fish), an oyster farm (the property’s restaurants serve its bivalves), a full-time team of onsite marine biologists and a cultural center.
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico
The 15-tent Naviva is the smallest Four Seasons, but it’s doing big things. The adults-only property created a new blueprint for all-inclusive hotels where personalization and exclusivity reign. At the menu-less restaurant, the staff will cook whatever you crave. And most activities, including nature hikes, temazcal (sweat lodge) rituals and agave spirit tastings, are complimentary. It all takes place in a lush setting without crowds.
Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel
Pretty Woman immortalized the Beverly Wilshire. There, Julia Roberts listened to Prince in a lavish tub, learned dining etiquette and discovered the pairing of champagne and strawberries. The 1990 romcom’s star power hasn’t waned: the film-inspired Feeling Pretty is the bar’s most popular cocktail, selling more than 4,000 yearly, and the hotel’s “Pretty Woman” for a Day experience includes Rodeo Drive shopping and spa pampering.
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Four Seasons began in Toronto in 1961 with another property and a different location, but this Five-Star hotel opened in 2012 as the brand’s global flagship. It showcases what the company has become known for with its anticipatory, attentive service; the company’s largest urban spa; and a popular brasserie from renowned chef Daniel Boulud.
Four Seasons Hotel New York
When the 52-story Four Seasons debuted in 1993 from architects I. M. Pei and Frank Williams, it was New York’s tallest hotel. It no longer holds that record, but it boasts one of the world’s most expensive suites. Spanning the top floor, the one-bedroom Ty Warner Penthouse delivers 360-degree city views and sumptuous details like the living room’s hand-lacquered walls with mother-of-pearl inlay.
Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane
As Four Seasons’ first outpost outside of Canada, this 1970 London hotel started the global expansion. Today, the Five-Star hotel lures in crowds with its rooftop spa overlooking Hyde Park and fine dining from illustrious chef Yannick Alléno — his new all-day Croissanterie serves croissants stuffed with everything from wagyu beef to Scottish lobster.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
When it opened in 1990, the Five-Star Maui escape marked the then-city-centric brand’s first resort, launching the Four Seasons into leisure destinations. However, it’s best known as the original White Lotus hotel. Its stunning backdrop — especially the dreamy infinity pool overlooking Lanai and the West Maui Mountains — inspired a set-jetting trend and helped revive Maui’s tourism after the pandemic.
Four Seasons Hotel Boston
When this Five-Star hotel debuted in 1985, it made brand history by introducing the company’s first private residences, pioneering a model that’s expanded to 60 properties worldwide. The Public Garden-facing hotel builds on that residential history with the new City Suites Collection, 11 freshly designed accommodations tailored for extended stays.
Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
Flanked by two beaches, this Five-Star hilltop hideaway melds adventure and wellness across 45 acres overlooking the Pacific. Among the more than 130 hotel experiences, jump into heart-pumping activities like surfing and jungle ziplining and high-ropes trekking, or try heart-soothing ones like a volcanic purification ritual and the flow-unleashing 3Flow Activation spa service.
Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach
This waterfront Palm Beach retreat is the Four Seasons’ longest-running Five-Star hotel. It’s held the top award for 28 years, so expect outstanding service whether you sprawl out on its private strip of sand or order room service to your coastal-chic accommodations. Other standouts include renowned chef Mauro Colagreco’s Florie’s restaurant and the Five-Star spa.
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
Since opening in 2005, the classic Hong Kong hotel has become a standard-bearer for culinary excellence. French restaurant Caprice, Cantonese institution Lung King Heen, the hotel and the spa all achieved the highest accolades — the property has more Five-Star awards than any other in the Four Seasons collection (the Macau hotel also has four top honors).
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
At the end of Budapest’s Chain Bridge on the Danube, the Five-Star hotel stands as an Art Nouveau masterpiece. The 1906 landmark was built during Budapest’s architectural golden age, featuring wrought-iron gates, stained glass and floor mosaics. The dramatic glass-ceilinged lobby with its navy-and-gold circular MÚZSA bar and the enchanting winter garden are defining spaces.
Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel
This French Riviera grande dame has dazzled visitors since 1908. There’s the 17 acres of perfectly manicured gardens framing sea views, the notable architecture (Gustave Eiffel designed the rotunda) and the seawater infinity pool that peers out over the Mediterranean. The glamorous Five-Star refuge embodies the Côte d’Azur.
Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort
Discover a cutting-edge wellness retreat on the sleepy Hawaiian island of Lanai. After undergoing tests, the adults-only Sensei will customize an itinerary encompassing everything from a walk in the sculpture-filled grounds to aerial yoga. Also spend time in the luxurious spa hales (standalone villas) with indoor and outdoor showers, infrared saunas, ofuro baths and plunge pools.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague
With a coveted location on the Vltava River overlooking the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, the Czech Republic’s only Five-Star hotel isn’t just surrounded by history. The Old Town property’s four buildings span four centuries: the Baroque, neo-Classical, neo-Renaissance and modern eras. And its Four-Star spa finds inspiration from Czech wellness traditions.
Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre
Kingdom Centre rises nearly 1,000 feet above the city in a distinctive glass tower with a cutout. Topping it is a 213-foot Sky Bridge overlooking Riyadh — it’s a must when staying at the Five-Star hotel (Four Seasons can even arrange a dinner here). Other reasons to visit: Julien by Daniel Boulud, a hidden 10-seat chef’s counter, and Tonic, a mocktail bar from a female mixology team.
Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou
Sitting in the 103-story IFC Guangzhou — one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers — the hotel impresses with its sheer size and design, notably the dizzying atrium that soars 34 floors. The recently renovated property incorporates subtle Lingnan cultural elements to its modern look. Get unbeatable views from the 100th-floor French restaurant Catch, 99th-floor executive lounge or 69th-floor Four-Star spa.
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
With 108 thatched-roof overwater bungalows facing craggy peaks and a spa suite’s glass-paneled floor offering a glimpse of the turquoise waves, the all-suite private island hotel offers a French Polynesian paradise. It’s the kind of place where your room service breakfast gets delivered via canoe to your bungalow’s deck.
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Nature and architecture harmonize at this Five-Star hotel that unfolds across a valley of trees, tiered rice paddies and tropical gardens. The experiences also anchor you in the destination, like the rafting adventure on the Ayung River and the “Day in the Life of a Balinese Farmer” activity that includes tending the rice field followed by a waterfront lunch.
