Isadore Sharp on the Latest Designs of Four Seasons Hotels Bangkok

CEO and Director of Country Group Development, Ben Taechaubol, recently travelled to Toronto with the doyen of luxury hotel design, Jean-Michel Gathy, to present the designs for the new Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River to the brand’s legendary founder, Isadore Sharp, who was recently recognised with the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award.

Mr. Sharp and his wife, Rosalie Wise Sharp kindly hosted a welcome dinner for Ben and Jean-Michel, giving them a rare opportunity for an informal and insightful discussion on Asia’s new iconic Four Seasons properties, which also offered a deeper understanding of the man behind the biggest and most recognisable name in luxury hospitality.

Isadore Sharp opened the first Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto back in1967 as modest Motor Hotel. Right from the beginning, Issy as he is fondly known, approached the hotel business from a guest’s perspective, asking “what would they value?” From this premise, a number of hotel innovations emerged that are now considered industry standards.

From pioneering approaches to service, to setting the standard for in-room amenities and the bold rethinking of hotel features, Four Seasons came to define modern luxury travel. Today, the company, which continues to leverage its focus on a single brand and an unwavering commitment to luxury hospitality, operates 99 hotels, resorts and branded residences in 41 countries.

“I started out with a vision of what I believed luxury hospitality could be, but it was Four Seasons employees who brought, and continue to bring, that vision to life,” says Mr. Sharp. “Every day they deliver a genuine, personal style of service that has earned us the trust and loyalty of the world’s most discerning travellers.”

With a guiding philosophy based on the simple Golden Rule of treating others as you would have them treat you, Isadore Sharp empowered Four Seasons employees to deliver a highly personalised brand of service that would become synonymous with Four Seasons the world over. Today Four Seasons employees around the world share a commitment to service excellence that embodies the guiding values and philosophies set out by Sharp.