Luxury Hotels · Toronto · Est. 1961
Four Seasons
The experience of a lifetime. Anywhere in the world.
Isadore Sharp opened the first Four Seasons hotel in Toronto in 1961 with a single, clear vision: to provide personal service of the highest possible standard, regardless of the price the guest was paying. The first property was a 126-room motor hotel — modest by any measure. But Sharp had identified the gap: in an industry where luxury meant grand lobbies and formal service, nobody was genuinely focused on making the individual guest feel personally cared for. That insight would build one of the most valuable hotel companies in the world.
Sharp's founding principle was the Golden Rule: treat guests as you would wish to be treated yourself. From this he derived Four Seasons' operational model: no tipping (so staff serve from genuine hospitality rather than financial motive), intensive training, promotion from within, and a genuine commitment to anticipating guest needs. The result was a service culture that the industry tried to copy but rarely replicated. Four Seasons' staff-to-room ratio, training investment and compensation levels have consistently led the industry.
By the 1970s, Four Seasons had moved from motor hotels to city hotels of genuine grandeur — the Four Seasons Toronto, the Four Seasons Washington, and eventually properties in London, Paris and beyond. The brand became synonymous with luxury travel for corporate executives and high-net-worth individuals who expected consistent excellence regardless of which city they were in. Four Seasons now operates over 130 properties in 50+ countries, from the Maldives to Kyoto, Paris to Los Cabos.
Four Seasons has expanded into private jet travel (the Four Seasons Private Jet, which circumnavigates the globe with a full Four Seasons team), private island retreats, yachts and residences. Four Seasons-branded residences — apartments and villas adjacent to hotel properties, with full hotel services available — have become some of the most sought-after real estate in their respective markets.
Four Seasons rates vary enormously by property and season. Entry rooms at urban city hotels typically begin $400–600 per night. The most celebrated resort properties — Bora Bora, Maldives, Punta Mita — start around $1,000–2,000 per night for entry rooms. Presidential and Royal Suites at flagship properties range from $5,000–10,000+ per night. The private jet journeys begin at approximately $180,000 per person for a full circumnavigation.