Kagehitokiri

effective Aug 1

http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/...le1617050.html
http://www.financialpost.com/markets...518/story.html

interview (done jun 6-8) published today
http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/po...hotels/97934/1

vuittonsofstyle

Katie Taylor is a great lady and very financially astute, but what concerns me more is the visionary aspect of Four Seasons - something that maybe we have seen diminishing recently. Companies always say that they are retaining the services of departing CEOs and Chairmen, but they rarely use them once they have gone.

What worries me is that we could be seeing something akin to Marriott taking over Ritz-Carlton. Bill Gates' people are focused on the bottom line and so are many other people who now hold top jobs in FS, so who is going to hold the 'family' of Four Seasons together?

We have already seen rather too many top people leaving the company over the past couple of years and many of them say that they have left because they no longer feel part of a family and that their direct bosses do not appear to have that Four Seasons ethic that initially attracted them to the company.

Without Issy, this trend could be worrying. Sadly, we could be witnessing the beginning of the end of one of the world's great high-end hotel companies. I hope I am wrong.

Kagehitokiri

hopefully

- sharp's quote re taylor was forthright

- "take the company to the next level” refers to increased service in addition to properties
(and perhaps more smaller higher end properties?)

- there will be some house-cleaning (although unlikely as its unfortunately too rare, everywhere)

TRAVELSIG

+1
Wishing this to be a positive development- and I think it will be.

Kagehitokiri

they need people like grace moore involved in corporate staffing

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/11650821-post26.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/12637116-post39.html

would be nice to see alwaleed and gates working on smaller higher end properties

vuittonsofstyle

Yes, but these are all quotes from Press Releases which bear little resemblance to reality. Given that Scott Woroch remains EVP of Worldwide development it is unlikely that we will start to see lots of little 'Tented Camp' clones across the world. It is much more likely that we will see large business hotels and corporate-geared resorts going up, which will on the whole not attract the right level of GM and also alienate existing FS GMs.

I do not mean to be pessimistic as I love Four Seasons, but listening to numerous members of ex-Four Seasons staff this year, I am finding it increasingly hard to be optimistic.

luxury

Virtually every FS Manager I have had the opportunity to talk about the company at length as waxed poetic about Katie Taylor as one of the most astute leaders they have come across in the hospitality industry.

I think she will carry on what Issy Sharp started and take it to the next level.

All the best to her!!

Kagehitokiri

at least Woroch was in asia? perhaps dealing with ong and minor?
http://www.fourseasons.com/about_us/.../scott_woroch/
http://www.fourseasons.com/about_us/...thleen_taylor/

OTOH i see what youre saying about business hotels in china and india, but then, thats simply the state of the current economy. im curious about the chinese owners.

vuittonsofstyle

Yes Woroch was in Asia and did deal with BS Ong - less so with Minor.

Don't forget that when you talk about the state of the economy, the India and China projects were conceived several years ago so were not a result of the downturn. Hotel projects have very long gestation periods.

I agree, though with Luxury, that Katie Taylor is a great lady and totally unpretentious. She signed up many of the deals that gave us such wonderful Four Seasons hotels across the world and, at the same time, she also managed to bring up a family.

Visionaries, however, as we have seen from other many other groups, are rarely hired. They tend to emerge fully grown, like Zecha. Although, if I am honest, I do think that Raymond Bickson of Taj is a visionary - and he was hired, so let's all cross our fingers....

Kagehitokiri

i was just referring to china and india as emerging markets, which as you mentioned, has been an ongoing thing.

good point re visionaries. agree its rarer for them to be "discovered" later.

have you heard anything about corporate HR/hiring? >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/14194040-post5.html

mike_la_jolla

I'm afraid that I agree. All of the interviews and press releases appear to scream "I WAS HIRED TO PUT THIS SHIP BACK ON THE ROAD TO PROFITABILITY. But the PR people wanted me to say something about service". I suspect IS was forced out.

Katie needs to work on her PR. While those of us that stay at FS understand 'turn-down', her remarks make the FS guests look lazy and persnickety: “Where’s MY EVIAN?????? IT MUST BE CHILLED!!!!!” When speaking to a minimum wage success-hating USA Today reporter, she needs to use different language.

I spent the last 15 minutes or so going over the FS's I've been at in the last 5 years or so, and I have come to the conclusion that there is a wide variety of quality across the brand. I counted 10 or so different stays or about 10% of the worldwide FS locations. Work needs to be done to smooth out the quality and expectations. 'Consistent turn-down' isn't the answer to keep me coming. I’d prefer parking and Internet.

FS Maui, FS Whistler are awful, with special black marks to FS Maui. All the turn-down service in the world won't make up for the lack of lounges at the pool and a 2-hour wait for two dinner seats. FSM, FS Hua, FS Bos, FS SF are terrific. FSM is only FS I have been met by name on arrival. FS SF has cut costs without killing the experience, but I have my doubts it will survive. FS Bos is such a party the locals fight to get in. FS Shanghai is unremarkable and very dull. FS EPA is good only because the competition in Silicon Valley is so shockingly poor.

Kagehitokiri

i guess the bottom line is as long as alwaleed and gates (and sharp) hold their current equity, there is a limit to how bad it could get..

nnn

Can't say I had the same experience at Maui, but that's already been played out in another thread.

In the spirit of the thread, I will add that I hope the brand doesn't go downhill.

I don't expect every property to be the best in class, however. There are just too many variables. That's why we have FT to pick and choose as appropriate.

RichardInSF

I am trying to figure out why I seldom have an outstanding experience at a FS unlike virtually everyone else on this forum -- and I mean that out of respect, this group is a very discerning lot!

Take yesterday, for example. My sister had arranged a small birthday lunch for my aging mom, to be held at the modest poolside cafe at the FS Spa in Westlake Village, CA. My sister was told that booking was never required. The ladies got massages, but I came in just for the lunch.

Spa receptionist: "Are you a hotel guest or spa customer?"

Me (flowers in hand): "No, I'm here to participate in a lunch at the cafe for my mom who turns 95 today."

Receptionist: "I'm sorry, we have a policy that only hotel guests and spa customers can enter."

Yes, I eventually got in by insisting she check with her management. But so much for finding an "empowered employee" who understood the spirit as well as the legality of the rules!

I think my overall problem is that even if employees at FS are empowered, they don't use that empowerment. That's because, all too often, their concern comes only from their training, not personal motivation. There are numerous exceptions, I'm sure, but unfortunately, one bad experience outweighs several good ones, and I have had multiple bad experiences at FS.

Maybe for me, the management change has the potential to be positive. But I fear that the real source of the problem is FS expanded too much and there just aren't enough good people to go around.

RA-wannabe

I dun have a good feeling about Kathleen Taylor. When I read her interview, it seems like she is more interested in cutting cost than improving service. Time to jump off the sinking FS ship.