Leading Luxury Hotel Company Ranks Among the Best for Fifth Consecutive Year - 
When it comes to measuring a company’s success, there are no better judges than its own employees. Those who work for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have once again acknowledged the company’s excellence as an employer. The leading luxury hotel company has been named to Fortune magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, for the fifth year in a row. The Toronto-based company ranked 61st among leading employers in the U.S. and was the only Canadian firm to make the list.

“We decided many years ago that our distinguishing edge would be exceptional service. As the standard bearers of that service, our employees are treated with the same care and thoughtfulness as our guests,” said Isadore Sharp, Chairman and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “It is gratifying to see that our employees continue to recognize our dedication to stay true to that commitment.”

As in previous years, the list was compiled by Fortune with the assistance of authors Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz. More than any other national survey of companies, the results of the Fortune 100 Best are employee-driven. Two-thirds of the scoring is based on employee responses to the Great Place to Work Index Trust, with the remaining third of the score based on feedback from corporate headquarters. This included the submission of newsletters, employee handbooks and videos, as well as responses to a human resources survey and Great Place to Work Culture Audit. In order to be eligible, participating companies had to be at least 10 years old and have a minimum of 500 full-time employees.
“Attracting, developing and retaining the best and brightest people in their industry is what sets one company apart from another,” said John Young, executive vice president, human resources, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “Our staff members are the stars of the hospitality industry. The consistently exceptional service for which we are recognized is a testament to the commitment of all our employees in the U.S. and around the world. We are as proud of them as they are of their association with us.”

The Fortune ranking is the latest honor Four Seasons has received in a long list of accolades. In 2001, the company once again topped the AAA Five Diamond Awards list, earning more Five Diamond Awards than any other hotel company in the world for the 21st year in a row. Four Seasons properties also dominated Condé Nast Traveler’s 2001 Readers’ Choice Awards (six Four Seasons Hotels ranked #1 in their class). Additional recent honors include top ranking in the J.D. Powers Guest Satisfaction Survey and the Zagat Survey 2001 (ranked as “Top Hotel Chain in the U.S.” and “Top Hotel Chain” internationally).

With a history spanning four decades and a portfolio that now extends around the world, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels, currently managing 53 properties in 24 countries. In 2001, the company opened hotels in Buenos Aires, Carmelo (Uruguay) San Francisco, Dublin, Prague and Caracas, and continues to expand, with over 20 projects at various stages of development in choice locations around the world. Information on the company and its 41 years of achievement in the hospitality industry can be accessed through the Four Seasons Web site at www.fourseasons.com
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