Episode 249: When “revenge travel” brought guests roaring back to Four Seasons Hotels, they capped occupancy, turning away guests and revenue.

Scott Taber, senior vice president of global hospitality, describes the Four Seasons philosophy: No points, no perks. Just great properties, individual recognition, personal service, and an emphasis on making sure the first five minutes after check-in are spectacular.

That belief was put to the test when the world started traveling again and labor gaps persisted at the end of the pandemic. The company had a choice: chase revenue or protect intimacy. It chose intimacy.

To avoid overextending staff and diluting the experience, Four Seasons capped occupancy. The organization focused on preserving what Scott calls the “first five”: those opening minutes that define a guest’s stay. “People want to see your eyes and your teeth,” he says. They want to be recognized, not processed.

That doesn’t mean resisting tech. Four Seasons embraced tools that support connection: a CRM “golden record” surfaces each guest’s preferences so staff can deliver personal touches at scale. They also rolled out a proprietary 11-platform chat tool that helps staff resolve 80% of requests within 90 seconds. Last year, they set an NPS record.

Culture provides the foundation for the organization’s enduring success. Recruiting favors empathy, veterans mentor newcomers, and managers celebrate tiny moments of recognition as fiercely as revenue. With management contracts that stretch a whopping 80 years, Four Seasons plays the long game: culture first. For Four Seasons, the strongest currency isn’t points, but people.

Guest: Scott Taber, Senior Vice President for Global Hospitality, Four Seasons Hotels

Host: Rob Markey, Partner, Bain & Company

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Topics Covered:

00:04 How occupancy caps protect service under pressure
00:12 No points program means loyalty through recognition
00:20 Salesforce “golden record” and how it personalizes at scale
00:30 The benefits of their chat platform that responds instantly to guests
00:35 Getting culture right, like hiring empathetic staff and having veterans mentor newcomers
00:41 How their 80-year contracts reinforce a culture-first strategy

Notable Quotes:

00:02 “It’s the service excellence that we want to have in our properties every single day, and making sure that we have the right tools, training, support, structure, to truly bring that to life. And all while creating great jobs and helping to have amazing leaders and supporting them to create great memories and experiences for our guests.”
00:03 “We had a record year last year with our guest experience score, Net Promoter Score.”
00:11 “Our typical management agreement is 80 years. We want to be with this hotel, we want to be with this project, for the long term. It’s the vision of Mr. Sharp [Four Seasons’ founder] committing himself to the property and us being committed to the property for that period of time. I think there are some pretty good foundational elements to keep us going for a long time to come.”
00:12 “ [Customers] want to be remembered and appreciated for their business. Four Seasons doesn’t have a loyalty program. We’re a small brand: 133 hotels. So, how do we do that in a way that is thoughtful and that helps our employees to be able to remember our guests in the right way?”
00:25 “We want to hire for attitude and teach the skills. So you are looking for someone who wants to connect with that guest and be in sync with what that guest needs at that moment. And that comes with how we teach and how we coach that behavioral side to engage with the guests—what’s important for them in the moment.”

Additional Resources:

Connect the dots between the present and the past with our Customer Confidential podcast from 2016, Inside the Four Seasons Approach to Five-Star Service
Learn more about how Four Seasons was impacted by Covid-19 in our brief: The Power to Change

Ep. 249: Scott Taber | Why Four Seasons Turned Guests Away

Customer Confidential: Untold Stories of Earned Growth