Hello, welcome to the Four Seasons!
As you walk off of Borgo Pinti and into the Four Seasons hotel in Florence, Italy, you are immediately greeted and welcomed by the staff. As you make your way to the front desk, your eye is drawn towards a statue resembling Michelangelo’s Bacchus statue in the Bargello Museum in Florence. The statue is in the center of an atrium and is surrounded by floral arrangements and provides seating for guests to sit and enjoy the grand interior architecture and design of the hotel. After having the opportunity to stay in the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, I understood why this hotel chain is one of the most well known in the world. Have you stayed in a Four Seasons Hotel? What was your experience?
Not only do guests tend to have a great experience at the Four Seasons, but the Four Seasons is also ranked as the 47th best company to work for by Fortune Magazine. So, why is this hotel chain ranked alongside companies such as Google, Wegmans, Twitter, Goldman Sachs Group, and Whole Foods Market? Well, this hotel chain became arguably the most luxurious hotel chain in the world. It offers private residences, a private jet and residential clubs. Additionally, the company earned the Great Place to Work® Respect Award by Fortune Magazine and was featured in the Robb Report as one of the most exclusive brands of all time alongside Ferrari, Louis Vuitton, Armani and Cartier. Four Seasons is a luxury brand that is well known for their fast room service, luxurious amenities, and superior comfort.
The Four Seasons provides a variety of benefits for its employees. One of the most unique opportunities this hotel chain provides is the ability to plan a career that enables you to travel around the world. There are 30 locations in North America, 3 locations in Central and South America, 15 in Europe, 16 in Middle East & Africa and 22 in Asia & Pacific. Because the Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels are located in a multitude of areas, the company is very diverse and offers employees culturally enriched experiences. To supplement the opportunity to work at different Four Seasons locations, the company gives employees complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties in order to further support a traveling lifestyle. Moreover, paid vacation, discounted gym memberships and discounted meals are included in employees’ packages. The best benefits given to employees are those that offer security, stability and growth. The dental, medical, disability, and life insurance all deliver safety for employees when facing health issues. The retirement benefits and pension plan helps employees prepare for life after work and assist them with expenses. Lastly, the college tuition reimbursement promotes the growth of employees and gives an incentive to attend graduate schools. Would you be satisfied with these benefits? Do you think you would work for Four Seasons?
The Four Seasons Career Homepage (http://jobs.fourseasons.com/ourcompany/diversity/Pages/Diversity.aspx) provides information in regards to the benefits of working for the company. Additionally, the “about us” section on their website (http://www.fourseasons.com/about_four_seasons/1960_to_1969/) gives detailed descriptions in regards to how the company developed and how they continued to grow and evolve from 1960 to the present day. As previously mentioned, the Four Seasons provides employees with a variety of benefits ranging from paid vacation to retirement packages to medical insurance. Within the “about us” section, there are many ways the Four Seasons has demonstrated their high ideals. First of all, the company was given a Leadership 500 Excellence Award in 2014 due to its Dynamic Leadership Program. Secondly, the Profit Sharing Council of America (PSCA) recognized the company for its Language and Diversity, Workshops and Events, and its success in Increasing Plan Participation and Savings Rates. The company received two gold awards and a bronze award respectively. Lastly, the Four Seasons received a Communicator Award of Distinction for marketing and communication excellence.
The Four Seasons website is satisfactory, however, Dolce Magazine and Fast Company further supports the claim that the hotel chain is living up to its high ideals. In Dolce Magazine’s article “A Man for All Seasons,” writer Simona Panetta discusses how Four Seasons CEO Isadore Sharp focused on “fostering healthy business and personal relationships” and how “he built a solid reputation by putting ethics before profit (http://www.dolcemag.com/successstories/a-man-for-all-seasons-2/12109).” Ultimately, Panetta highlights how Sharp’s “raise-the-bar approach” led the hotel chain to be “one of today’s leading luxury hospitality brands in the world.” Simma Liberman spoke with the Director of Human Resources at the Four Seasons resort in Miami and discovered that the Four Seasons is a “democratic organization” that believes “employees are the most important asset (http://www.fastcompany.com/1736116/employees-four-seasons-will-give-you-shoes-their-feet).” The Director stated, “if our employees feel cared for and empowered, they will in turn care about our guests, and find creative ways to meet and exceed their needs.” The Director then provided the following example of how an employee demonstrated this belief:
“When one of our guests was getting dressed for his wedding, he realized he had forgotten his shoes. He ran downstairs and asked the doorman for the nearest shoe store. Knowing that the wedding was starting in 30 minutes, and that the groom would never make it to the store and back, the doorman asked him for his shoe size. Discovering that they both wore the same size, the doorman switched shoes with the groom who was on time and dressed appropriately for his wedding.”
Thus, the Four Seasons focuses on employee satisfaction and in turn the employees aim to ensure customer satisfaction. Not only does the Four Seasons website demonstrate that the company is living up to its ideals, but additional sources such as Dolce Magazine and Fast Company also support this. After reading about the employee benefits at the Four Seasons, what do you think of this company?
Featured Image: http://www.fourseasons.com/florence/photo_and_video/?c=t&_s_icmp=mmenu
Thoughts on Topics 
I think having a job in Four Seasons would be the dream job of a lot of people, since there are countless employee benefits and the ability to relocate to any place in the world that has a Four Seasons. The legitimacy of their focus on employees is strengthened with the recognition of other institutions such as Dolce magazine and Fast Company. However, do you think that every single employee gets the same benefit package, or do you think that there could be differences in regards to your job position/description?
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I agree. I also think working for the Four Seasons would be a great job for people interested in travel. The benefits offered to employees are very beneficial, however, I do believe that there are differences in packages based upon job position.
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What is the profit sharing council? Does 4stazione do this?
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There is an irony in working in services in high end, luxury firms. You need to seem “of” the class of the clients, but your pay and occupational status are not really the same.
Unless you are a high level executive in one of these. But your post focuses more on entry level employees.
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Four Seasons mentions the PSCA awards on the “employer of choice” page at: http://jobs.fourseasons.com/ourcompany/employerofchoice/Pages/EmployerofChoice.aspx. The Four Seasons site stated PSCA stood for “Profit Sharing Council of America”, however, the PSCA website recognizing the Four Seasons awards uses PSCA as an acronym for “Plan Sponsor Council of America.” The Plan Sponsor Council of America is a group that focuses on “protecting America’s retirement system (http://www.psca.org/who-we-are-psca).” The group helps to develop plans and programs for employees within a company. PSCA works with for-profits and non-profit organizations and provides them with resources such as plan administration and plan communication. You can find the awards given to the Four Seasons on the PSCA “signature award winners” page at http://www.psca.org/2013-signature-awards-winners.
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