Press Release: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
January 4, 2001
TORONTO -- In a year that marks its fortieth anniversary, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts (NYSE: FS ; Toronto:
FSH) is starting the new year off right. The leading luxury hotel company has been named to Fortune magazine's
list of 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, for the fourth year in a row. Four Seasons ranked 78th among
leading employers in the US, and was the only Canadian company to make the list.
``To best serve our guests and create an environment that surpasses their expectations, we start with the promise to treat our employees with respect, trust and dignity,'' said Isadore Sharp, Chairman and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. ``The fact that we have ranked for the fourth year in a row on Fortune's esteemed list indicates our employees believe we're delivering consistently on this promise -- and their vote of confidence in our efforts is deeply gratifying.''
It All Adds Up
As in previous years, the list was compiled by Fortune with the assistance of authors Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz, whose books bear the same title as the list. More than any other national survey of companies, the scoring of the Fortune 100 Best is employee-driven. Two-thirds of the scoring was 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 ten years old and have a minimum of 500 full-time employees.
``Hospitality is still an industry where careers are built from the ground floor up, and retaining the best and brightest is an integral part of a company's success,'' said John Young, executive vice president, human resources. ``We owe our leadership in the industry to all our employees, as they are the asset that truly makes us shine.''
Top Marks
The Fortune ranking is the latest in a series of major ranking and reader polls which have honored Four Seasons, including top honors in the latest Zagat Hotel Survey, AAA Five Diamond Awards, Conde Nast Traveler, Institutional Investor, Travel & Leisure, Gourmet, and Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report. More Four Seasons hotels and resorts were named once again named this year than any other hotel company.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is the world's leading operator of luxury hotels and currently manages 48 properties
in 20 countries, primarily under the Four Seasons and Regent brand names. Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First
Residence opened May 1, 2000 as the company's first property in the Middle East. Hotels poised to enter the market
include Caracas, Venezuela; Dublin, Ireland; Prague, Czech Republic; San Francisco, California; and Sharm El Sheikh,
Egypt. While most hotels bear the respective names of Four Seasons or Regent, some do not, including The Ritz-Carlton
in Chicago and The Pierre in New York. Four Seasons Hotels Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under
the ticker symbol FS and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FSH. Information on the company can
be accessed through the Four Seasons web site at http://www.fourseasons.com.
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Pizzinato Carrie Crespo
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Ruder-Finn, Inc.
Toronto, Canada New York, USA
416-441-4335 212-583-2750
elizabeth.pizzinato@fourseasons.com crespoc@ruderfinn.com