ITHACA, New York—Isadore Sharp had no vision or grand plan when he developed his first Four Seasons hotel in Toronto more than 48 years ago.

“No, seriously,” he admitted with a laugh. “I was just a builder.”

Isadore Sharp

“At Four Seasons, we’ve always believed that if we give our customers value, our customers will give us profit,” he said in a packed auditorium during a keynote address at The Hotel Ezra Cornell conference on Friday.

Today, Sharp articulates that operating philosophy through a formal credo he developed more than 25 nears ago: “Treat others, all others, as we ourselves would want to be treated.”

Deceptively simple, that golden rule is the consistent thread that runs through each of the chain’s properties throughout the world. It’s also what differentiates Four Seasons in a world of such parity. You’re not strong enough to rely on the product itself, Sharp said. You have to rely on your people and the service they provide to guests.

“Those few moments of service delivery are a company’s make or break point,” he said. “The outcome normally comes on the front line employees. This front line staffs represent our product to our customers. … They are the product.

“To win … customer satisfaction must be everybody’s business,” he added. “… Any team that plays shorthanded will surely lose the game.”

Instilling that sense of responsibility at all levels of an organization is the hardest part of managing, according to Sharp. It’s also why hiring the right people is so important.

“We hire for attitude,” he said. “We want people who like other people. … Competence we can teach. Attitude is ingrained.”

Before opening the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas in 1999, for example, Sharp’s team interviewed almost 7,500 candidates—as many as five times, in some cases—to identify the perfect team of service-oriented employees. And while the chain’s founder admitted the process is incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive, he said it more than makes up for the time and effort required to address lingering staffing needs down the road.  

Expanding the vision

Those hiring efforts will be duplicated numerous times during the next decade as the Four Seasons portfolio will likely double. Currently, there are almost 50 properties in some form of development, Sharpe said.

The founder isn’t worried about diluting the chain’s distinguishing culture of service in the process.

“As we grow, we are becoming better at what we do,” he said. “(Our culture) has nothing to do with the number of hotels; it has to do with how we’re managing those hotels. It’s up to each hotel to make that hotel the best in its market. We’re there to help and support them do it. … Today with the infrastructure that we do have, we feel we have the best in each discipline. We have support we can bring to each hotel.”

The luxury stigma

When asked to comment on the stigma attached to luxury spending, Sharp said it was unfounded and ridiculous—but it would pass eventually.

“This is a short-term issue,” he said.  “As soon as the economy settles down—not recovers, but settles down—where there’s no longer this fear things will get worse, that attitude moves to the back burner. … Luxury will always be a part of our society. It always comes back.

That sense of calm rationale was mirrored in his industry projections.

“The fundamentals of our industry are sound and will weather this economic storm, and we can all look forward to the continued growth and prosperity of this industry,” he said.