Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp is a business biography about the successful luxury Four Seasons hotel chain written by the founder himself.
Pairs With: A Starbucks mocha. Nothing says ‘I mean business’ more than a Starbucks coffee and a Four Seasons reservation.
Overview
Four Seasons by Isadore Sharp is a business biography about the Four Seasons hotel chain written by the founder himself. This book takes readers behind the scenes of the Four Seasons and shows how Isadore Sharp went from building homes to managing and creating a successful worldwide hotel brand. Sharp explains the Four Seasons’ history, vision, and who the key players were that helped make it successful.
Not What I Expected
TBH, I expected a lot more crazy interesting stories about how Isadore Sharp became a giant global luxury hotelier. As other reviewers have noted, this book isn’t as in-depth as one would expect. It covers a lot of topics and stories around the Four Seasons’ growth but doesn’t leave the reader with too many “wow that’s interesting!” or “what a great idea!” moments.
The book feels like a high school textbook, an inch deep and a mile wide – and filled with facts but not much pizazz. It also feels like someone from the outside wrote the book since it is so high-level and impersonal. This book covers more on the history of the Four Seasons and how it grew than on Sharp and his business approach. In fact, the second half of the book reminds me of a handbook a corporation might give to a new hirer to show them the background of the company and its values.
Highlights
The book was not all terrible! It just wasn’t what I was expecting.
There are some interesting factoids about how important it is to follow your gut. Many people doubted Sharp’s vision and told him to do what all of the other hotel businesses were doing and run with the low-hanging fruit. They told him that people don’t want a luxury hotel, or that a luxury hotel would never make it in the various locations he was interested in. They also thought prioritizing custom beds and nice pillows was a waste of funds.
However, Sharp stuck to his guns and prioritized putting the customers’ comfort and expectations above easy money. He played the long game and prioritized creating customers for life.
Also, I did love learning about how he viewed employees and hotel management. He understood the importance of a “happy wife, happy life” but with employees. Sharp made sure all of his employees felt heard, valued, and empowered. He realized if the staff were happy, they’d keep the customers happy.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in learning the history of the Four Seasons hotel business and are not bothered by a dry recollection of previous events, this book would be up your alley! If you like history books that are more detailed, and filled with interesting factoids, then this book may not be for you.
I don’t regret reading this book but it was overall just meh and wasn’t what I was expecting.
P.S. A lot of reviewers commented on the edges of the paper and they felt like the book was poorly made. These edges are called Deckled edges which is a sign of paper that was made of a higher quality. Even his paperback book is luxurious!
Have you read this one or any other exciting business biography-type books?? Which ones are your favorites??
P.S.S. If you liked this one you may enjoy The Man Who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman! It is a great biography on Jim Simons and how he discovered and created quant investing.
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