Four Seasons
Privately held hotel and residence company headquartered in Toronto, with 135 hotels and resorts and 61 residences in 47 countries as of January 2026. Majority owned by Cascade Investment.
Industry: Hotels, resorts and residences | Location: Toronto, Canada | Founded: 1961
About Four Seasons
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a hotel and residence company headquartered at 1165 Leslie Street in Toronto, Canada. In a January 2026 release marking its 65th anniversary, the company reported 135 hotels and resorts and 61 residences in 47 countries, with about 60 further projects in development, 65 percent of which include a residential component. It also runs Four Seasons Yachts, whose first vessel was due to sail in 2026, and a Private Jet Experience.
Isadore Sharp founded the company in Toronto and opened its first hotel there. The company dates its start to 1961, although older coverage, including a 2021 trade report, gives 1960. Sharp was chairman until May 2026, when the company named Robert Fritz Executive Chairman and moved Sharp to Chairman Emeritus. Fritz has been Lead Director since 2022 and is a long-time executive of Cascade Investment. Alejandro Reynal is President and Chief Executive Officer; a September 2021 report named John Davison as chief executive.
Saudi Arabia is a centre of the company's Middle East growth, according to its January 2026 release. It names Four Seasons Resort and Residences Red Sea on Shura Island, Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA at Triple Bay, and Four Seasons Hotel Madinah. The same release lists residences at Bahrain Bay and planned standalone residences at the Dubai International Financial Centre and at Saadiyat Beach in Abu Dhabi.
Four Seasons is privately held. Its majority shareholder is Cascade Investment, L.L.C., the investment firm associated with Bill Gates, and the other shareholders are Kingdom Holding Company, which the company says has invested since 1994, and Sharp through Triples Holdings Limited. In September 2021 Cascade agreed to buy 23.75 percent of Four Seasons from Kingdom Holding for US$2.21 billion in cash, lifting its stake to 71.25 percent; the trade press reported an enterprise value of US$10 billion. Kingdom kept 23.75 percent and Sharp held about 5 percent.
Recent company announcements include the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Mykonos on 21 July 2026 and the reopening of Danieli, A Four Seasons Hotel, in Venice on 30 July 2026.
Leadership
- Isadore Sharp, Founder and Chairman Emeritus
- Alejandro Reynal, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Robert Fritz, Executive Chairman