How the Founder of Four Seasons Stumbled Into the Hotel Business | fortune.com

Once an architect, Isadore Sharp is an unlikely leader in the hotel business.

Isadore Sharp knew nothing about the hospitality industry when he started building hotels in 1961. But he had an instinct for what customers wanted and the willingness to go to great lengths to get it for them. To achieve the quietest rooms, for example, he made sure no plumbing touched concrete. To encourage personalized service, he gave everyone from parking attendants on up the authority to act instantly when a guest makes a request.