Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Ranked Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Luxury Hotel Chains in Latest J.D. Power and Associates Study

The announcement by J.D. Power and Associates marks the first time the luxury hotel category has been awarded, making the achievement especially noteworthy. "We strive to deliver a consistently excellent guest experience at all of our hotels, and we believe it is a real testament to our employees that we have achieved this honor for our North American properties," said Wolf Hengst, president, worldwide hotel operations, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "What makes this recognition even more meaningful is that it is based on the opinions of our guests."

The top three contributors to guest satisfaction for respondents who participated in the survey were the guest room, departure process and pre-arrival/arrival experiences. These accounted for more than 70 percent of guest satisfaction in each of the six market segments, followed by hotel services, and food and beverage. Four Seasons scored especially well in the areas of food and beverage service and the departure experience.

J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Domestic Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study(SM) was based on a national sample of 13,335 individual evaluations from a national representative sample of business and leisure hotel guests. Fifty-two hotel chains in six market segments are included in the study. Sixty percent of guests across all segments report that they visited a hotel for leisure purposes, staying an average of 2.4 nights.

With a history spanning four decades and a portfolio that now extends to six continents, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is the world's leading luxury hotel operator, and currently manages 51 properties in 23 countries. Since opening its first hotel in Toronto in 1961, this award-winning Canadian company has claimed first position on numerous rankings, among them the AAA Five Diamond awards (receiving more than other any hotel company for the 20th consecutive year), Zagat Survey ("Best Hotel Chain" in the U.S. and worldwide), Business Travel News (best deluxe hotel company), and prestigious publications and industry awards worldwide. Information on Four Seasons and its 40 years of achievements can be accessed at www.fourseasons.com.