Four Seasons
Preserves
The Past For
Modern-Day
Guests
By Leah Walker
I
n travel, I’ve discovered a few
things that I can always count on:
New Orleans’ Café du Monde will
forever be covered in powdered
sugar; enchiladas shouldn’t be
ordered outside of Mexico or Texas;
and Four Seasons is a safe bet when
looking for the best hotel in a city.
And in a world where flight
departures, car reservations and
train schedules aren’t guaranteed,
it’s nice to be able to rely on
something in the travelsphere.
I’ve been a Four Seasons guest
on four continents at seventeen
different properties. And despite
the company’s 93 hotels and resorts
in 38 different countries, there’s
nothing generic or sterile about
a Four Seasons experience. When
greeted by Oliver, the laid back
resident Labrador at the Hampshire
property, there’s no denying you’re
in the English countryside.
Meanwhile, the palatial George
V in Paris is dripping with French
elegance. Simple touches like the
100 Mile Cocktail, which is made
only with ingredients found within
100 miles of each of the properties,
is a small example of how the brand
strives to combine luxury with local
history, culture and tradition.
On a larger scale, several properties
reside in historically significant
buildings, which have since been
repurposed and restored to their
former glory. Take for instance Four
Seasons Budapest. All but destroyed
during World War II, Gresham Palace,
once a toney apartment building and
exclusive shopping arcade, remained
in disrepair for nearly fifty years
before Four Seasons spent five
years renewing it.
During the $110 million restoration,
Hungarian craftsman used original