A self-made hotel tycoon —— isador Sharp, founder of Four Seasons Hotel.

Four Seasons Hotel: A Dream in the Clouds [America] Translated by Sador Sharp, published by Nanhai Publishing Company.

How did an immigrant's child create the most respected and successful hotel brand in the world without any background in the hotel industry? Why can Four Seasons Hotel grow so fast in half a century?

And has always maintained excellent quality and unparalleled service? These questions are business secrets that the hotel industry and related people are eager to pry into. isador Sharp answers these questions one by one in this book. Let's explore the answer slowly in this book and listen to the hotel tycoon tell his legendary and brilliant life.

Isador Sharp was born in Toronto. His parents are Jewish immigrants from Poland. The dual identity of immigrants and Jews makes Sharp, who lives in the lower class, know the taste of suffering prematurely, and his childhood is full of discrimination and injustice. Although life was hard, Sharp's father struggled to support his family, became a small builder and owned a small company with only three employees.

It was his father's career that influenced Sharp's later life. "When it comes to my career, my parents decided by accident," Sharp said in the first sentence at the beginning of this book. It is also from this sentence that the influence of the family and the unique perseverance of the Jewish nation flicker in the book. The hardships of life have not cast any pessimistic factors on Sharp's character. Sharp has worked in his father's company since he was a child. "When I was a teenager, architecture occupied most of my time. During the summer vacation, I often work at sunrise. As long as the weather is ok, I will go to my father's construction site to work until dusk. I want to dig ditches, transport bricks to those who build walls, send cement to plasterers, and help drivers unload heavy bricks or concrete blocks ranging from 80 kg to 100 kg from transport trucks. Digging, lifting and loading are all challenges for me.

I have always wanted to reach my father's standards and become a strong and decisive worker. "This high-pressure life continued until he graduated from Sharp University, but soon, his ambition and vision made him open another world. 196 1 year, Sharp entered the hotel industry through tourism and a series of opportunities. At that time, the service of the hotel industry in North America was very backward, and Sharp was determined to build a new type of hotel: top-class design with distinctive features, first-class entertainment facilities and, most importantly, a little dedicated service. Since then, Sharp has changed from a layman to a successful hotel operator.

However, the event that really impacted Sharp's vision and raised his career to the global standard was that he stayed at the Dole juster Hotel in London on 1963. At that time, he was shocked. "The etiquette, luxury and solemnity there fascinated us and inspired us a lot. It gives us such a deep feeling that we don't even want to waste time sleeping.

After that, Sharp stayed in London for four years, trying to build a five-star hotel in Meffer, London. At that time, the survey of the world's top hotel consulting companies showed: "The five five-star hotels in London did not leave any room for other peers, especially unknown peers." But this did not shake Sharp. "Isi is a leader who has no concept of the established purpose, does not know how to run the company, and has no MBA degree. He made a lot of reckless decisions, violated the existing trends and expert advice, and stubbornly believed that he came from long-term experience. " Sharp's wife Rosalie said this. Perhaps it is this reason that has made Sharp's life brilliant. "London Hotel won the title of the best hotel in Europe in the first year of its opening, and won this honor and other awards twice in 10.

No other hotel has done it. Its occupancy rate has long been the highest in the city and it is still one of the most successful hotels in London. "The success of the London Hotel has given Sharp great confidence." I believe that service is the key factor. Over time, through service, we can achieve the same achievements as London hotels in any city in the world. "Sharp has established four pillars of the business model of Four Seasons Hotel: quality, service, culture and brand. After more than 40 years of legendary business experience, Sharp has been practicing this model. If you have ever set foot in Four Seasons Hotel, you will find that all the details of Four Seasons Hotel serve one goal: to impress customers every experience. It's not just a special bed or hotel staff can call out your name at any time. This refers to the sincerity of employees at each floor of the hotel.

From hotel manager to concierge, from room service staff to doorman. In 2006, Bill Gates and Prince Alwaleed became the major shareholders of Four Seasons Hotel and privatized it with a purchase price of $3.83 billion. As the chairman and CEO, Sharp continued to own 5% of the shares. In 2008, Four Seasons Hotels had 82 hotels in 34 countries, and plans to double this number in the next 10 year.

Nowadays, Four Seasons Hotel is widely regarded as synonymous with comfort and luxury in the world. In fact, it sets the standard for luxury hotels. Four Seasons Hotel was rated as one of the best hotel groups in the world by Travel and Leisure magazine and Zagat Guide, and was rated as AAA 5 diamond.

Thomas Peters, an American management guru and the author of the best-selling business book "Pursuing Excellence" in the 20th century, said, "No matter what line you are in, no matter what the price level of your products is, Four Seasons Hotels have taught us a valuable lesson". This may be the world's best affirmation of Four Seasons Hotel and isador Sharp.