Long time ago Four Seasons toyed with a floating hotel. Four Seasons’ Corporate asked for a GM to sail on The World to see what it was like and FOUR SEASONS LONDON PARK LANE RVP John Stauss jumped at the offer – only to return a week later saying no, he didn’t want to go to see. (Well, imagine diplomatically managing all those people who actually live on the ocean waves…)
That being saidm Four Seasons officially unveiled its yacht collection at Monaco Yacht Show on Wednesday 27th September 2023 – and, as so often, Robb Report was first mouthpiece on the scene.
There are a lot of key names involved. Four Seasons has given its name, the strength of its brand. It will handle distribution and provide some onboard staff and maximum training. Fincantieri shipbuilders, based in Trieste, Italy, are making the dream reality. American cruise veteran Larry Pimental is aboard, as is Prosper Assouline, who has been instrumental in liaising with all parties.
And finance, which is considerable, has been coordinated by Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd, a company set up by Nadim Ashi and Philip Levine. Ashi was born in Liberia, brought up in Beirut, and today his Fort Capital Management has at least sizeable interests in Four Seasons hotels in Fort Lauderdale, Surfside and Miami, as well as its forthcoming Rome property. Levine, born to a Jewish family in Boston, was Mayor of Miami Beach 2013-2017. He sold the largest at-sea concessionaire Onboard Media to LVMH and he still runs Royal Media Partners, an exclusive partner of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (he also hosts The Mayor radio show on Sirius XM).
The first yacht is 679 feet long, 88.6 feet wide,14 decks, 95 suites starting from 581 sq ft, all with balconies, and windows that stretch from floor to 7.9ft ceiling. The prize is the four-floor, 9,601 sq ft Tunnel Suite, in the tunnel that was the wont in such legendary yachts as the Christina O, commissioned in 1943 by Aristotle Onassis and named for his only daughter, who tragically was to die of a heart attack at only 37.
Tilberg’s design team is led by the charismatic Fredrik Johansson, whose passion for timeless spatial interiors is only matched by his love of vintage – yachts as well as speedboats and cars. And with Martin Brudnizki, most famous for such restaurants as Sexy Fish, doing some public spaces, how can this possibly not achieve great success?
