A Youghal man for Four Seasons

NEARLY 40 years after emigrating from Cork to work as a barman at a hotel in Amsterdam, Jim FitzGibbon is one of the most powerful figures in the international hotels industry.

The 57-year-old now lives in Toronto and is president of worldwide hotel operations for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. This week, the Youghal native was in Kilkenny to share trade secrets with delegates at the Irish Hotels Federation annual conference.

FitzGibbon was born into the business and two of his brothers still run Aherne's Townhouse Hotel and Restaurant in Youghal, which his grandfather founded.

Educated by the Jesuits at Mungret College in Limerick, he served his time at the Russell Hotel in Dublin which he described as "a school of hard knocks but a great experience" before deciding he "wanted to see the world". Ireland then, he remembers, was "a country of emigration, with no opportunity".

After 18 months in the Netherlands the Hilton group transferred him to work at their flagship hotel on Park Lane in London. The 1970s was "not a pleasant time" to be in London as "the IRA was very busy", he says.

But a move to the then Aer Lingus-owned Tara Hotel in Kensington changed his life. The airline gave him - and his Irish wife Eileen - free tickets to the US as a "thank you" for his hard work.

They visited Canada and thought it was "a great place". While staying at a hotel in Toronto he decided to "go down to reception to ask for a job".

By an extraordinary coincidence, "the lady in the personnel office was Irish and her brother was a police sergeant in Youghal". She told him: "Of course I'll help you to come to Toronto" and fixed him up with a job at the Four Seasons group. The rest, as he says himself in a distinct Canadian accent, is history.

Since 1976, FitzGibbon has played a key role in the company's expansion and has worked in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In his current role, he oversees the company's 75 hotels and resorts, which are among the world's most luxurious, stylish and expensive, in 31 countries including Ireland.

His "key message" to Irish hoteliers was that the success of the Four Seasons brand is built on the absolute commitment of staff. If staff are treated well they will provide great service but "if you short-cut your employees, they'll short-cut your customers".

The company, which is "mostly non-union", employs 38,000 and has appeared on Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies To Work For every year since the list's inception in 1998.

Staff turnover is less than half the industry average and perks include free holidays at the hotels and resorts. Mr FitzGibbon says the company trains staff to "instil confidence so that employees feel secure in their jobs".

Hotel general manager vacancies are always filled internally, he explains, "as we always have to be comfortable with staff before they are allowed to run a Four Seasons hotel, no matter how much experience they have outside". In turn, general managers interview every new hire - "even a dishwasher".

The employee-to-guest ratio in the hotels is two to one. "True luxury," he said, "is defined not by architecture or decor but by service."

Four Seasons will double its number of hotels and resorts over the next decade. Openings in Bora Bora, Bombay, Florence, Istanbul, Macau, Mauritius and St Louis are "imminent".

The company, previously listed on the stock exchange, was bought by private investors, including Bill Gates and the Saudi prince, Al-Waleed bin Talal, for $3.7 billion in 2006.

Commenting on the business in Ireland, FitzGibbon says its hotel in Ballsbridge is "doing very well" and that customers "who have experienced the brand here" now choose Four Seasons hotels and resorts when they go abroad. While visiting the Maldives recently, he was surprised to hear from hotel management how much business they were getting from Irish people "who travel everywhere now".

A bed overnight at the Four Seasons is one of the most expensive places to sleep on the planet. Room prices at some of its European hotels average €800 per night. Suites at opulent resorts in exotic destinations like Hawaii or Costa Rica can cost thousands per night. A two-bedroom villa at the Kuda Huraa resort in the Maldives, for example, costs $4,500 per night in March.

The Four Seasons hotel on East 57th Street in New York, designed by architect IM Pei, has cult status among the travelling elite. A quick check of availability this month reveals that room prices start at $750 and rise to $30,000 for the penthouse suite. If you're thinking of going, please note that "rates are for room only and do not include applicable taxes and service charges".

The company also operates the George V in Paris where overnight rates range from €695 up to €11,000 for a one-bedroom suite. At the Dublin hotel, prices are more reasonable - from €225 to €2,600 for the Presidential Suite.

The hotels have a reputation for faultless luxury and pleasing even the fussiest guests. FitzGibbon says people are prepared to pay for this because "time is the new luxury". Indeed, some people like the "brand" so much they buy into the lifestyle long-term.

Since 1997, the company has been selling Four Seasons Residential Properties, "a natural extension of the brand", at locations including Dublin to wealthy individuals seeking permanent homes in the lap of luxury.

Irish buyers have included former taoiseach Albert Reynolds, who is believed to have paid about €6 million for his penthouse in the Four Seasons Dublin 4 complex before selling his house at nearby Ailesbury Road for €14 million.

FitzGibbon's thoughts on Irish tourism will surely please the industry here. His advice to Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Hotels Federation is that they should focus on "true Irish hospitality" which is "magic".

FitzGibbon is a regular visitor home and says "it's great to see Ireland today is a country of immigration and not emigration".