For nearly a decade there has been talk that Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts would launch its own luxury cruise line. Four Seasons has luxury hotels around the world and a Four Seasons Private Jet luxury tour, but it never made the plunge into cruising—until now.
Four Seasons Yachts is a new venture that brings together a group of partners: Nadim Ashi and Philip Levine, leading luxury entrepreneurs and bold visionaries of this exceptional yacht experience, as well as Fincantieri, one of the world's leading shipbuilding groups. Fincantieri will deliver the first new vessel by the end of 2025. The order, which was announced last July, includes the option for two additional vessels and amounts to roughly 1.2 billion euros.
And perhaps to no one’s surprise, Larry Pimentel, most recently president and CEO of Azamara, is overseeing Four Seasons Yachts. Pimentel, who has long been recognized an authority on luxury travel, has led Seabourn, Cunard and SeaDream over the many years he has been in the cruise business. He had long been rumored to be associated with the Four Seasons cruise venture.
The first Four Seasons Yacht will be marked by bespoke craftsmanship, personalized service and a dedication to excellence, appealing to discerning guests looking to reimagine their love of travel by experiencing the splendor of modern sea voyaging.
"Four Seasons Yachts represents the next chapter of our long history of industry leading innovation, and a milestone moment for our company as we continue to capitalize on new opportunities to extend the world of Four Seasons," says Christian Clerc, president of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "True vision rests in the ability to imagine the possibilities while always remaining loyal to one's values. Our vision for this new venture does exactly that. Together with our partners at Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd., we are creating something extraordinary that combines their expertise with what Four Seasons does best—delivering unmatched quality and excellence, surrounded by beautiful acts of service and love for our guests."
With its inaugural sailing anticipated for late 2025, the first Four Seasons vessel will be 679 feet long and 88.6 feet wide with 14 decks. At a cost to build of $4.2 million per suite, no expense is being spared in terms of the remarkable custom design. The first Four Seasons Yacht will have nearly 50 percent more living space per guest than currently available, offering ultimate privacy, flexibility and spaciousness in an all-suite nautical residential setting.
"In partnership with Four Seasons, we are creating a new category of luxury lifestyle travel that appeals to discerning guests,” says Pimentel. “We are bringing together the very best across industries to create the pinnacle yachting offering through world-class design, curated experiences, and truly exceptional service. When we launch in 2025, there will be nothing else like it on the open seas. Our shipbuilding partnership with Fincantieri rounds out a triumvirate of industry leaders in this unprecedented luxury lifestyle project."
Accommodations: The vessel's 95 suites will feature an extensive network of adjoining suite combinations creating adaptable, villa-like residences. Each suite will offer floor-to-ceiling windows providing unobstructed natural light and access to expansive terrace decks. The combination of generous indoor and outdoor private guest space and ceiling heights of more than 7.9 feet will achieve a new level of guest comfort.
Suite accommodations will start at an average of 581 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space, designed seamlessly to be part of each room. Sixty percent of the vessel's inventory is in excess of 818 square feet of indoor/outdoor space. The most expansive residence, the "Funnel Suite" will be four levels, offering more than 9,601 square feet of combined indoor/outdoor living space, including a private wading pool and dedicated private spa area, creating a sea view home away from home.
Globally renowned design partners have been engaged, including Tillberg Design of Sweden as lead architect responsible for the design of exterior and guest suites, and London-based Martin Brudnizki Design Studio for the design of many of the yacht's guest areas. These design partners will be paired with the creative direction of Prosper Assouline.
Dining: The vessel's restaurants, lounges and bar concepts will celebrate the excellence and creativity that has been the hallmark of Four Seasons history of culinary innovation and attention to guest preferences. A perfect cappuccino in the lobby, a Mediterranean-inspired lunch, a dinner tasting at the sushi bar or a glass of champagne on the terrace, guests will never be far from a perfect bite always paired with remarkable sea views and intuitive service.
Spa & Wellness: The Four Seasons Yacht will also offer guests a full-service spa, salon and wellness programming – from fitness to health and nutrition. The classic canoe-shaped aft will be home to an expansive pool deck, allowing for moments of leisure and relaxation. This area will also transform into an outdoor movie theatre or space for an array of private events. The elegant and industry-first transverse marina also is an ideal spot for guests to enjoy the water, sunbathe or explore with specially designed aqua leisure toys and accessories. Many more of the vessel's unique features and programming will be revealed in the coming months and up to the vessel's delivery in late 2025.
The onboard yacht experience will be led and staffed by a dedicated Four Seasons Yacht team to bring each voyage's itinerary and destinations to life. The vessel will have an industry-leading staff-to-guest ratio to deliver an unmatched standard of highly personalized service.
Planned as the first of a fleet of four Seasons Yachts over the next five years, the first vessel is currently being designed in Trieste, Italy by leading shipbuilders Fincantieri, one of the world's largest shipbuilding groups.
"We are excited to embrace this new opportunity with Four Seasons that will allow us to strengthen our global leadership position," says Pierroberto Folgiero, Fincantieri CEO and managing director. "With a reputation built on innovation and reliability, Fincantieri combines groundbreaking engineering and technology to create the finest vessels in the world, ensuring sustainability practices are integrated throughout the design and guest experience."
With a distinct focus on guest-centric luxury finishings, Fincantieri has received global acclaim and achieved industry awards. "This project is in a class of its own, combining the best of passenger ship construction and yacht design to create a new benchmark for ultra-luxury vessels,” says Luigi Matarazzo, general manager-Merchant Ships Division for Fincantieri.
Four Seasons Yachts is the latest addition to Four Seasons’ world-class offerings, from the ongoing global expansion of new hotel, resort and residential properties to the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience, the Four Seasons At Home Collection and more. This introduction of this new lifestyle travel experience is taking place at the Monaco Yacht Show on Sept. 28, 2022.
Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd. was founded and conceived by luxury entrepreneurs Nadim Ashi and Philip Levine. Ashi, owner of Fort Partners, is the visionary responsible for the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Surfside, Fla., and multiple other properties, including the future Four Seasons hotel in Rome. Levine, a former two-time mayor of Miami Beach, is a real estate and cruise entrepreneur. Both Ashi and Levine serve as co-executive chairs of the newly formed luxury yacht company. Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd., which is incorporated in Valletta, Malta and is responsible for yacht sales and marketing, marine, technical operations, navigation, deployment strategy and related shoreside and vessel crewing out of its Miami operations office. Reservations for the Four Seasons Yacht are expected to open in the third quarter of 2023.
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