Four Seasons CEO explains why the hotel brand is betting on $4,000-a-night cruises and private jet tours

07.01.2025 - 22:01 / insider.com / Alejandro Reynal

If Four Seasons' president and CEO, Alejandro Reynal, had it his way, travelers would be turning to the luxury hospitality company for vacations on land, at sea, and in the air.

About 80% of the luxury hotel brand's revenue comes from its renowned hotels and resorts, Reynal told Business Insider in late November 2024. However, over the past few years, the company has expanded its portfolio with extracurriculars such as private jet tours and cruises — all in a bid to keep high-paying customers within its travel network.

These extracurriculars create a "halo effect" for the brand, he said, complementing its core business while creating more avenues for maintaining relationships with loyal customers.

"How do we create this luxury ecosystem around the brand, and which businesses do we need or don't need to be in?" Reynal said.

For Four Seasons, that now includes the cruise business.

The luxury hospitality giant plans to debut its 95-suite, yacht-like cruise ship in 2026. Despite the wait, the company's CEO said bookings have already been "very successful," with about two-thirds coming from existing customers.

Travelers aren't booking it because they love cruises — they're booking it because they love the brand. "People were very favorable for us to pursue a Four Seasons experience at sea," Reynal said.

Renderings promise a sleek and luxurious vessel with 11 upcharged restaurants, a marina, and cabins up to almost 10,000 square feet, some with au pairs and security personnel. As such, suites during its first year in service currently start at $19,700 for a five-night voyage — about $3,940 per night.

Prefer to travel by air? Since 2015, the hospitality giant has also operated multiweek group jet itineraries with TCS World Travel.

Like a traditional at-sea cruise, the aircraft — a 48-seat Airbus A321LRneo — brings travelers on multi-country itineraries and overnight stays at the brand's properties, creating an end-to-end Four Seasons vacation that would entice any of its loyalists.

And enticed they have been. In 2024, the company's eight jet trips were almost sold out, Reynal said.

Several of its 2025 tours already have a waitlist. The few that don't start at $148,000 per person for a 13-day journey through Africa.

Reynal said the company was considering expanding the program with more itineraries of varying aircrafts or lengths.

"We have a high repeat rate of guests that stay with us or go through the private jet experience," he said. "We don't do it so much because of the revenue that it provides to the business. It's because it's a tremendous compliment to what we do as a brand."

Four Seasons is one of a few luxury hospitality companies diversifying their portfolios.

Aman, best known for its 35