Four Seasons’ Palau Project: Conservation in a Remote Locale

21.05.2024 - 21:11 / skift.com / Colin Nagy

Four Seasons’ high-end offerings, like Yachts and Private Jet, have garnered the most recent press attention. However, one of its most intriguing projects is taking place on a distant Pacific island. 

It’s not uncommon for luxury brands to plant their flags in remote locations, but Four Seasons is taking a different approach than others have. It is slowly and thoughtfully establishing its presence in Palau, a part of the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, which some may know from the intense World War II battles depicted in HBO’s “The Pacific.”

The country is a wilderness of over 340 islands, protected marine territory, and a 4,000-year-old island culture. Its appeal lies in well-preserved coral reefs, and the country’s current leadership has been remarkably progressive in conserving them: Visitors even receive a passport stamp where they pledge to preserve the country’s natural beauty. 

According to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, “[Palau] is also the only nation on Earth to have protected 80% of its offshore marine environment.” In 2009, Palau prohibited shark fishing across an area of around 200,000 square miles, creating a shark sanctuary in the process. 

Four Seasons is betting it is worth the long journey for guests seeking a new style of expeditionary luxury. A permanent hotel development is planned for completion in the next few years.

In the meantime, the brand has relocated its liveaboard ship, the Explorer, from the Maldives. And it has moved some of its experienced staff, including diving instructors and marine biologists.

The early guests are scuba divers seeking bucket-list dives at locales like Blue Corner and German Channel. They’ll see fish and reefs unaffected by bleaching and over-tourism. The current operation is luxurious, with instructors and professionalism that create a niche, magnet appeal for those who are passionate about marine life. 

But its potential is bigger than that given the unique visual aesthetic of the place, its remoteness, and cultural history. Armando Kraenzlin, a longtime Four Seasons GM and maritime conservationist overseeing the project, described Palau to me as “one of the last true remaining frontiers.” 

The Explorer’s initial operations serve as a balance between creating new experiences for guests and conducting nuanced diplomacy and reconnaissance. Staff are familiarizing themselves with the area, and testing cultural experiences with native Palauans.

This diplomacy will also set the stage for understanding future economic impact the brand can bring to the island, both with job creation and local business opportunities, and making sure practices respect and integrate with local Palauan culture and traditions.

These relationships with local Palauans