Four Seasons Won’t Let Tech Replace the Human Exchange Expected of Luxury
Photo Credit: The lobby of the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale (pictured) is one of more than 120 Four Seasons properties. Tara Bernerd & Partners
Skift Take
Luxury brand Four Seasons believes strongly that guests who are spending more money need to be pampered a little, says its chief commercial officer. But it is smart to shy away from certain types of tech because of that?
Red Roof, Motel 6, and Extended Stay have all implemented software to reduce the need for workers.
Those brands and others have added features like contactless check-in to maximize efficiency, and third-party software companies and startups have been growing as a result.
That will not happen at properties managed by luxury brand Four Seasons.
The company is implementing new tech in other ways, but human interaction is part of what guests expect at the luxury brand, said Marc Speichert, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Four Seasons.
“That human nature of the brand is incredibly important, and so there's absolutely zero intent to automate interactions. That's why people come to Four Seasons,” said Speichert, who was hired in May 2021.
“I don't think we're looking at it through the lens of driving efficiencies or automating things because guests love the high-touch interaction that
