Four Seasons UX got me looking for flights and reservations!
As a kid raised in Greece, I have a thing with hotels and hospitality. I can admire and distinguish when a hotel is very well organized and when it is not. But if I have to talk specifically about Four Seasons, I will tell you one thing. The minute I stepped into their property, I felt like I was in paradise. First of all, I would like to thank Isadore (Issy) Sharp, the founder of this company, whose experience paved the way for creating a new kind of hotel focused solely on the guest. However, today I will not talk about my in-person experience with Four Seasons but the digital one, which is extremely crucial, especially nowadays.
How does it feel visiting their website?
The Four Seasons is one of the most well-known luxury hotel brands globally. With a reputation as one of the world’s most abundant hotel brands, this website must convey the value of a Four Seasons stay.
Their website makes you feel that everything focuses on serving and pleasing their customers better than anyone. Their mission statement is to treat others as we’d wish to be treated ourselves. And yes! I can see that too on their website!
Firstly, the website itself is handy, which is very important. Today this organization is providing lots of services. They are not limited to hotels; thus, their general website must offer specific and detailed information about their different specializations so that the customers can easily find what they are looking for.
The user’s attention is initially drawn to the Four Seasons home page by high-resolution photographs of a full-width slider. The images highlight their most great places’ services, surroundings, and facilities.
The vibrant colors on the page are enhanced by the excellent photography, which is mirrored in the teal accents found throughout. In the upper left-hand corner, the Four Seasons logo is usually displayed. Clicking on their different hotel destinations makes you feel exceptional! And why? Because their design is so elegant and straightforward, that makes you think that all of the efforts they have given in their digital experience will come and pay you off in the real in-person experience when you book your stay.
On the other hand, when trying to change the language, I struggled to find it because it was on the bottom of the website. However, it allows the user to change the language quickly, making you feel that the website has a user-focused design.
Does it reflect the personality of the brand?
Four Seasons has a long history of anticipating guests’ changing demands and, as a result, elevating the bar for premium hospitality at every touchpoint. Four Seasons has strived to show this philosophy through its technological evolution and user experience.
They launched the Four Seasons App in 2015, the same year it released the industry’s first wholly branded Private Jet, putting the opportunity to customize the guest experience in the palm of one’s hand. The Chat feature was added two years later, allowing guests to communicate with Four Seasons personnel in real-time and in more than 100 languages.
The Four Seasons App and Chat, built with best-in-class technology and with ongoing enhancements to improve user experience, allow guests to personalize and control their experience from the moment they begin dreaming of a trip to opting for contactless check-in, booking spa appointments, planning activities with the concierge team, and so much more. Despite lower occupancy due to the worldwide epidemic, Four Seasons received more than six million Chat messages in 2020, a new annual high. This endeavor both focuses on making a more effortless booking experience and providing very responsive and high-quality customer service at the same time.
Design must reflect the practical and aesthetic in business, but above all… good design must primarily serve people. - Thomas J. Watson
Aesthetics is the new black.
In a digital world, aesthetics and design are critical to a customer. This website’s essence is refreshing and makes you feel that you have to treat yourself to a perfect vacation package. The pictures of their hotels and their locations make you feel that you are already there, and of course, their fantastic interior and exterior design cannot disappoint any taste.
At the same time, what inspired me about their website is how much information they share about their organization, destinations, and facilities. It got my attention that they are not staying just booking their rooms. They provide invaluable information about how many activities and experiences you can have outside the hotel in any destination you are going to.
This website tells you to book your vacation with me, and I will do anything to please you. I wouldn’t think the opposite since their very high prices should come hand in hand with their fantastic quality of service.
Four seasons, you got me hooked. I wish I were traveling to your beautiful destinations already.
