The standoff between Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and a billionaire hotel owner who built his fortune on Beanie Babies appears to be over.
Ty Warner Hotels and Resorts and Four Seasons have reached agreements and plan to reopen the Four Seasons Hotel New York This fall and the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara in spring 2025. The two properties have been closed since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced most hotels around the world to suspend operations.
It was originally thought to open in September. information now show The Four Seasons Hotel New York is more likely to open in November. On the hotel’s online booking calendar, stays before November 15 are listed as “unavailable,” while nights on that day and after are no longer blocked.
Four Seasons did not respond to a request for confirmation before this article was published.
Signs emerged last year that both properties were close to reopening, but bringing back two ultra-luxury properties after longer-than-expected closures is also tedious. The company’s announcement said both hotels are “in the process of improvements” and that more reopening plans will be revealed in the coming months.
However, a Bloomberg report last year noted that the reopening process required rehiring furloughed staff at both hotels, and the New York hotel’s website indicated last year that “substantial infrastructure and maintenance work” was underway at the property. The same report indicated that the long-suspended operations were due to a dispute between Warner and Four Seasons over rate expectations and operating costs. Four Seasons did not want to raise rates at the two hotels, Bloomberg reported.
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But considering how sky-high hotel rates have been in New York City since the pandemic — and since the arrival of the nearby They love New York —There shouldn’t be much hesitation in sending the nightly rates of an ultra-luxury hotel into the stratosphere.
Warner, who made much of his fortune releasing Beanie Babies in the 1990s, bought the 368-room Four Seasons Hotel New York in 1999. The following year he bought the 206-room Four Seasons Hotel Santa Barbara.
“For more than three decades, both iconic properties have hosted discerning travelers and locals alike, and the Ty Warner and Four Seasons teams look forward to welcoming guests back to these celebrated properties,” the company’s announcement reads.
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Editorial Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
