Client: Four Seasons is the world's leading operator of luxury hotels and resorts. In a span of nearly 50 years, the company has grown from one hotel in Toronto, Canada to 83 hotels in 35 countries. Presently, the company is managing two hotels in mainland China: Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai and Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake.
Case: With China is poised to become the world’s largest luxury market in five to seven years, Labbrand assisted Four Seasons by conducting consumer research in order to position itself better in the Chinese market. In particular, the company wanted to understand the perceptions of the Chinese towards luxury so Four Seasons could tailor their services to better fit their customers’ needs.
Solution: To get a clearer idea of the mindset of Four Seasons’ prime customer base, a qualitative study was performed with high-end business and leisure travelers. Several focus groups were conducted, all of which aimed to reveal the Chinese perception towards luxury and more specifically towards luxury hotels. Further mapping analysis revealed the relationship that Chinese consumers have with luxury. The insights were very useful for Four Seasons and will help them build their hotel and resort brand in China.