Tweet

Seasons of Success: How Sharp Took His Hotel To The Top

Article Overview: “I started just from building one [hotel], it worked so let’s build another, and it worked so three went to four,” recalls Sharp. “It’s a matter of what I call stepping-stones.” He may not have set out to create the world’s largest network of luxury hotels, but that is exactly what happened. In the over forty years since he first entered the business, Sharp has taken the hotel industry by storm, transforming the idea of service and quality, and doing things on his own terms. What were the factors that helped this Canadian hotelier succeed?

Seasons of Success: How Sharp Took His Hotel To The Top

“I started just from building one [hotel], it worked so let’s build another, and it worked so three went to four,” recalls Sharp. “It’s a matter of what I call stepping-stones.” He may not have set out to create the world’s largest network of luxury hotels, but that is exactly what happened. In the over forty years since he first entered the business, Sharp has taken the hotel industry by storm, transforming the idea of service and quality, and doing things on his own terms. What were the factors that helped this Canadian hotelier succeed?

Leadership: “Leaders have to set a pattern of behaviour for others to follow,” says Sharp.
He believes that trust – in integrity and openness – is the measure of a good leader. He thus strove to cultivate these qualities in himself in order to motivate and bring out the best in his employees. “By nurturing the full potential of every willing worker from top to bottom,” says Sharp, “I believe that businesses can tap a unique source of leadership and success for the 21st Century.”

Focus: In his early days, Sharpe was faced with many skeptics. For almost five years, he knocked on door after door looking for investors, with no success. It was the determination with which Sharpe wanted to achieve his single goal of building a hotel that kept him going. “If someone had told me ‘Look, you’re going to start today and spend the next five years wasting your time trying to get this thing start’, I would have said I can’t do that,” says Sharp. “But you never think about what it’s going to take of you. Think: I’ve got it now.”

Service: “With China, India, Russia and other developing countries growing in market importance, recognition and appreciation of a brand name will not only help gain market share but also open up many, many opportunities for development,” says Sharp. Throughout his career, Sharp has striven to ensure that his brand name is synonymous with quality. From the interlocking bricks of the driveways at Four Seasons hotels, no detail was too small for Sharp in his goal to provide the highest quality service possible to his guests.

Consideration: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” says Sharp. “That set in place the culture of the company, which gave us service, which allowed us to become the best.” Whether it was helping his employees after the Asian tsunami or refusing to fire his staff when business went bad after 9/11, Sharp was able to rise to the top on a platform of having treated others as he would want in return.

Management: Sharp’s vision had to do with service. He didn’t want to get involved in the ownerships issues surrounding his hotels; he just wanted to run a high-quality hotel. By refusing to follow the path of his competitors, and developing his own unique management schemes, Sharp was able to develop his comparative advantage and rise above the rest.

“Every road will have a detour and bumps,” says Sharp. “The choices are the forks in the road. Usually when you understand something and feel good it gives you the will to persevere, overcome the skepticism and see through the negative side that people present.” Sharp certainly had many detours along the way, but because he had passion for what he was doing, he refused to give up. “Whatever you do, don’t ever use a crutch, and don’t ever think of having an excuse for not having said, ‘Yeah, I did my best.’”

Related Articles
  Lesson #5: Find Your Comparative Advantage and Step Beyond the Standard
  Lesson #4: The ‘Golden Rule’ Is Your Golden Ticket To Success
  Lesson #2: Success Comes From Pursuing A Single-Purpose Goal
  Lesson #3: Take Care Of Your Customers And They Will Take Care Of You
  His Finest Season: Sharp Creates a Life of Luxury

Article Tags: 21st century, brand name, developing countries, driveways, forty years, gain market share, hotel industry, integrity, interlocking bricks, luxury hotels, next five years, openness, sharpe, skeptics, stepping stones, synonymous with quality, top to bottom, topi, wasting your time, willing worker



Related Forum Posts
"Issy" Sharp - Four Seasons Profile - I'd like to hear about "Issy" Sharp - Four Seasons. Oh and he spoke on my graduation day at Ryerson.
Isadore Sharp - I was just reading an article on "Issy" Sharp and I would like to see a profile on him. He is the man behind the Four Season hotel and resorts and he is Canadian. He is also behind the Terry Fox Run. He is pursuing an offer to sell the hotel chain to Bill Gates and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal for US$3.7-billion. Talk about an exit strategy!
Re: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD...RIGHT NOW!!! - Success = Thinking (Head) + Heart (Feeling / Interest) + Hand (doing/ action). Success - H3 Robert
Great Meeting locations - I strive to meet professionals at their place of business. I've given the Hotel Lobby a try and it's not bad - they do have good coffee and free Internet! I'm going to continue the practice. I've also hand picked a few Starbucks and Tim Horton Coffee shops in the Downtown area that have great decor and are quiet to hold one on one meetings. If I have to meet with more than two people it's usually in their Office as it's more convenient for them.
Top performing Franchise Loans - Evan, There are over 120 Franchises listed by the SBA with 0% Loan Failure from 10-1-00 to 9-30-05 these companies have at leat 10 loans disbursed. A number of the companies are Hotel/Motel Franchises so I listed them separately. Since all the ones listed have 0% loan failure I listed them descending by # of loans disbursed. Top 20 (by # loans Disbursed) 0% SBA Loan Failure (does not include hotels/motels) 1 21425--CULVER'S FROZEN CUSTARD 85 2 66910--PRIMROSE SCHOOL (DAYCARE) 76 3 14467--CARTRIDGE WORLD STORES 54 4 68021--QUIZNO'S SUBS 41 5 06560--AUNTIE ANN'S (SOFT PRETZELS) 40 6 29912--FIREHOUSE SUBS 35 7 31154--FOOT SOLUTIONS 35 8 52707--MEDICAP PHARMACY 35 9 09802--BEN & JERRY'S ICE CREAM 33 10 67759--COMFORT SUITES 33 11 70150--RITTER'S FROZEN CUSTARD 32 12 05650--ARBY'S 31 13 65160--PLATO'S CLOSET 31 14 67417--PUMP IT UP 30 15 69149--REMAX 30 16 71456--SALAD WORKS, INC. 30 17 76282--SONIC DRIVE-IN 27 18 84725--UNION 76 OIL 27 19 17049--CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AUTOMOTIVE 26 20 78950--SUNOCO SERVICE STATION 26 Top 10 0% SBA Loan Failure Hotel/Motels 1 10275--BEST WESTERN INN 104 2 67750--COMFORT INN 98 3 38605--HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS 87 4 36680--HAMPTON INNS 57 5 53165--MICROTEL 33 6 75385--SLEEP INN MOTEL 26 7 04160--AMERIHOST INN 18 8 69134--RED ROOF INN 13 9 17230--CLARION INN & SUITES 11 10 20715--COUNTRY INN 11


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Become A Member of the Paparazzi

How to Handle the “I Am Not Interested” Objection

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.