Four Seasons takes its luxury to the waves

Superyacht sales continue to increase, but for those who want the superyacht experience without spending millions of dollars to own one, there are plenty of options. Chartering and part-ownership are the most well known, but recently we have seen a few luxury hotel brands creating their take on the yacht lifestyle.

Ritz-Carlton announced its Yacht Collection a few years ago, the first of which is the Evrima. If you feel its 149 guest suites are too many, the Four Seasons hotel group has just announced its first luxury yacht and it will have just 95 suites on board.

Technically, it’s not the first yacht for Four Seasons, which has expanded into experiences in recent years. It has private jets, vintage vehicles and supercars and the Four Seasons Explorer, a luxurious vessel that takes guests on adventurous cruises around the atolls of the Maldives.

Its latest venture is on a much bigger scale though, with the company planning at least three superyachts, also known as yacht liners, the first of which is due to take to the water in 2025.

Designed mostly by Tillberg Design of Sweden, which also worked on the Ritz-Carlton yachts, the first vessel is 207m long and 27m wide with 14 decks and 95 suites. The company won’t provide the exact cost of the vessel, but has said that it equates to $4.2m per suite. The most luxurious of these will be the Funnel Suite, which spans four decks and is located, as the name says, in what traditionally would have been the funnel. It has indoor and outdoor living spaces, a wading pool and even its own private spa facilities — almost as though you can look down on the rest of the guests while having a massage.

“This project confirms a new and strong trend in modern yachting — luxury yacht liners. They are a new breed of very exclusive vessels that combine the scale of small and intimate cruise ships with superyachts’ amenities, splendour and level of sophistication,” said Tillberg Design of Sweden partner and executive director Fredrik Johansson. “The brief was condensed into a single line: imagine ... Christina O (Aristotle Onassis’ yacht) meets James Bond. It would be hard to go wrong there, you may think — but it is also a huge challenge. You must not go wrong — failure is simply not an option. Every part and every detail of the yacht has to be perfect.”

That includes the many guest areas, partly designed by the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio in London. These will include culinary delights in a number of restaurants, the sushi bar and terrace bar. There will be a leisure deck to the rear of the vessel, complete with a swimming pool and an entertainment area that can be turned into an outdoor cinema.

Being constructed by Fincantieri in Italy, these are not to be confused with cruise ships. They are being billed as the ultimate experience on the water for those who want the superyacht lifestyle rather than bingo and buffets.; essentially, everything you would expect in a Four Seasons resort, albeit one that moves around.

When it does so, the company says it will use zero-emission energy such as solar and shoreside electrical power wherever possible, though no further details on the propulsion system have yet been revealed. It’s a key part of the future of luxury on the water as are sustainable materials, which will be used in many areas of the new yacht liner’s construction.

“We are creating a new category of luxury lifestyle travel that appeals to discerning guests,” says Larry Pimentel, who is leading the venture for Four Seasons. “We are bringing together the very best across industries to create the pinnacle yachting offering through world-class design, curated experiences and truly exceptional service. When we launch in 2025, there will be nothing else like it on the open seas.”

It won’t quite match the exclusivity of your own superyacht, but with the first itineraries set to include the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, with some fabulous in-port locations to enjoy too, it could well be the next best thing.