Larry Pimentel Calls Four Seasons Yachts a ‘Category of One’

Image: Four Seasons Yachts CEO Larry Pimentel. (Photo Credit: Four Seasons Yachts Media)

by Harvey Chipkin
Last updated: 9:55 AM ET, Wed November 15, 2023

A “category of one” is how Larry Pimentel, CEO, describes Four Seasons Yachts, which will launch its first vessel in 2025, with one more to come in 2026 and an option for a third. The product, he said, is neither a cruise ship nor a yacht but a new kind of hybrid that is in a class by itself because of its quality, the sheer space per passenger and the fact that it is backed by one of the world’s most recognized luxury brands.

It’s an understatement to say Pimentel is a well-known figure in the cruise industry. He has served as CEO of Azamara, SeaDream Yacht Club, Cunard and Seabourn and told TravelPulse that he came out of retirement “for the third time” because of this unusual opportunity.

With all his experience, said Pimentel, this venture is different. He said he was asked to help build a seagoing vessel that represented the quality and style of a Four Seasons hotel. It was not to look like a cruise ship because Four Seasons did not want to be in the cruise business.

The first yacht will depart in November 2025 out of Florida and the second in November 2026. Sailings will average seven days because, said Pimentel, many passengers will be entrepreneurs who don’t have much time; however, back-to-back sailings will be available. The first winter and spring will take the yacht to the Caribbean before it heads to the Mediterranean for sailing on the French and Italian Rivieras, the Adriatic coastline and the Greek Isles.

The company’s founders, said Pimentel, went to designers, engineers and naval architects and told them to connect yachts like the Christina O of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s husband, Aristotle Onassis, to the elegance, style, cutting edge technology and “cool” of a James Bond movie. The result is a level of luxury, said Pimentel, that has not been seen with a cost of $4.3 million per stateroom against an industry average of $850,000.

Guests will see the same standards they see in the most luxurious hotels, said Pimentel – the finest materials and textiles, and bathrooms much larger than have been built at sea. There is more space per person than on any ship in the market. “The space is stunning,” said Pimentel – with the yachts carrying only 190 guests (in 95 cabins) on a 34,000-ton vessel with 14 decks.

While Four Seasons has equity in the project, said Pimentel, the yachts will be majority-owned by Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings, an enterprise headed by Philip Levine, an entrepreneur and two-time mayor of Miami Beach, and Nadim Ashi, who has extensive real estate holdings, including the future Four Seasons hotel in Rome. The company is named after their respective first children.

While Marc-Henry is responsible for the marine and technology elements of the fleet, Four Seasons is the “hotel operator,” responsible for the onboard experience and shore excursions. This is quite different from a licensing agreement, said Pimentel. The crew and staff are Four Seasons-trained – with the hotel operator’s chefs, general managers and other specialists handling the onboard experience and shore excursions.

Four Seasons has appointed veteran cruise executive Damien O’Connor to manage the vessel’s hotel operations and land excursions as senior vice president, yacht operations. He has held executive roles with Celebrity and Silversea.

His own portfolio, said Pimentel, includes marine, technical, sales, marketing, partnership deals and revenue management. The two parties (Four Seasons and Marc-Henry) work together as a joint venture.

While he is president of Marc-Henry and responsible for leading the project, it’s Four Seasons’ brand that is uppermost, said Pimentel. He recalled that when Isadore Sharp created Four Seasons, he made guests the focal point of the product, with service as the key differentiator – not a common approach at the time. That has brought guests back ever since to the rare hotel brand that does not offer a loyalty program and does not have “sub-brands.”

The goal is not to call at as many ports as possible, said Pimentel; it’s about being “absorbed and enriched.” The Earth is three-quarters water, said Pimentel, so there are lots of places to visit. “We’ll do a lot of exploration, and as we add to the fleet, we will add more.” Shore excursions are in the design phase, he said, but with Four Seasons designing them, they will be very different from the traditional model.

The vessels will have some of the first “limo tenders” in the market, allowing up to 10 guests to explore on their own with their driver. All told, the staff ratio will be 1:1.

And the accommodations are without parallel, said Pimentel. Research on potential customers, he said, revealed that some passengers would be bringing their own staff. As a result, there are staff accommodations with separate doors.

The research also showed, said Pimentel, that 25-30% of the company’s business will comprise full-ship charters. He said that even private yacht owners would be chartering the ships because their own vessels are too small for occasions like milestone birthdays.

The centerpiece of each ship -- the Funnel Suite -- will be four levels, offering more than 9,500 square feet of combined indoor/outdoor living space, including a private wading pool and dedicated private spa area, creating a sea-view home away from home.

Each suite on the vessel features extensive terrace decks ranging from 100 square feet for the deluxe suite, to nearly 5,000 square feet for the Funnel Suite.

One challenge, said Pimentel, is that there will be such limited inventory because of the long history of Four Seasons and its large database of loyal customers. As a result, a different kind of distribution channel has been developed that is based on an invitation-only process. Loyal Four Seasons hotel customers have been given the first chance to sign up for a priority access “option,” which costs $10,000. That gives them the right, beginning in January, to select a voyage – which will cost $2,500 - $3,500 a night per person.

The $10,000 is refundable except for a 3% fee to cover credit card fees. If customers don’t book within 18 months, they can apply that 3% to a future voyage, so there is little risk. There is also a waitlist at www.fourseasonsyachts.com that is open to anyone who did not receive an invitation. Travel advisors are part of this process, and Pimentel adds that employing a trusted, qualified travel advisor “is a very good idea; I consider them in the same category as financial advisors.”?

“We have a client driven and travel advisor focused approach,” said Pimentel, which allows a client to add an accredited travel advisor to manage their option and booking on their behalf. “We are working hard to balance direct marketing and embracing the fact that high net worth clients use travel professionals, and we welcome that,” he said.

The booking preferences of clients will always be respected, said Pimentel, and ”if they prefer, we encourage them to add their travel advisor to their booking.” With a commission of 10%, said Pimentel, “we acknowledge the importance of qualified, trusted travel professionals in our distribution approach, particularly as the Four Seasons Yacht experience is so special.”

When they are ready to book, said Pimentel, buyers will deal with representatives who are “extraordinary people who are very high level.” He said, “they will be talking to our most precious asset – our guests.” These yacht concierges, said Pimentel, will be the highest-paid people in shipping in the world and are, in effect, consultants and personal advisors. There is no toll-free number.

With all the demand, the marketing of Four Seasons Yachts is subtle. Pimentel calls it a “whisper campaign.” He and other executives are visiting Four Seasons residences – privately owned homes operated by the company -- to talk to owners about the new venture. There will be no splashy ads, he said, because they won’t be necessary.

“I know something about affluent travelers,” said Pimentel; “they are very philanthropic and very social. They gather and talk about the unique things they’re doing. If you serve them well, they will be your best apostles.”

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.