For hotel groups, the new flagship is increasingly an actual ship. Ritz-Carlton already operates three yachts, Orient Express launched the 220m Corinthian this year, and Aman will enter the category in 2027. Four Seasons joined the fleet in March with Four Seasons I, a 207m vessel that carries the brand’s hospitality from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and Bahamas.
Its debut coincided with the group’s 65th anniversary – neat timing for a company extending its reach beyond hotels and private jets. The 34,000-gross-tonne feat (that being its volume rather than weight) rises across 15 decks yet holds just 95 suites. There are no internal cabins; every bed faces the ocean, and a one-to-one guest-to-staff ratio supports the promise of private-yacht hospitality at considerable scale. The result is the first and clearest expression of Four Seasons’ ambitions at sea.
Wallpaper* goes aboard the Four Seasons Yacht I
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
What’s on the itinerary?
Our journey from Valletta to Monte Carlo took in Malta’s honey-coloured fortifications, the Aeolian Islands, Ischia, the Argentario coast and the French Riviera, with the yacht arranging shore and sea experiences around food, history, adventure and restoration.
In Malta, guests might trace Valletta’s military architecture, walk the narrow streets of Birgu or visit the Ta’ Betta wine estate. Lipari brings archaeological collections, Aeolian cooking at Ristorante Sangre Rojo and tastings at Tenuta di Castellaro, while Ischia can be explored through Sant’Angelo and the gardens of Giardino del Nonno. From Porto Ercole, options stretch from Maremman vineyards and Michelin-starred lunches to a helicopter journey into Rome. The final days bring a heritage tour of Le Castellet, lunch in Èze and a private visit to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild before arrival in Monte Carlo.
At selected anchorages, the yacht’s transverse marina opens across both sides of the vessel. Fold-out platforms create direct access to the water for swimming, tenders and water sports, turning the hull into a sea-level terrace.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Who is behind the design?
Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS) led the project from its initial ‘Christina O meets James Bond’ design and brand manifesto through master planning, exterior architecture, suites and key guest spaces. Finnish naval engineer Foreship contributed to the early technical concept, while Fincantieri translated the scheme into shipbuilding reality. Martin Brudnizki Design Studio shaped the principal restaurants, bars and social spaces, all under Prosper Assouline’s creative direction.
The central structural spine governs much of the experience. Pulling the principal supports away from the perimeter released the exterior walls for near-continuous floor-to-ceiling glazing. Suites face outwards, daylight reaches deep into the interiors, and the horizon becomes both view and navigation device. Darker tones across alternating bulwarks temper the visual height of the yacht’s decks. Suites function as self-contained residences that can be joined through panels absorbed into the surrounding joinery. ‘We made privacy a question of planning rather than enclosure,’ the studio explains.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Arrival takes place through the Salon, where wraparound glazing and long sightlines establish an immediate connection with the water. ‘The Salon is the first interior room to receive guests, conceived as the yacht’s living room,’ says TDoS. De Gournay’s embroidered chairs reference art deco furniture and early ocean-liner motifs, while Pistachio, the adjacent pâtisserie and coffee counter, and a nearby concierge establish the daily rhythm through coffee, pastries and conversation.
Across the yacht, warm woods, fitted carpets, expressive stone, glass and reflective metal give the interiors a residential register. In the suites, anigré-toned panelling with an Astrakhan finish sits alongside parquet, bespoke rugs and aqua-green surfaces inspired by Brazilian quartzite. Selected areas use highly accurate porcelain stoneware in place of rare natural stone, balancing visual depth with the fire, ultraviolet and maintenance requirements of a working vessel.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Specialist craft is integrated into the architecture: Clifford Glass Studio produced églomisé maps based on historic sailing charts; British artist Katherine Lloyd created the shell composition for Champagne & Caviar; and the main pool carries a bespoke fish mosaic inspired by Georges Braque’s Les Poissons.
MRD Lighting developed a layered scheme that follows the natural light by day and gives the interiors a warmer register after dusk. A centuries-old marine fossil even appears in one of the public washrooms. As the studio puts it: ‘We used history as texture rather than theme.’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
The suite to book
Book the Funnel Suite for the project’s fullest architectural expression: a four-level, three-bedroom residence wrapped in sweeping curved glass. Spanning 9,975 sq ft, it contains a private pool, outdoor gym, kitchen, entertaining spaces and a lift connecting its floors. Its wraparound glazing forms what Four Seasons describes as the largest contiguous piece of glass at sea. The suite captures TDoS’s approach to the yacht as a whole: ‘Classical yacht symbolism reimagined through contemporary engineering, spatial invention and hospitality.’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
The same principles continue through the other categories. Each suite has a sea-facing bed, floor-to-ceiling windows and a private terrace, with coordinated flooring and discreet thresholds. Sunbeam straw marquetry frames an oval mirror behind the bed, while bathrooms use aqua-green quartzite or stone-effect surfaces across double vanities, walk-in showers and soaking tubs. The suite captures Tillberg’s approach to the yacht as a whole: ‘Classical yacht symbolism reimagined through contemporary engineering, spatial invention and hospitality.’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
‘The sea-facing bed, residential warmth, private terrace, crafted marquetry and intuitive technology recur throughout the accommodation,’ says the studio. ‘We wanted our design to remain coherent in ambience and quality at every scale.’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Staying for drinks and dinner?
With 11 restaurants and lounges, some editing is required. Sedna merits an early reservation. The yacht’s culinary centrepiece occupies an enveloping emerald-green dining room and serves contemporary French cuisine alongside a rotating chef-in-residence series. Participating chefs include Christian Le Squer of Le Cinq in Paris, Luca Piscazzi of Pelagos in Athens and Guillaume Galliot of Caprice in Hong Kong.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Miuna concentrates the experience around a 16-seat hinoki-wood counter. Executive chef Yusuke Yamamoto’s Mediterranean-season omakase draws on ingredients sourced along the route, travelling through sea bass usuzukuri with lemon ponzu, Mediterranean sea bream with green asparagus and pickled radish, hamachi nigiri with lime zest, akami zuke, chutoro with caviar and otoro with chives.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Terrasse handles the yacht’s everyday Mediterranean appetite, from breakfast and crudos to hearth-fired pizza, house-made pasta and fish selected from the daily market. Pistachio provides coffee, viennoiserie, filled-to-order cruffins and petits gâteaux, while the Salon shifts from breakfast to afternoon tea beneath its art deco-inspired embroidery.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Horizon Lounge brings Levantine dishes, a plunge pool and a beach-club setting to the upper deck. At sunset, Champagne & Caviar occupies an adults-only terrace overlooking the pool, accompanied by Katherine Lloyd’s shimmering shell artwork. Bar O takes over after dark with a nod to the cocktail culture of 1960s jet-set Europe with vintage spirits, tableside preparation and London-made églomisé tables.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
‘We wanted each venue to be immediately recognisable while still belonging to the yacht’s broader narrative of glamour, discovery and maritime memory,’ adds TDoS. The variety is deliberate, but the recurring woods, deep greens, marble, glass and crafted surfaces maintain a coherent architectural identity.
Where to switch off
L’Oceana Spa occupies deck four, where tactile stone and intricate mosaic surfaces by Morandi Studio create a soothing visual identity. Some individual mosaic compositions required around 100 hours of work. A mixed-gender hammam for up to 12 guests anchors a thermal circuit containing an ocean-facing Finnish sauna, infrared sauna, aromatic steam room, cold plunge, cryotherapy chamber and spa pool.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
Treatments draw on three skincare houses: Margy’s Monte Carlo, La Mer and Azorean biotechnology brand Ignae. The yacht-exclusive Four Seasons Miracle Broth Facial combines La Mer formulations with cryotherapy, sound and pressure-point techniques. Ignae’s Azorean Rebirth Body Ritual uses sea salt, botanical oils and a spirulina mask before a full-body and scalp massage.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
The adjoining fitness centre keeps the water present through daylight and ocean views. Technogym equipment, Frame reformers and body-assessment technology are supplemented by yoga, cycling and meditation sessions on deck, making the horizon an active component of the workout.
The verdict
Four Seasons I is at its best in the choreography. Transfers, shore excursions, restaurant reservations and the daily sequence from breakfast to a marina swim and dinner unfold with remarkable precision. Staff are attentive, assured and genuinely personable, remembering preferences, communicating across teams and resolving changes quickly. The one-to-one guest-to-staff ratio registers through that consistency at every stage. The generous suites establish an unhurried pace, with sea-facing beds, private terraces and bathrooms that have the dimensions of a city hotel. Eleven restaurants and lounges, the pool, marina, spa, thermal circuit and fitness centre give each day endless possibilities. Those who weren’t converts of the yacht life will undoubtedly be now.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons)
