Beijing - XINHUA
Four Seasons Hotels is rolling out an ambitious round-the-world tour by private jet, with the hefty price tag of 119,000 U.S. dollars per person. A Boeing 757 emblazoned with the Four Seasons brand will carry 52 wealthy travelers across the globe on two separate 24-day trips, one of which includes a stop in Beijing, the hotel group said on Thursday. A 16-day European tour is also offered. The round-the-world journey is set to embark in February next year, and Four Seasons promised to deliver its private jet passengers the same premium service for which it is known on land. Reports have showed some recovery in the luxury travel market after the global economic crash, but affluent consumers and big-name corporations are still holding back on splurging. But as Four Seasons found enough customers who were willing to pay for a round-the-world tour by air in 2012, the hotel decided to upgrade the package to operate with a private jet this time. "It speaks to our pioneering spirit and the aspirations of today's modern luxury traveler in an imaginative new way," said Four Seasons marketing chief Susan Helstab. Four Seasons, operating 92 hotels and residences around the world, has been rapidly expanding in China, planning to add six more properties to its Chinese mainland collection within the next few years.