Since its founding in 1960, Four Seasons has defined luxury hospitality. Today the company is reimagining this legacy with the new Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina, with General Manager Sanjiv Hulugalle at the helm. Since opening its doors this past May, the resort has welcomed thousands of guests from all over the world, hired over 500 employees, launched five new restaurants, opened a 35,000-square-foot spa and been recognized as one of the top employers in O‘ahu.
“Our presence on O‘ahu is the culmination of over 20 years of thinking about how to deliver a new era of luxury on O‘ahu,” Hulugalle says. “Opening a resort presents the unique opportunity to create a new guest experience—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get it right. Everyone plays a part.”
Architect Mark de Reus and interior designers Philpotts & Associates have created an oasis at the resort. Muliwais meander through lush foliage, mirroring the natural landscape of adjacent Lanikuhonua. A stunning 120-foot infinity pool stretches along the ocean front. Spa treatments are inspired by traditional Hawaiian healing practices. Off resort, guests are invited to connect with nature the way Hawaiians have for generations, from hiking, free diving, surfing and outrigger canoeing to cage-less shark swimming for the truly adventurous.
Hulugalle’s cultural sensitivity is grounded in a global perspective. Over the course of his Four Seasons career, he has lived in the Maldives, Damascus, Langkawi, Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, Amman, Prague, Beijing and now Hawai‘i. At Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina, he is finding ways to infuse local culture into the guest experience, not only with local hires but with signature experiences and cultural programs such as #FSWayfinders, a recently launched “Made in Hawai‘i” series featuring local artists. “There’s a deep well of talent here,” Hulugalle says. “Ko Olina and the west side of O‘ahu represent a unique experience of Hawai‘i that we want to share with the world.”
