Wolf Hengst of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Receives Prestigious J.D. Power and Associates 'Founder's Award' for Distinguished Service in the Travel Industry

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing his distinguished service to travel consumers, retired Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts President Wolf Hengst was recently presented with the prestigious Founder's Award by J.D. Power III, founder of J.D. Power and Associates.

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A discretionary award presented periodically, the Founder's Award recognizes individuals or companies demonstrating dedication, commitment and sustained improvement in serving customers. In the 38-year history of J.D. Power and Associates, only 17 companies or individuals have received this honor.

"Wolf Hengst worked tirelessly to ensure world-class service delivery across the entire Four Seasons portfolio and has set a high standard for excellence in customer satisfaction among luxury hotel brands," said Power. "With Hengst at the helm, Four Seasons has truly represented the dedication to continuous improvement that the Founder's Award signifies."

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has ranked highest in the luxury segment of the J.D. Power and Associates North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study(SM) for five of the past six years.

Hengst, who retired in December, served as president, worldwide operations for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts since 2000. He joined the company in 1978, serving as opening general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C., at a time when the company had only 11 hotels, primarily in North America. During his tenure as president, Four Seasons opened 26 hotels, in destinations as diverse as Prague and Provence to Lana'i and Langkawi.

Founded in 1960, Four Seasons currently manages 73 hotels in 31 countries, with more than 25 properties under development.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6.0 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts: John Tews Syvetril Perryman Troy, Mich. Westlake Village, Calif. (248) 312-4119 (805) 418-8103 john.tews@jdpa.com syvetril.perryman@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate