Four Seasons officially pulled the curtains back on its new yacht collection at the Monaco Yacht Show this week—and, as so often, Robb Report Hong Kong was one of the first mouthpieces on the scene.

There are a lot of key names involved. Four Seasons has given the strength of its brand and will handle distribution and provide some onboard staff and maximum training. Fincantieri shipbuilders, based in Trieste, Italy, are making the dream a reality. American cruise veteran Larry Pimental is aboard, as is global publisher and aesthete Prosper Assouline, who has been instrumental in liaising with all parties.

And finance, which is considerable, has been coordinated by Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd, a company named for the sons of its two principals, Nadim Ashi and Philip Levine. Ashi was born in Liberia, Monrovia, and brought up in Beirut, Lebanon; today, his Fort Capital Management has at least sizeable interests in Four Seasons hotels in Fort Lauderdale, Surfside, and Miami, all in Florida, and its forthcoming Rome property. Levine, born to a Jewish family in Boston, was the former mayor of Miami Beach from 2013 to 2017. He sold the largest at-sea concessionaire Onboard Media to LVMH and he still runs Royal Media Partners, an exclusive partner of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (Plus, he also hosted The Mayor radio show on Sirius XM.)

So, the yacht—note, no mention of the word “ship”—is 207 metres long and 27 metres wide, with 14 decks and 95 suites starting from 54 square metres, all with balconies and windows that stretch from floor to 2.4-metre-high ceiling. The prize is the four-floor, 892-square-metre Funnel Suite, in the funnel that was the wont in such legendary yachts as the Christina O, commissioned in 1943 by Aristotle Onassis and named for his only daughter, who tragically was to die of a heart attack at only 37.

Going back to tradition was, indeed, the brief given to the yacht’s designers, Tilberg Design of Sweden, based in Höganäs. The design team was led by Fredrik Johansson, whose passion for timeless spatial interiors is only matched by his love of vintage yachts as well as speedboats and cars. Martin Brudnizki, another Swede and still most famous for such restaurants as Sexy Fish in London, has been brought in for some public spaces.

Robb Report Hong Kong was particularly impressed by the dark-green marble bathrooms, an Assouline inspiration, and by the aft pool, surrounded by loungers, that can become a dance floor when required. Even though the ship won’t be ready for paying passengers until late 2025, the interest is already huge, and those admirers will indeed pay, initially to help recoup the US$4.2 million (HK$32.8 million) that each suite has cost.

All images courtesy of Four Seasons.