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SEC Comment Letter for FOUR SEASONS HOTELS INC (CIK 0001030555) — Sep 22, 2005

FOUR SEASONS HOTELS INC (CIK 0001030555)
Date: Sept. 22, 2005 · CIK: 0001030555 · Accession: 0000000000-05-049023

AI Filing Summary & Sentiment

File numbers found in text: 001-14572

Date
September 21, 2005
Author
Risk
Form
UPLOAD
Company
FOUR SEASONS HOTELS INC (CIK 0001030555)

Letter

September 21, 2005 Via U.S. Mail Isadore Sharp Chief Executive Officer 1165 Leslie Street Toronto, Ontario Canada, M3C 2K8

RE: Four Seasons Hotels Inc. 40-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 File No. 001-14572

Dear Mr. Sharp:

We have limited our review of your Form 40-F to disclosures relating to your contacts with countries that have been identified as state sponsors of terrorism, and will make no further review of the Form 40-F. Our review with respect to this issue does not preclude further review by the Assistant Director group with respect to other issues. At this juncture, we are asking you to provide us with supplemental information, so that we may better understand your disclosure. Please be as detailed as necessary in your response. After reviewing this information, we may or may not raise additional comments.

Please understand that the purpose of our review process is to assist you in your compliance with the applicable disclosure requirements and to enhance the overall disclosure in your filings. We look forward to working with you in these respects. We welcome any questions you may have about our comments or on any other aspect of our review. Feel free to call us at the telephone numbers listed at the end of this letter.

General -

We note the disclosure on page 13 of Exhibit 1 to your 40-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, your Annual Information Form, regarding the Four Seasons Hotel currently under construction and development in Damascus, Syria. In light of the fact that Syria has been identified by the U.S. State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism, and is subject to economic sanctions administered by the U.S. Treasury Department`s Office of Foreign Assets Control, please advise us of the stage of development of the Damascus hotel; your past and present contacts with Syria; the materiality to you of your past, current and proposed contacts with Syria; and your view as to whether those contacts constitute a material investment risk for your security holders. In preparing your response please consider that evaluations of materiality should not be based solely on quantitative factors, but should include consideration of all factors that a reasonable investor would deem important in making an investment decision, including the potential impact of corporate activities upon a company`s reputation and share value. In this regard, we note that legislation requiring divestment from, or reporting of interests in, companies that do business with U.S.-designated state sponsors of terrorism has been adopted by Arizona and Louisiana.

Closing Comments

Please respond to this comment within 10 business days or tell us when you will provide us with a response. Please file your response letter on EDGAR.

We urge all persons who are responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of the disclosure in the filings to be certain that the filings include all information required under the Exchange Act of 1934 and that they have provided all information investors require for an informed investment decision. Since the company and its management are in possession of all facts relating to the company`s disclosure, they are responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of the disclosures they have made.

In connection with responding to our comment, please provide, in writing, a statement from the company acknowledging that:

the company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the filings;

staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the filings; and

the company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.

In addition, please be advised that the Division of Enforcement has access to all information you provide to the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance in our review of your filings or in response to our comments on your filings.

Please understand that we may have additional comments after we review your response to our comment. Please contact Jack Guggenheim at (202) 551-3523 if you have any questions about the comment or our review. You may also contact me at (202) 551-3470.

Sincerely,
Cecilia D. Blye, Chief
Office of Global Security
Risk

Show Raw Text
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>LETTER
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.txt
<TEXT>

      September 21, 2005

Via U.S. Mail

Isadore Sharp
Chief Executive Officer
1165 Leslie Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, M3C 2K8

RE:		Four Seasons Hotels Inc.
      40-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004
		File No. 001-14572

Dear Mr. Sharp:

      We have limited our review of your Form 40-F to disclosures
relating to your contacts with countries that have been identified
as
state sponsors of terrorism, and will make no further review of
the
Form 40-F.  Our review with respect to this issue does not
preclude
further review by the Assistant Director group with respect to
other
issues.  At this juncture, we are asking you to provide us with
supplemental information, so that we may better understand your
disclosure.  Please be as detailed as necessary in your response.
After reviewing this information, we may or may not raise
additional
comments.

      Please understand that the purpose of our review process is
to
assist you in your compliance with the applicable disclosure
requirements and to enhance the overall disclosure in your
filings.
We look forward to working with you in these respects.  We welcome
any questions you may have about our comments or on any other
aspect
of our review.  Feel free to call us at the telephone numbers
listed
at the end of this letter.

General -

We note the disclosure on page 13 of Exhibit 1 to your 40-F for
the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, your Annual Information Form,
regarding the Four Seasons Hotel  currently under construction and
development in Damascus, Syria.  In light of the fact that Syria
has
been identified by the U.S. State Department as a state sponsor of
terrorism, and is subject to economic sanctions administered by
the
U.S. Treasury Department`s Office of Foreign Assets Control,
please
advise us of the stage of development of the Damascus hotel; your
past and present contacts with Syria; the materiality to you of
your
past, current and proposed contacts with Syria; and your view as
to
whether those contacts constitute a material investment risk for
your
security holders.  In preparing your response please consider that
evaluations of materiality should not be based solely on
quantitative
factors, but should include consideration of all factors that a
reasonable investor would deem important in making an investment
decision, including the potential impact of corporate activities
upon
a company`s reputation and share value.   In this regard, we note
that legislation requiring divestment from, or reporting of
interests
in, companies that do business with U.S.-designated state sponsors
of
terrorism has been adopted by Arizona and Louisiana.

Closing Comments

      Please respond to this comment within 10 business days or
tell
us when you will provide us with a response.  Please file your
response letter on EDGAR.

      We urge all persons who are responsible for the accuracy and
adequacy of the disclosure in the filings to be certain that the
filings include all information required under the Exchange Act of
1934 and that they have provided all information investors require
for an informed investment decision.  Since the company and its
management are in possession of all facts relating to the
company`s
disclosure, they are responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of
the
disclosures they have made.

      In connection with responding to our comment, please
provide,
in writing, a statement from the company acknowledging that:

the company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the
disclosure in the filings;

staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff
comments
do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with
respect
to the filings; and

the company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any
proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the
federal securities laws of the United States.

In addition, please be advised that the Division of Enforcement
has
access to all information you provide to the staff of the Division
of
Corporation Finance in our review of your filings or in response
to
our comments on your filings.

      Please understand that we may have additional comments after
we
review your response to our comment.  Please contact Jack
Guggenheim
at (202) 551-3523 if you have any questions about the comment or
our
review.  You may also contact me at (202) 551-3470.

								Sincerely,

								Cecilia D. Blye, Chief
								Office of Global Security
Risk

cc: 	Karen Garnett
		Assistant Director
		Division of Corporation Finance

</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>