1998 Annual Report - Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM(continued)M ANAGEMENT’ S D ISCUSSION AND A NALYSISThe Corporation has also started the contingency planning phase with the issue to each hotel of contingency plans for allkey systems. These contingency plans address all actions and resources necessary to mitigate the effect of any disruption tohotel operations or guests as a result of failure of one or more of these systems. Hotels are in the process of customizing theseplans for local conditions and of drafting further contingency plans for systems unique to their own operation. TheCorporation is currently finalizing contingency plans for critical corporate systems such as the systems used by its WorldwideReservations Office.Steps have been taken by Four Seasons to address the year 2000 issues within its control and within the control of the hotelsunder its management. In addition, the Corporation has initiated formal communications with its significant suppliers andvendors to determine the extent to which the Corporation may be vulnerable in the event that those parties fail to properlyremediate their own year 2000 issues and has advised each hotel to conduct similar enquiries with its suppliers and vendors. TheCorporation will not be able to conduct testing of critical services provided by suppliers, like the public utilities, and must limitits reliance on their continued operation to statements from those suppliers that they will continue to provide their services afterDecember 31, 1999 to the same level of standards to which the Corporate Offices and/or hotels are accustomed. While theCorporation continues to take steps to monitor the progress made by those parties, the Corporation recognizes that ultimately ithas little or no control over these parties’ remedial plans relating to the year 2000 problem. The contingency plans to be put inplace are intended to allow the Corporation to minimize the effect of any disruption caused by the inability of a supplier toprovide the same level of services after December 31, 1999, notwithstanding their assurances.The Corporation currently believes that both it and the hotels under its management will be able to modify, replace,or mitigate their affected systems, services and equipment in time to avoid any material detrimental impact on theCorporation’s operations. While the Corporation is not presently aware of any significant exposure as a result of its systems,services and equipment and those of the hotels under its management not being properly remediated on a timely basis,there can be no assurances that all year 2000 remediation processes will be completed and properly tested beforethe year 2000, that unknown issues will not arise, or that contingency plans will sufficiently mitigate the risk of a year 2000readiness problem. An interruption of the Corporation’s ability to conduct its business, or the ability of a number of the hotelsunder its management to operate, due to a year 2000 problem, could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation.Many forms of computer technology are utilized by Four Seasons throughout its core business operations. The relianceon these systems and the associated risks to the Corporation of system failures includes: safety of hotel guests, welfare ofemployees, loss of critical data stored on computer systems, and the loss of income. It has been the policy of theCorporation to minimize the use of systems programmed in-house and instead, to utilize systems from major software andhardware suppliers each with a large installed base.Four Seasons operates hotels in 16 countries outside Canada and the United States. A significant interruption affectingthe ability to operate a hotel in any one of these countries would not have a material adverse effect on the Corporation.The Corporation could be adversely impacted by the failure of a significant supplier, such as its supplier of CentralReservations Services, to address the year 2000 problem. A significant interruption in public services such as powergeneration or telephone services in a large portion of the United States or Canada could also have a material impacton the Corporation’s operations.54Four Seasons Hotels Inc.