Microsoft founder Bill Gates reached an agreement to buy a controlling stake in the Four Seasons luxury hotel chain for $ 2.2 billion.
Under the deal, Cascade Investments, a private equity firm holding Gates' assets, will increase its ownership of Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, from 47.5% to 71.25%.
Founded in 1960 by Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons now has 121 hotels and resorts, and 46 residential properties in 47 locations.
Gates has been in the spotlight since he and Melinda French Gates announced in May that they would divorce after 27 years.
He has also been under scrutiny over his relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on charges of sexually trafficking minors. Gates described his ties to Epstein as a "big mistake" in an interview with CNN.
