Four Seasons Hotel London, Park Lane - Deluxe room — Photo by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts

In just a few months, Four Seasons returns to Mayfair with the opening of the new Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane. With its greenery-filled interiors opening up through windows and conservatories to terraces and sweeping views of Hyde Park and Westminster, the new Hotel will be a breath of fresh air that ushers in a new era as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts celebrates fifty years of hospitality in 2011.

“In many ways, London is where the Four Seasons philosophy was born, and where the idea that guests should feel as welcome as they do in someone’s home originated,” says John Stauss, regional vice president and general manager, who will lead a team of 435 staff. “This Hotel represents all that Four Seasons has learned, all we’ve observed, and all that we anticipate will be important to our guests in the future.”

A Great Idea That’s Time Has Come

The experience begins as the sun rises, when guests who arrive early are whisked to the 10th Floor Lounge. There, they can relax and have breakfast, take a shower, plug back in to the rest of the world, and take in panoramic views of one of the world’s most exciting cities.

“This unique space has essentially been created by our guests – we’ve all experienced it, arriving after a long flight and having nowhere to go while waiting for rooms to be ready,” says Stauss. “Now, there’s an oasis atop the city that welcomes, soothes and refreshes weary travellers.”

As morning becomes midday, the 10th Floor Lounge offers spa lunches, and in the evening, the space will be available for private parties, with its own balcony opening out to the sparkling London skyline.

London’s Best Views – From a Spa and Fitness Centre

The Hotel’s Spa is also on the 10th floor. “At last, spa-savvy travellers and Londoners won’t have to descend into a basement for treatments,” says Stauss. “With its sky-lit vitality pools, steam rooms, saunas and treatment rooms all bathed in natural light, ‘celestial’ might best describe the spa experience that awaits.”

Each of the nine rooms has its own post-treatment relaxation pod, and thanks to a custom-designed curtain system, each room offers both Hyde Park views and complete privacy. The double-size Sky Suite boasts 180 degree views for couples or friends to enjoy together.

Another surprise: the Fitness Centre is also on the 10th floor, with incredible views of Westminster to motivate guests while they workout.

Amaranto: One Destination, Three Dining Venues

The new Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane is also destined to be a favourite meeting place for Londoners. A new restaurant, Amaranto, is uniquely designed as a series of rooms that transition seamlessly from lounge to bar to restaurant, allowing guests to choose their own setting. Entered directly through the Hotel or through its own street entrance in Hamilton Place, it features an outdoor terrace on one side leading into a conservatory and dining room, then an impressive wine wall highlighting the club-like bar in the middle, and a light-filled atrium lounge at the other end with direct access to the Hotel lobby. With modern menus inspired by Italian cuisine, Amaranto will be a destination for power breakfasts, chic lunches, English afternoon tea, cocktails and dinner.

Whether meeting friends for a post-shopping luncheon, a date for dinner, or a colleague to negotiate a business deal, Amaranto offers dozens of quiet corners, a private dining room and a fireside wine tasting table. When groups get together to work, socialise or celebrate, they ascend a grand staircase to the mezzanine-level meeting rooms, ranging in capacity from 10 to 370. The Hamilton Room affords 180-degree views of Hyde Park, while some rooms have antique panelling and fireplaces, and most are filled with natural light. “We’ve put all the meeting rooms on one floor for the convenience of event organisers and attendees. You can even book the whole floor and make it your own,” offers Stauss.

Rooms of Distinction

When it’s time for bed, Four Seasons has thought of everything. Each of the 192 rooms and suites is furnished in a residential style, but with a decidedly modern twist. “Guests will find that rooms, and the entire Hotel, accommodate today’s technological needs,” says Stauss. “And, it’s a green Hotel, literally and functionally. There will be an abundance of living green plants in the public areas because they improve air quality and connect us with the outdoors. Controls for room lighting and temperature are designed for optimal energy efficiency and guest comfort.”

Dressing room closets have space for luggage and, in some suites, the dressing room even has its own discreet door so that housekeeping staff can put away laundry without disturbing guests.

The Hotel will also have many options for connecting rooms, allowing families and other larger parties to stay together at Four Seasons.

The Look and Feel of Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane

Interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon has created a warm and sophisticated environment with elements from different eras. Architect Eric Parry’s building has been compared to a ship, with the prow pointing up Park Lane and the rooftop Spa and Lounge capping it in zinc. Working from this foundation, Rochon recalled the golden era of travel by luxury passenger ship in the 1930s, when travel was unhurried and travellers were curious to see the world. He also wanted the feel of an English country house that welcomes guests for the weekend, and thus there are working fireplaces everywhere – in the lobby, the restaurant and bar, several meeting rooms, the 10th Floor Lounge, and many of the guest rooms and suites.

In the Conservatory Suites, guests will find a plant-filled, furnished indoor patio – the perfect place for morning tea or a quiet drink before going out on the town. The most coveted room in the Hotel may be the Garden Suite, with its large furnished terrace and wonderful Hyde Park views.

Continuing to Write Company History

Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane is built on the site of the original Four Seasons Inn on the Park, opened in 1970 and a favourite of world travellers and Londoners for close to 40 years.

“Years of flying back and forth as he created that hotel inspired our founder, Isadore Sharp, to focus on managing medium-sized luxury hotels where the guest experience is the number-one priority,” recalls Kathleen Taylor, president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts worldwide. “It was here in London that Four Seasons employees began living by the golden rule, ‘treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.’ Today, as we come back to Park Lane on the eve of our 50th anniversary, this philosophy remains at the very heart of what we do around the world, every day.”