The Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace will reopen in St. Petersburg, Russia this summer following renovations by Los Angeles based-designer Cheryl Rowley and London-based ReardonSmith Architects.
The centuries-old Lion Palace immortalized in Alexander Pushkin’s 1833 poem “The Bronze Horseman” is guarded by the pair of stone lions and began as an apartment house for the city’s elite. Princess Cleopatra Lobanova-Rostovskaya, wife of Tsar Alexander’s close associate Prince Alexey Lobanov-Rostovsky, was one of the famous occupants of the building. For much of the 20th century, occupation by various inhabitants including a hostel, school, and state offices caused significant damage to the palace and are now ameliorated by recent renovations.
Thanks to the building’s triangular design, the hotel architecture features unique floorplans for many of its 177 rooms. High ceilings, period details, and views of St. Petersburg are also included. Four restaurants and bars, as well as several event spaces, are among the amenities. Opening later this year, a full-service spa will spread over four floors within the building’s original courtyard and offer six treatment rooms, Russian-style saunas, a fitness center, and a relaxation pool under a sunlit dome.
