The Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg has opened following restorations of the House with Lions palace.
Designed in 1817 by French architect Auguste de Montferrand as a Russian palace and home to Princess Lobanova-Rostovskaya, the hotel reflects its original vision of luxury. The hotel’s 151 guestrooms offer palettes of sky blue and yellow with a hint of garnet or pale yellow with blue hues, while the 26 suites are swathed in turquoise and gold with shades of brown. Neo-classic mahogany, hazelnut, and cherry furnishings are gilded with black lacquer and chinoiserie motifs in velvet and silk fabrics and marble, granite, and gilt mirrors.
“Years of meticulous restoration and perfecting of the guest experience are setting the stage for a new era of style and luxury in St. Petersburg,” says Christopher Norton, president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
F&B options include Percorso restaurant, Sintoho restaurant, and the Tea lounge⎯⎯which is styled as a winter garden filled with trees and flowers. Named for Tsar Alexander I, the Xander bar is reminiscent of a private club with a library and double-sided fireplace.
In late 2013, Luceo spa will debut with eight treatment rooms⎯⎯including a couple’s suite with private lounge⎯⎯a salon, a 24-hour fitness center, and a glass-topped year-round pool.
For social events and meetings, the Montferrand Grand ballroom features an elegant stairway and six smaller rooms⎯⎯each named for important Russian and European architects and artists. Aside from the larger function rooms, the naturally lit Rastrelli boardroom and a business center are also available.
The opening of the first Four Seasons in Russia will soon be followed by the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow in Manezhnaya Square in 2014. As a replica of the Hotel Moskva from the 1930s, the hotel will offer 175 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a bar, and poolside café, as well as several meeting places.
