One might be forgiven for feeling a little light headed as they enter the vast, 30-story atrium lobby of the new Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou. The hotel, which has started accepting reservations for stays beginning August 15, is perched on the top 30 floors of the city’s Wilkinson Eyre-designed 103-story IFC building (the 10th tallest buildings in the world) with the lobby located on the 70th floor.
With 344 rooms (including 42 suites) overlooking the Pearl River Delta and the Pearl River New City—home to trendy boutiques, restaurants, bars, as well as government offices— the hotel boasts the city’s largest standard and deluxe rooms, with most measuring over 70 square meters. Paying heed to Chinese culture, the hotel’s public areas and guest rooms feature accents such as onyx fantastico – a fiery red stone that changes color depending on how it’s viewed – and various dragon and cloud motifs.
“The dragon, so often depicted riding atop the clouds in Chinese mythology, is a symbol of wisdom, intelligence, enlightenment, energy, leadership, success, and good fortune,” says the hotel’s general manager, Bahram Sepahi. “It’s this atmosphere that we are striving to create at Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou.”
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts currently manages 86 hotels and resorts in 35 countries. The company is set to open its second hotel in Shanghai the Four Seasons Pudong later this year.
