Four Seasons Hotel New York

Equal parts architectural landmark and sophisticated urban sanctuary, the I.M. Pei–designed Four Seasons Hotel New York towers 52 stories above Manhattan’s prime business and shopping district. The 368 oversize guest rooms, including 63 suites, range from indulgent (some feature furnished glass-enclosed terraces) to jaw dropping; the top-floor Ty Warner Suite features 25-foot cathedral ceilings, floor-to-ceiling bay windows, and 360-degree views of the city.

Four Seasons Hotel New York means business – business meetings, that is – with nine technology-rich function rooms that accommodate groups from 10 to 190. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, the petite open-kitchen “artist’s workshop” of the renowned chef, serves memorable gourmet creations. The urban oasis, situated on East 57th Street and Park Avenue, also provides easy access to such incentives as Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and the Broadway theater district. There are no packages available at this time. There are no hot dates at this time. Posted Mar 11, 2008 by Mbrooks
View RSS Feed Soaring nearly 700 feet above the streets of Gotham, architects I. M. Pei and Peter Marino have combined their talents to create one of the worlds most breathtaking hotel experiences " the Presidential Suites on the 51st floor of Four Seasons New York. Here, atop the citys tallest hotel, the most discerning travelers can now survey the Manhattan skyline from floor-to-ceiling bay windows designed to make guests feel as if they are floating above the worlds most dynamic city.

When the Four Seasons opened in 1993 it was considered no less than a masterpiece. With its cathedral-like faade of French limestone, its 33-foot-high onyx ceiling over the grand foyer, and outsized Art Deco torches lighting the stairway to the lobby, the mere act of checking in took a sense of pageantry. When it debuted, it was also the most expensive
hotel the city had ever seen, costing some $360 million " about $1 million per room -- to build. For the original owners, Mr. Peis vision for the hotels upper stratum " suites inspired by the citys most stunning vistas " was not economically feasible. The result yielded two 51st floor suites that were impressive but not yet counted among the finest in the world.

A New Owner, a New Standard of Luxury
With a change in ownership in 1999, however, the hotel had to meet a new, higher standard of luxury. The new owner became Ty Warner, who, after parlaying his line of plush Beanie Baby dolls into one of Americas great fortunes, was moving into the world of upper-tier hospitality. In addition to the landmark hotel, hed acquired such premier properties as Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch. Mr. Warner felt compelled to create something unique and memorable on the hotels 51st and 52nd floors. Costs were not to be considered and no expense was to be spared. I wanted to offer something that would make our guests jaws drop when they walked in, says the hotels owner.

For Mr. Pei, commissioned to renovate the exterior of the two top floors, this was a labor of love, the opportunity to finish the hotel in the style hed always felt it deserved. He began by replacing the conventional horizontal windows with floor-to-ceiling bay windows, with the center pane an uninterrupted expanse of glass 10 feet high. Outside, he positioned balconies on the corners of the building to afford a diagonal view of the city. For Mr. Pei, who designed the hotel in the early 1990s, the three exclusive suites are a crowning achievement. This is what the hotel always called for, says the distinguished architect whose other works include the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, and the Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.

Award-winning architect Peter Marino, widely considered the leading modern architect of luxury design, was specially commissioned to create the interior architecture and design of the suites. In addition to creating some of the luxury worlds most elegant and cutting-edge retail environments, including Barneys New York, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Armani and Valentino, Mr. Marino has an impressive portfolio that includes private residences and estates of many of the worlds wealthiest and discriminating clients. Or, as Mr. Marino puts it, Precisely the kind of people the Four Seasons penthouses were built for.

From the outset, Mr. Marino embraced Mr. Warners concept for the suites: Ty didnt want to see anything in them he might see somewhere else, the architect says. Everything was to be custom made from the finest and most lavish materials I could find.

Different Suites for Different Moods
As a result, each of the two suites has its own distinct personality and mood. Suite 5101 offers an opulent, masculine library with oversized leather club chairs, walls with embossed leather panels, and a hearth of rare Chios marble streaked in shades of toffee and magenta. The coffee-colored, swirl-patterned carpet covers a floor of ebonized wood; all of which Mr. Marino has designed exclusively for this space.

In Suite 5102, the room which Mr. Marino has dubbed the living room, seems to hum with the vibrancy of a sophisticated cocktail party, with cream-colored credenzas, customized games tables, chairs, and fixtures in gilt and lacquer set around a baby grand piano. The hues are echoed in the bathroom, which seems to have been carved from a solid slab of golden ginger onyx. As in the library, the living rooms unifying element is the sense of richesse that emanates from every wall, wood and weave.

The $17,000 View
In either suite the inarguable piece de resistance is the spectacular view. Anywhere else in New York the skyline is a distant vista seen through a concrete corridor; here a panorama of spires and rooftops and sky seems to fill the room. From Suite 5101, one overlooks the entirety of Central Park with the Hudson River to the left and the East River on the right. Suite 5102 looks south to the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, while the shower offers a view of the Statue of Liberty. It is, says Mr. Warner, a thrill for the senses. The light is constantly changing, and sending different colors through the room.

Priced at $17,000 a night, their rates are among the most expensive in the city according to Four Seasons General Manager Christoph Schmidinger. But these rates are not out of line with the other most expensive suites at other New York hotels. And none can offer the unique experience we have here. In short, nothing less than the height of luxury.

An I.M. Pei-designed post-modernist classic, Four Seasons Hotel New York is quintessentially Manhattan -- exemplary of the citys style, elegance, legendary service and culinary sophistication. The 52-story building, a Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond property, is the tallest hotel in New York and features the largest guestrooms in the city. Included among its many specialty suites is the most expensive accommodation in the world, the Ty Warner Penthouse. Priced at $30,000 a night, the penthouse was a collaborative seven-year partnership between visionary hotel owner Ty Warner and architects I M Pei and Peter Marino. The hotels 33-foot Grand Lobby houses 57 restaurant and TY lounge, while the nearby Bar continues to be a popular destination for local New Yorkers and guests alike. In 2006, the celebrated LAtelier de Joel Robuchon was introduced, earning Three Stars in the New York Times and the James Beard Foundations 2007 Best New Restaurant of the Year Award. A spa and fitness center and business center are also offered.

About Peter Marino
Founded in 1978, Peter Marino Architect, PLLC, is an internationally acclaimed architecture firm based in New York City, with offices in Philadelphia, East Hampton, Santa Barbara and Paris. Peter Marinos design contributions in the areas of commercial, cultural, residential and retail architecture have helped redefine modern luxury worldwide. The firm has designed award-winning buildings and spaces for many of the most famous names in the fashion and art worlds, including Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Andy Warhol, Valentino, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Donna Karan and Barneys New York. Marino, the principal of Peter Marino Architect, has an architecture degree from Cornell University and began his career at Skidmore Owings & Merrill, George Nelson and I.M. Pei/Cossutta & Ponte.

For information and reservations, please call the hotel directly at (212) 758-5700, a travel professional, or toll-free at (800) 332-3442.

# # #


12/07

Contact:
Leslie Lefkowitz
Director of Public Relations
Direct Line: (212) 893-6811
leslie.lefkowitz@fourseasons.com