The Four Seasons Beijing officially opened its doors to the public yesterday in the city's slick and sprawling Chaoyang district.
General manager Sanjiv Hulugalle says it's strategically located to be close to the city's business and embassy centres as well as the capital's popular shopping and entertainment hub Sanlitun, and the Caochangdi and 798 art districts. "We are expecting 50 per cent business travellers and 50 per cent leisure guests here.
"In Beijing, there are many top-class luxury hotels, so competition is one of our biggest challenges," adds Hulugalle, who had only seven months to prepare from his arrival in Beijing to the launch date.
When we visit the Beijing branch - one of three Four Seasons openings in China this autumn, including one in Shanghai's Pudong district and another in Guangzhou - it is still in the soft opening phase.
The interior, designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, is a fairly homogenous five-star chain design, except paired with details such as the giant works of modern Chinese art, and understated dark wooden furniture with Chinese motifs. The entrance features the chain's name spelled out in fresh greenery on a large vertical garden wall.
The usual Four Seasons perks (hi-tech amenities, soft carpet, fluffy white slippers and bathrobes, big comfy beds) are found in all 313 rooms and 66 suites. These line the corridors overlooking an atrium adorned with a vertiginous "butterfly wall" featuring silver butterflies fluttering their way up. The so-called "palace in the sky" - a 7,848 sq ft Imperial Suite, taking up the entire 27th floor - will be open by the end of the year.
The Chinese restaurant, Cai Yi Xuan, offers predominantly Cantonese food, so for Hongkongers at least, the hotel's major draw is likely to be its Italian restaurant, Mio. Designed to attract wealthy locals looking to impress as well as international guests, the interior is suitably ornate, and features an open kitchen where a handful of chefs are at work.