LIFE BY LEXUS 38
ICONS OF LUXURY
WELCOME TO THE WORLD’S QUINTESSENTIAL HOTELS, ALL OF WHICH SHOULD BE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST…
V
isiting an iconic hotel is an experience that lives on in your memory. Of course, the ambience, tradition, luxury, food and decor are
all part of this – but what truly grabs you are the stories woven into the very fabric of the walls.
THE FOUR SEASONS,
NEW YORK CITY Located on Billionaire’s Row, between Park and Madison Aves, this work of art was created by Chinese-American architect IM Pei in collaboration with Frank Williams. The hotel is the only one designed by IM Pei in the Western Hemisphere and the honey-coloured French Magny “Le Louvre” limestone covering both its interior and exterior is the same one Pei used in his expansion of the eponymous gallery in Paris.
With 52 storeys, it’s the
second-tallest hotel in New York. Construction was completed in 1993, but budget limitations prevented Pei from creating the opulent penthouse he’d envisaged. Then, in 1999, businessman and toy manufacturer Ty Warner purchased it. He persuaded Pei to come out of retirement and work with American architect, Peter Marino, in finishing the penthouse – a seven-year collaboration that saw the existing one completely demolished and rebuilt. The Ty Warner penthouse, at
$50 000 (about R595 500) per night, is one of the most expensive one- bedroom hotel suites in the world, sleeping just two people. Warner’s
vision was to create four balconies on the diagonal of the north-south, east- west grid of Manhattan to capture unique 45o
diagonal views of the city.
Services include a chauffeured Rolls- Royce and a 24-hour guest relations manager, unlimited caviar and Champagne, as well as spa treatments in the suite’s private spa. The hotel itself also recently
underwent extensive renovations, while holding true to its modern deco style. Each of the 368 studio and suite accommodations has oversized windows that can be opened (considered a rarity in New York City). Handmade king-sized beds with illuminated, custom-lined pedestals that seem to float above the floor, handcrafted furnishings and rich wall coverings are featured throughout. And guests who reserve one of the hotel’s Gotham Junior Suites with Terrace, the Central Park Suites with Terrace, or one of the Speciality Suites receive a Meals in the Sky invitation for a private dining experience served at 152m above midtown Manhattan. No wonder the Four Seasons was named the Best Hotel in the Americas by the 2017 ULTRA Awards! Did you know? The hotel team includes 563 staff members, who collectively speak 43 different languages, from Afrikaans to Vietnamese. In a typical month, the concierge desk receives and sends more than 5 400 emails, takes more than 20 000 phone calls, books more than 1 440 dining reservations and reserves more than 800 limousines.
www.fourseasons.com/newyork
WORDS: KIM BELL
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