Travel
sons Hotel Lion
e St. Petersburg
Fit For a Czar
By Janice Nieder
W
hen the iconic Four
Seasons decided to open
their first hotel in
Russia, one might have
expected them to head
to the capital city of Moscow. But
instead, they chose majestic St.
Petersburg, the intellectual and
cultural center of Russia, a
stunningly beautiful city filled with
extravagant historical palaces,
cathedrals and royal gardens.
Last year, the Four Seasons Hotel
Lion Palace St. Petersburg welcomed
their first guests through palace
doors guarded by twin marble lions,
immortalized in Alexander Pushkin’s
poem, The Bronze Horseman.
Designed in 1820 by French
architect Auguste de Montferrand,
as an exclusive residence for
Princess Lobanova-Rostovskay, the
“Lion Palace” is now the city’s first
luxury hotel.
Four Seasons spent years
painstakingly restoring the hotel
back to its former palatial glory. The
sumptuous, imperial golden yellow
and sky blue guest suites leave you
feeling like Russian royalty, as you
snuggle under the down-filled
comforter or watch tv while soaking
in a deep tub filled with Bulgari
bubbles. Other welcome amenities
include LCD TVs hidden behind the
mirrors, DVD players, an illy espresso
machine, iPod docking station and
free Wi-Fi access.
“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, who is President – Europe,
Middle East and Africa for Four
Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
A prime