International hotelier Four Seasons has opened a 33-floor luxury hotel at the top of the Guangzhou International Finance Center in China, marking the final completion of the award winning 440m skyscraper designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects with engineers, Arup.
Rising 103-storeys above the Pearl River, the luxury Chinese hotel occupies the top third of the new Guangzhou IFC. Arranged around a breathtaking full-height atrium, itself taller than St Paul’s Cathedral in London or the Statue of Liberty in New York, the 344 luxurious guest rooms and suites are among the most modern and spacious in the city, with unrivalled views of the Pearl River.
Interior designer Hirsch Bedner Associates worked alongside Wilkinson Eyre’s design to complete the look. The building’s floor-to-ceiling windows make for light-filled spaces and create extraordinary panoramic views for the hotel’s stylish restaurants, bars and guest rooms. The atrium balconies have been sculpted so that when viewed from the atrium they recall the building’s diamond shaped steel ‘diagrid’ structure. This is accented at night by futuristic lighting design which artistically illuminates the handrails throughout the atrium.
Guests access the hotel’s ground floor lobby and enter dedicated express lifts to the 70th Floor sky lobby which benefits from amazing views out over the Pearl River and a towering atrium. This space is flooded with daylight from a dramatic roof light floating 120 metres above hotel guests’ heads.
Nowhere is the sense of height more intense than from the 100th floor restaurant and 99th floor bar and Executive Club lounge, with a staircase that is cantilevered over the atrium connecting the two levels.
Throughout the luxury Chinese hotel, a carefully curated collection of paintings, prints and sculptures by contemporary international artists enhance the sleek modern interiors and dramatic architecture.
The luxury Chinese hotel offers a fully equipped spa, fitness centre and an infinity pool with spectacular views of the city below. Guests can admire the view from the 100th floor restaurant and from a range of dining venues, including Japanese, Cantonese and seafood restaurants as well as an Italian café. Three formal ballrooms give over 3,500 sq meters of event space for weddings, social occasions and conferences.
Images courtesy of Will Pryce, Christian Richters and Jonathan Leijonhufvud
