Four Seasons Hotel Baku, Azerbaijan Set to Open in Mid 2012
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Four Seasons Hotel Baku, Azerbaijan Set to Open in Mid 2012
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Category: Middle East - Azerbaijan - Industry economy -
Hotel projects
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2012-02-17
Elegant Beaux Arts hotel offers spacious rooms, a penthouse spa and atrium pool, and four fabulous new dining venues in the heart of the city on the waterfront promenade.
Oil. That’s the first word that usually comes to mind when thinking of Baku, an ancient city at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains on the shores of the Caspian Sea. In recent years, a new vocabulary has emerged: ancient archaeology and rich museums; beautiful landscape and natural wonders; abundant local produce; designer shopping and white-hot nightlife. And now there’s one more reason to plan a trip to this fascinating city: opening soon, the new Four Seasons Hotel Baku, Azerbaijan.
“Baku remains a business hub and capital of the oil and gas industry for this region, and while the country’s economy is growing rapidly, it’s also very stable. Four Seasons will welcome the discerning traveller who wants a place that is ideal to do business, and to call home while in the region,” says Tarek Mourad, general manager of the new 171-room Hotel. “As international travellers are exposed to all that the city and surrounding region have to offer, we expect to welcome more and more leisure guests who come for the history and culture, shopping and nightlife.”
Located at the city’s most prestigious address on the strollable waterfront promenade, the new Four Seasons Hotel Baku has been designed in the ornate French Beaux Arts style, harkening back to the period a century ago when Azerbaijan was the world’s second largest oil producer. Taking its place among the classical buildings of the promenade, Four Seasons is just steps from the charming Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “Although it’s a new building, it looks and feels as though it’s always been part of Baku,” notes Mourad.
With 171 bright, airy rooms including 29 suites, Four Seasons Hotel Baku is as intimate as one of the city’s historic oil barons mansions, with its welcoming Old World-style lobby and sweeping staircase to the meeting room floor. Decorated in graceful residential style and averaging a generous 52 square metres (560 square feet), rooms offer an sophisticated décor with a modern, high tech functionality. Nearly all rooms open to balconies with views of the Old City or Caspian Sea. The sumptuous Khazar and Liman Presidential Suites are each approximately 285 square metres (3000 square feet), with private elevator access.
As with all Four Seasons hotels and resorts around the world, the cross-cultural staff have been meticulously selected for their ability to offer warm, caring and personalised service to international and local guests.
Dining at Four Seasons Hotel Baku
Perched on the top floor with panoramic sea views, Kaspia will offer mixed grill and seafood. Reached directly via private elevator from the Lobby, it promises to be Baku’s newest choice for see-and-be-seen dining. The adjacent Private Dining Room a more discreet space for those doing business or celebrating more intimate occasions.
Zafferano is the Italian word for saffron, the rare, locally cultivated spice that will perfume many dishes on the central Italian menu at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Also at street level, Piazza will serve morning coffee and pastries inside or on a terrace at the edge of Philharmonic Park, while in the evening, Bentley’s will come alive. A club-like bar ideal for meeting colleagues or friends for an after work drink, it will boast a large selection of whiskies and fine cigars from the walk-in humidor.
“Before I arrived I imagined luxuriant dishes scented with saffron and accented with caviar, but I soon found out that there’s so much more possibility here using the abundance of local ingredients – particularly the fresh herbs so prevalent in local cooking – and many intriguing culinary traditions to inspire us,” says Executive Chef Marco Bax, an Italian by birth and training recently arrived in the city from the UK. “In a nod to Baku’s longstanding position as a crossroads of trade, we also intend to bring the best international ideas and ingredients to the city.”
Relax: The Jaleh Spa & Pool at Four Seasons
Business travellers will want to plan a schedule that includes time in the spectacular penthouse Jaleh Spa at Four Seasons. The Spa encompasses 800 square metres (8611 square feet), with ten treatment rooms including a special room for Ghassoul mud applications and a double-size VIP Couple’s Suite with private terrace and sea views. Separate men’s and women’s hammam steam rooms and whirlpools are also available, as well as a hair and nail salon.
Leisure guests and members of the local community will also appreciate the advanced skincare, body treatments and massage therapies, reflecting ancient Persian and Turkish traditions, and modern wellness approaches.
For the fitness minded, a 211 square metre (2271 square foot) gym with state-of-art equipment is at the ready, along with a stunning indoor pool, bathed in natural light from the glass atrium two stories above.
Gathering Together for Business and Pleasure
When it’s time to get down to business, Four Seasons has 1,865 square metres (20,075 square feet) of meeting space, plus a fully-equipped business centre. Meeting rooms include five breakout spaces with full audio visual capabilities for presentations and video conferencing, all conveniently located on the second floor.
The elegant Segah Grand Ballroom transforms easily from conference space to a glamorous setting for a wedding, gala or other social event, complete with sweeping views of the Old City and Caspian Sea. The smaller Rast Banquet Room seats up to 290 for a meal, or 390 for a reception. The expert catering team at Four Seasons works closely with event planners, brides and grooms to ensure that every detail from menus to decorations and entertainment is perfect.
A City Waiting to Be Explored
In a region inhabited since the Stone Age, history abounds with evidence of ancient and modern cultures at every turn. Once part of Alexander the Great’s empire, the current Republic of Azerbaijan regained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. The Old City, just steps from Four Seasons in the capital of Baku, includes the Shirvanshah's Palace and iconic Maiden’s Tower. The performing arts can be enjoyed at the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater or the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic; and the Museum of Modern Art features works by local artists as well as Picasso, Chagall and Dali.
With a population of two million, Baku remains small and accessible by international standards, with a strong presence in investment banking, construction and insurance as well as oil and gas, and increasingly, tourism. It’s also a fun destination, with more than 50 percent of the population under 30. Named one of the top ten Ultimate Party Cities by Lonely Planet in 2010, Baku will host the wildly popular Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. With both the mountains and sea within reach, visitors can ski or enjoy the city’s beaches, long favoured by the Russian, Azeri and Persian elite as a summer holiday destination.
The expert Four Seasons concierge team will be able to advise on and arrange excursions for all interests, as well as guide guests to the best shopping and nightlife in the city.
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