Historic palace next to St. Isaac’s Cathedral prepares for rebirth as Russia’s most exciting new hotel and meeting place.
New-built, high up in Peter’s Square
A corner mansion then ascended;
And where its lofty perron ended
Two sentry lions stood at guard like living things,
And kept their ward with paw uplifted.Immortalised in Alexander Pushkin’s 1833 poem The Bronze Horseman, the legendary Lion Palace is coming to life once again as a stunning new gathering place for travellers and the city’s social and cultural trendsetters. Set to open in summer 2013, Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg harkens back to Russia’s romantic past while setting a course for the future of hospitality in the city.
A Labour of Love and Respect
A meticulous restoration that respects architect Auguste de Montferrand’s original vision and the storied history of the “House with Lions” is culminating in a traditional setting for a very modern way to travel, meet, dine and entertain.
The unique triangular-shaped building – guarded for nearly two centuries by the pair of stone lions in Pushkin’s poem – began life like many other St. Petersburg palaces, as an apartment house for the city’s elite. Owned by Princess Cleopatra Lobanova-Rostovskaya, wife of Tsar Alexander’s close associate Prince Alexey Lobanov-Rostovsky, the Lion Palace was occupied for just seven years before it became a state ministry. For much of the 20th century, renovations by various occupants – including a hostel, school and state offices – caused significant damage to the once beautiful palace, until the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation decided to revive this important architectural monument as a luxury hotel, the first Four Seasons in Russia.
Now, just months from inviting guests to once again pass through its formidable entrance, the Lion Palace is returning to its former glory. The 177-room hotel will also house four restaurants and bars, an exclusive spa, and stunning meeting spaces with high tech amenities for business and glorious décor for weddings and other social functions.
At the Heart of St. Petersburg
Positioned next to the iconic St. Isaac’s Cathedral, also designed by de Montferrand, Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg is where Admiralteysky Prospekt and Voznesensky Prospekt cross, just a short stroll from the Palace Square. Inside, the feeling is immediately palatial, with a grand staircase reminiscent of the much-photographed staircase of the Hermitage and Winter Palace.
Guests who stay in one the Hotel’s 151 rooms and 26 suites may awaken from their signature Four Seasons beds and momentarily imagine that they are tenants in Princess Lobanova-Rostovskaya’s 19th century apartment house. Timeless elegance in the setting of a palace fit for royalty, where each room – many with unique floorplans thanks to the building’s triangular design – features high ceilings, period details and fantastic views of St. Petersburg. Also in every room: 21st century technologies and thoughtful comforts that travellers around the world have come to expect at Four Seasons.
Continued on page two…
