Peter Marino and I. M. Pei Design Hotel Room With a $30,000 View
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
An I.M. Pei-designed bay window in the living room offers a dramatic view to the west. “Light Circus,” a 4-foot-tall, fiber-optic glass chandelier by British artist Deborah Thomas, hangs above a dining table with a bronze base by the French sculptor Claude Lalanne.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
The 600-square-foot living room features lacquered walls with mother of pearl inlay handcrafted by Nancy Lorenz, an American artist. Nearly all of the furnishings, from the off-white silk rug to the club chairs upholstered with embroidered Indian fabric, are custom-made.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
A stay in the penthouse comes with a host of lavish services and amenities including personal assistants, an on-call masseuse, and a reserved table at the hotel’s posh restaurant, L’Atelier de Joël Robouchon. The acclaimed Chef Robouchon also will prepare a private dinner for guests who prefer to dine in the suite.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
The fireplace features a 3-foot-high and nearly 2-foot-deep mantle carved out of Italian chiampo mandorlato stone and dog-shaped andirons sculpted by artist Grillo Demo.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
A 25-foot-high cathedral ceiling contributes to the regal atmosphere in the 700–square-foot, south-facing library. The walls are sheathed in French-lacquered panels; a cast-bronze baseboard lines the room’s perimeter. The 6-by-8-foot “Paradise 4” photograph, by Thomas Struth, serves as a focal point in the lushly appointed room.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
A windowed alcove in the library houses a Bosendorfer grand piano and opens to views of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Bronze, botanical-inspired accents by Claude Lalanne add a touch of whimsy to the refined space.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
The 50-square-foot Zen Room, on the suite’s eastern side, is outfitted with a “waterfall wall,” where water gently falls from ceiling to floor along a glossy surface made of moss-green bowenite, a semi-precious stone. Benches and chairs shaped like ginko leaves face the city, allowing guests to enjoy awe-inspiring views.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
Honey-colored Chinese onyx covers the walls, floor, and ceiling of the 200-square-foot master bathroom. The sink is carved from a single block of rock crystal and is illuminated from below with LEDs. The room also has an infinity tub and so-called "smart" TOTO toilet, with a seat cover that automatically opens and closes when a person approaches.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
An opulent canopy bed is the centerpiece of the 600-square-foot master bedroom, which is the suite’s only bedroom. At its tallest point, the room’s ceiling is 25 feet high.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
The bedroom’s walls are covered in thousands of pieces of straw applied by hand. The bedroom also features antique decor, such as pillows made of vintage kimono silk and a Pre-Columbian stone statue dating to 600 B.C. to 300 B.C.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
Hotel Room With a $30,000 View?
The 60-square-foot breakfast room provides a spectacular view of Central Park to the northwest. Pei designed the glass balcony, which hovers 700 feet above the street.
Photo: Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel New York
When the Four Seasons Hotel New York opened in 1993, architect I. M. Pei wasn’t entirely satisfied—budget limitations kept him from creating the swish penthouse he envisioned for the 52-story, limestone-clad tower. But shortly after Ty Warner acquired the property in 1999, he enlisted Pei and New York-based Peter Marino to create a crown jewel befitting the city’s tallest hotel.
Seven years and $50 million later, mission accomplished. In July, the hotel Marino designed the sumptuously appointed interiors, which feature walls dressed in book-matched Chinese onyx; closet doors wrapped in buttery leather; and a 4-foot-tall, fiber-optic chandelier made of glass chards. Pei’s contribution includes four glass terraces that float 700 feet above the street.
At $30,000 a night, the suite is reportedly the world’s most expensive. A stay includes personal butlers, in-room spa treatments, and unlimited use of the hotel’s Rolls Royce and Maybach automobiles. The room has been booked on only four occasions since its opening, but such limited usage appears to be the point. “This type of suite shouldn’t be rented on a very frequent basis because it’s so precious,” says Leslie Lefkowitz, the hotel’s public relations director. “We want to keep the exclusivity and maintain the pristine condition of the room.”
