Celebrity Life

The Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong has just completed the second phase of its hotel transformation, with two brand new F&B concepts that opened on July 15, 2021. Argo is set to become a staple for spirit aficionados in the city and worldwide, with a bar programme thoughtfully curated by Beverage Manager Lorenzo Antinori; while the new lobby café Gallery is primed to be the spot to see and be seen.

With exciting new offerings, plus new room designs, and things that we've always known and loved about the Four Seasons (an unbeatable spa programme and an existing collection of Michelin-starred dining establishments), we booked ourselves in for a fun-filled two-day staycation to check it all out.

Location: 10/10

Located in Central, connected with the ifc mall and a mere 7-minute walk from Hong Kong Station, you're well within reach of any imaginable convenience when you stay at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. The hotel also offers what is quintessentially Hong Kong's main attraction, floor-to-ceiling, panoramic views of the Victoria Harbour, unobstructed by nearby buildings and roadworks. The ferry terminals are also just a stone's throw away from the hotel — making day trips to the surrounding islands have never been easier.

Design: 10/10

The gargantuan task of revamping the Four Seasons — the hotel's first major transformation since it opened in 2005 — was given to two Hong Kong-based international design firms. Remedios Studio has given the guest rooms and suites a new look that reflects the modernism and tradition, the old and the new in Hong Kong, guided by Peter Remedios' own design philosophy. There are a lot of details in the room that catches the eye, from open shelves decorated with carefully selected glassware, porcelain and books, to wood furniture that recall the classical lines and geometric shapes of Ming Dynasty designs.

As for the new lobby, Argo and the Gallery café, the design was undertaken by AB Concept. Six new pendant lights are installed at the entrance to increase the lobby's warmth, guiding guests seamlessly from the driveway to the reception area. A raised area, dubbed "the stage" is also where guests can now congregate in, separate from the main reception by a set of elevated steps. The Gallery, the hotel's new lobby café, is sectioned off by an incredible bespoke crystal divider custom-made by Czech glassmakers Lasvit, providing guests with a sense of privacy whilst also being a focal point in the new space.

Cocktail bar Argo is given a neo-classical makeover and designed to give the space flexibility to transform from a cocktail bar by night, to a spot people can go to for breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas by day. Taking pride of place in the centre of the room is, of course, the magnificent bar area, a structural column that frames its wide range of liqueurs and rare spirits against the backdrop of the harbour.

Room: 10/10

We stayed at the newly renovated Grand Harbour View Suite, a corner suite that offers up sweeping views of the Victoria Harbour and the Kowloon skyline and, on a good day, views as far as Stonecutters Island and the New Territories. There's only one corner suite per level, from the 9th until the 20th floor, 732-square-feet of luxury that includes a walk-in bar area, a spacious living room that is separate from the bedroom. The walk-in closet is situated just behind the bed and right at the double-door entrance to the bathroom, which houses double vanities — getting pampered and ready has never been more convenient.

Our favourite area is perhaps the work-dining table with plush leather chairs and a reclining chaise lounge. Designer Peter Remedios, aware of changing travel trends and anticipating longer stays where travellers have the flexibility to work away from home, put in a lot of attention and small details in the room to make sure it was a space to be lived in and enjoyed. Neutral tones and matte wood finishing was purposely chosen to reference classic Ming Dynasty styles, while everything that is modern and necessary — high-speed internet, the room controls, the coffee machine — are all at hand.

Service & Facilities: 9.5/10

The Four Seasons Spa is led by Tania Bardhan, whose background in wellness destination offerings means that she looks beyond the traditional massages and therapies to give guests result-oriented programmes that they can benefit from long-term, such as a hugely successful sleep programme and other targeted therapies like Cranial Sacral Therapy that relieves stress and tensions.

Under the wellness umbrella, you'll find a series of meditation sessions, gong bath and vibration sound therapy sessions, mindfulness workshops, and more. Bardhan herself leads the meditations — the chakra meditation is great for beginners, as she'll guides you through the seven chakras, uses semi-precious gemstones as visual cues and chants along with you.

At the spa, which overlooks the pool, you'll find a range of attractive holistic healing rituals, as well as exclusive beauty treatments and massages. The Reawakening Ritual is perfect for combatting stress and aiding sleep. The three-step treatment starts with a full-body exfoliation, followed by a body wrap, finished with deep massage, with ingredients like Juniper essential oils (great for reducing stress levels), spirulina and fucus algae which are powerful antioxidants.

Food & Drink: 9/10

Head down to the newly opened Argo for a quick welcome drink — champagne with a fun gummy bear twist. Who knew it would be so delicious? Our favourite from the bar's debut menu, "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" is Bark, Leaf and Love cocktail, made with mono-floral lychee and longan honey from local bee farm HK Raw Honey.

There are a great many Michelin-starred establishments to dine in at the Four Seasons, but we chose for a more informal meal at the Caprice Bar, where we indulged in generous portions of French cheeses paired with fine wines, and sampled some more of Antinori's signature cocktails, such as the Caprice Bar Martini, and the Caprice Truffle Negroni.

For lunch, we opted for the highly recommended dim sum lunch set at three-Michelin-starred Lung King Heen, with a menu prepared by Chef Chan Yan Tak. We started off with a refreshing sparkling tea, followed by delicate dim sums, delicious barbecued meats, warming Chinese soup, a punchy wok-fried chicken dish, fragrant lotus leaf-wrapped fried rice, to finish, a chilled sweet soup and hot tea was served.

Rating: 9.5/10

Perfect for: A stress-free and indulgent weekend, plus retail therapy (just next door) if it calls to you.

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong

The post Hotel Review: Four Seasons Hong Kong Reawakening appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

After much anticipation, Argo, the Four Seasons Hong Kong's new concept-driven bar, is set to open its doors this July. Labelled as a "journey of discovery" of the modern world through spirits, the venue will focus on sustainability, unconventional parings and making the most out of technology.

We talk to the Four Seasons Hong Kong Beverage Manager Lorenzo Antinori about the new concept, the inspiration behind it and what to expect.

What can we expect from Argo?

Argo is our new destination. It’s a cocktail bar that explores the modern world and celebrates innovation in the world of spirits. I would say that is contemporary concept, that relates to the world around us and celebrates innovation. Despite the fact that it might sound like a pretty geeky concept or right, or a complicated concept, the space is going to be extremely energetic and vibrant, we wanted to kind of stay away from the classic Four Seasons and five star hotel concept, because consumers these days are different. You will see this through the music and the team’s uniforms and also in the offering.

We conceptualised Argo as a standalone venue. The price point will be affordable compared to Caprice Bar to create a nice alternative. The cocktails will be extremely fun. We hope guests will also have fun.

Can we expect any exciting collaborations or pop ups?

Yeah, I think collaborations are going to be part of the programme. When we talk about innovation, necessarily, we need to talk about collaborations because it means branching out from our natural environment and connecting with people that have a different expertise to bring something new to the table. At Argo, innovation will also be evident in the collection of spirits that we are presenting, introducing the greatest innovators in the in the world of spirits. Spirits pretty much reflect how food and drinks

Can you tell us more about the menu?

The name Argo is synonymous with exploration. In the Greek Myth Jason and the Argonauts,
Argo was a ship used for a journey of exploration. At the bar, we want to explore the modern world and the world of spirits throughout the cocktail menu. We will focus on six daily staple ingredients, which we developed in a creative way, looking at their origin, flavour, geographical location and their evolution. We’re also introducing a new way of categorising spirits, which is different from the classic one. The categories have been set up in a way that really reflect the contemporary world. Each spirit will be sorted based on its story, sustainability, and the use of technology.

They are: Modernist Spirits (crazy technologies and cutting-edge techniques), Sense of the Land (spirits that are representative of a place and tradition), Collaborative Creations, Clash of the World (spirits that combine two school of thoughts when it comes to spirit-making) and Philanthropic & Socially Conscious.

What’s the inspiration behind the concept?

It’s always a teamwork. I had this idea of doing a cocktail bar that somehow wouldn't necessarily fit into a category because I believe that we are heading in a direction where consumers are more interested and more knowledgeable about beverage and food. I think it’s interesting to look at spirits in a different light. The challenge was to create a space that has such a deep concept but at the same time delivering it in a fun way. We’re also trying to reduce waste as much as possible.

In your opinion, how has the F&B industry changed over the past year and a half in Hong Kong?

I think there is a much bigger sense of community, solidarity and being sensitive about the difficulties of doing business these days, during a global pandemic. I think a lot of businesses have changed their model, the way they operate with a focus on the daytime and introducing delivery options. I think that both guests and people in the industry are ready to have fun after a very difficult period.

What are some of the new bar trends that you're seeing in Hong Kong and all over the world?

I think there’s a lot more places specialising on a very specific category of spirits. You see many more bars that are celebrating provenance, regionality and the traditions of certain cultures. Like tequila mezcal or Japanese spirits. I think there is a much more interested for niche concept. I think there’s also more emphasis on fun venues, where the experience is interactive and memorable.

You’re the Beverage Ambassador for Four Seasons in Asia. What does your role imply?

It’s the fanciest title ever, it’s a cool one. In the last few years we've been giving much more relevance to beverage at Four Seasons as we noticed that consumers are much more interested and curious about bar and venues. That’s why we started putting a lot of emphasis in that sector and started creating spaces, especially in Asia Pacific, in our hotel bars that are also destination bars with a concept and an element of storytelling.

If you see the ranking from 50 Best, for example, this effort paid off, as 80% of our hotel bars at Four Seasons in Asia are recognized as great places. That’s why the organisation thought it was time to find a person that could help develop the beverage programme even further. I take care of Japan, Korea, and China and I basically help with concepts, staff training and other initiatives.

The post Lorenzo Antinori Talks Argo, the Much-anticipated New Bar at Four Seasons Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.