Opened in October 2002, the Four Seasons hotel in Tokyo is situated in Marunouchi in the prestigious new Pacific Century Place tower. With a capacity of only 57 guest rooms and suites, the boutique hotel is much smaller than the other Four Seasons hotel in the city (located at Chinzan-so) but its rooms are some of the largest and the most expensive in Tokyo. The hotel offers a wide range of facilities, including a signature restaurant, lobby lounge, business centre, exclusive function space and a health, fitness and spa facility.
INTERIOR DESIGN AND THEMING
Yabu Pushelberg, a Toronto-based firm, was commissioned to design the interior of the hotel. The chosen colour scheme was a mixture of light and dark: ecru and charcoal or off-white and black. This reflects the hotel’s chosen image as an exclusive oasis within the bustle of Tokyo, a quiet, luxurious haven in the midst of such energy and productivity.
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Custom-designed furniture was also commissioned and makes use of a wide range of materials, from natural woods (ebony, sycamore and rosewood) to metals, fabrics, slate, glass, inlaid pearl and tapestries. For example, the bedboards are upholstered with leather, the bathrooms are constructed of Italian limestone and the doors are made of Japanese lacquer.
CONTRACTORS
The project architects were Nikken Sekkei of Tokyo. The engineers and general contractors for the project were PCP Group (responsible for acoustic ceilings, suspension grid, lighting, raised flooring, panelling, floor and wall tiles, controls and elevators/escalators). Plumbing was carried out by Dornbracht. Lighting was a project undertaken by a number of companies including PCP Group lighting, Cooley Monato, McGuire, Ralph Lauren Home, John Saladino, Eurolight of Australia (downlighting) and Tango.
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork was by Decca (who also supplied the fixed seating), and Erik Cabinets. Tai Ping provided the carpets and the reception furniture was custom designed by Yabu Pushelberg and PCP Goup. Chairs were provided by Knoll, Palumbo, Pucci, Louis Interiors, B&B Italia, Void and Hickory and tables by Decca and Minotti. Upholstery in leather and other materials was by Donghia, Pollack and Larsen.
GUEST ROOMS AND SUITES
Of the 57 guest rooms, nine are suites. Each room features a 41in plasma screen TV, CD and DVD player, high-speed Internet access, fax/copier/printer with DID access and multiple two-line telephones.
The smallest rooms, ‘Superior Rooms’, measure 44m² while the larger ‘Premier Rooms’ are 65m² in area. The three types of suites, Executive, One-Bedroom and Chairman’s, range from 73m² to 160m². All rooms, and the tower as a whole, feature floor-to-ceiling windows which are triple-glazed to protect the guests from the bustling sounds of the Pacific Century Place courtyard, the Tokyo International Forum, Sotobori-dori Avenue and Marunouchi Business District, which their rooms overlook.
EKKI RESTAURANT
The 66-seat Ekki restaurant offers modern French cuisine in a setting overlooking historic Tokyo Station and the Rafael Vinoly-designed Tokyo International Forum. Two handsomely designed private rooms are available for exclusive meals, intimate social events and business meetings for up to 40 people.
SPA AND FITNESS STUDIO
The spa offers a quiet and relaxing setting on the seventh floor of the tower. Separate male and female changing areas feature wet spa facilities which include a steam sauna, jet showers, Japansese scrub showers and a traditional Onsen bath. Guests can unwind with a massage in one of two private treatment rooms or simply relax with a refreshing beverage in the spacious lounge. A number of treatments are offered, including Shiatsu massage, aroma facial therapy, aroma body therapy and foot
reflexology.
The spa also features a 24-hour fitness studio with extensive up-to-date cardiovascular equipment, weight-training equipment and free weights, as well as the option of personalised health and fitness instruction.
PACIFIC CENTURY PLACE AT MARUNOUCHI
The Pacific Century Place tower in the centre of the city’s financial district is 31-storeys high, of which the Four Seasons hotel occupies floors three to seven. It is a 180m-tall steel and concrete composite structure with a glass curtain wall and sits on a site over 10,000m² in area. The base of the building occupies only 7,500m² so the rest of the site is devoted to a lush garden for public use. The development consists of 24 levels of commercial offices, three levels of retail, and two levels of underground parking.
Built to the highest seismic standards by the Takenaka and Kajima corporations, the building is laced with interior columns to make it earthquake-proof. In addition to the hotel, the multi-use complex houses offices, conference rooms, restaurants and shops. In the adjacent garden, plant and wooden decks provide a spacious, natural atmosphere.
