Hotel Design: Four Seasons Hotel Dalian

After ten years of development, Four Seasons Hotel Dalian, the city’s first international luxury hotel brand, has made a stunning debut in the Donggang Business District. Situated at the heart of the city, it offers an exceptional view of the harmonious blend of the sea and sky, while being adjacent to the vibrant pulse of the metropolis. This striking skyscraper, designed by NBBJ, is brought to life by two world-renowned design teams: Singapore's Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) and Tokyo’s Strickland. With “the cycles of the seasons” as the narrative thread, these design experts have masterfully woven together the city’s cultural heritage, the rhythm of nature, and contemporary aesthetics, creating a luxury landmark that embodies both international vision and local spirit.

Four Seasons Narrative: A Poetic Design Journey Through Time and Space

The HBA design team drew inspiration from Dalian's century-long urban history, extracting the dual influences of “railroad industrial civilization” and the “distinct seasons” that define the city’s climate. Beginning at the 41st-floor sky lobby, guests embark on a seasonal aesthetic journey that runs throughout the building. The winter-themed lobby, with its snowflake relief walls and icy brick screens, creates an enchanting, winter wonderland. The meeting spaces, with carpets woven in khaki and emerald, and leaf-shaped art installations, evoke the flourishing of spring. The 38th-floor spa, with its transparent glass façade, invites abundant sunlight, while the soft gold textures and flowing chaise lounges capture the lazy rhythm of summer. The 254 guest rooms, spanning the 23rd to 36th floors, transform into “mobile autumn carriages,” with arched ceilings and leather panels reminiscent of vintage train compartments. Storage units designed like suitcases cleverly integrate the concept of travel into the guest room experience.

Culinary Colors and Fragrances: A Multifaceted Deconstruction of Local Culture

The dining spaces, designed by Strickland, reinterpret urban cultural symbols using a deconstructivist approach. The signature Cantonese restaurant, Saai Yue Heen, is designed with a rich vermilion colour palette to pay homage to Oriental aesthetics. The design team transforms the layered beam structures of traditional Chinese architecture into modern minimalist ceiling installations, while wooden screens and ancient ceramic artifacts create a dialogue between past and present. Yotsuba, with its “Eastern Zen coexistence” concept, blends the beauty of Japanese dry landscapes with the refined elegance of Chinese scholar’s inkstones. The European-inspired Hui Hai restaurant, with vibrant, multi-coloured murals and brass-lined designs, brings the lively atmosphere of a European market to life. The Harbour Bar reflects the spirited energy of 19th-century port taverns, featuring floating art installations and maritime instruments, in tune with Dalian’s identity as the “Pearl of the North.” On the first floor, Fresca Dessert Boutique evokes an urban oasis with its muted gray and beige tones, where sunlight filters through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dynamic shadows on the natural stone countertops.

As Dalian’s first luxury hotel to fully showcase the “contemporary translation of local culture,” Four Seasons Hotel Dalian fills the gap in the city’s high-end hospitality market. Through the creative expression of international design language, it breathes new life into the industrial heritage and maritime culture of this century-old port city. Whether guests are journeying through vertical seasons from winter to autumn, savouring Cantonese delicacies beneath vermilion beams, or listening to stories of the harbour in the deep-blue lounge, the building itself has become a cultural narrative of the city - one that can be both lived in and explored.

Four Seasons Hotel Dalian: Call +86 (411) 3994 8888 for more details.