Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg — Hotel in Адмиралтейский округ

THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL BLOOMS AND BLOSSOMS ALL YEAR ROUND AND IS ALMOST AS GRAND AS THE MAJESTIC AND MAGICAL ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA IS ITSELF – HOTEL GUESTS ENJOY STUPENDOUS SPLENDOR IN A SAFE SETTING SURROUNDED BY SINCERE SMILES!||||We are a Russian/Ukrainian/Belarusian and American couple still enjoying each other’s company after 31 years of life, love, friendship, and family together. ||We live in St. Petersburg, Russia, one of the most beautiful, cultural, friendly, elegant, intellectual, sophisticated, and spiritual cities in the world (these seven adjectives accurately reflect our admiration for our city).||For the first time in our lives because of not wanting to travel during the holidays in a COVID-19 environment, we decided to “think outside the box” and “travel” at least in our minds on an exquisite VACATION in our own home city of St. Petersburg! To take this unorthodox “vacation” we selected the Four Seasons Hotel located in the luxuriously renovated early 19th century Lobanov-Rostovsky Palace as the very best hotel in the city, and we were definitely not disappointed. ||We stayed 5 nights January 4-9, 2022 and had a truly wonderful stay.|| ||We paid for a DELUXE room, but because of availability and the hotel’s hospitality we were gifted with an upgrade to the next level PREMIUM room and also were gifted with an early check-in (starting at 11 am) and a late check-out (until 4 pm). While we made our reservation through a payment system concierge service, we received GREAT SUPPORT from Ms. Alyona Petuhova, Ms. Ekaterina Noskova, and Ms. Alexandra Rezanova in the Four Seasons Reservations Dept. and when we were having difficulty online extending our stay they were quick to act and help us resolve the matter.||We did not meet Ms. Petuhova, Ms. Noskova, and Ms. Rezanova or anyone in management (whether General Manager Richard Raab or Marketing Director Yana Marsova) since they were located in another section of the hotel building with a separate entrance, so we will look forward to meeting them on our NEXT visit since we always like to know “who” stands behind such impeccable service (i.e., we are already thinking seriously about making this “vacation” in our home city an annual affair and invite others in our city to do the same) .||Both check-in and check-out went quite smoothly. At check-in, we showed our passports and also our QR codes and were happy to do so, i.e., the hotel has both legal and moral obligations to ensure not only the safety of its guests but also the safety of its dedicated employees (and indirectly their families to whom the employees go home each night). The front desk team (Anna, Victoria, Yuliy, and others) works professionally and efficiently.Security is excellent at the hotel, and the best part of it all is that it is unintrusive and practically unnoticeable to guests which indicates the professionalism of the security team. In addition, security personnel are quite cultured in their approach to guests. ||When I forgot my key one night and my spouse was not yet back to the room, the front desk person walked me to our room to open the door and in the process showed me a grand hall that was as graceful as she was and made sure from a security standpoint that I was indeed headed to the right room.||||We stayed in premium room 141 which was an exquisitely perfect large room (45.51 m2 or 149.31 sq. ft.) with its high ceilings, refined decor, comfortable sofa, large bed, large work desk, and huge windows with beautiful drapes. Our room had a luxuriously large bathroom with separate toilet and separate shower and a large comfortable bathtub with high-quality British bath toiletries by Roja Parfums. ||Our room also had a majestic view of St. Isaac's Cathedral ("Isaakievskiy Sobor" in the Russian language) which was designed in Russian Empire style by the French-born classicist architect Auguste de Montferrand and completed in 1858 after forty years of construction (after the cathedral was inagurated, Montferrand died a month later at the age of 72). Russian Orthodox Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7th according to the old Julian calendar, and therefore we were able to witness Christians and others lining up on the street in front of the cathedral to celebrate Christmas.||Montferrand designed many other objects in St. Petersburg, including the Lions Palace (Lobanov-Rostovsky Palace) itself where the Four Seasons Hotel is located, the nearby Alexander Column (which is topped with an angel holding a cross designed by Russian architect Boris Orlovsky), the monument to Nicholas I in St. Isaac's Square in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Field Marshals' Hall, Small Throne Room and Rotunda of the Winter Palace which now houses the Hermitage Museum, and he oversaw the repair and completion of the Kazan Cathedral ("Kazansky Sobor" in the Russian language). Montferrand also rebuilt the nearby Bolshaya Morskaya house # 45 which was the former mansion of Princess Vera F. Gagarina and now is the House of Composers where in 1991 as an American beginning a spiritual life journey in then Leningrad I met the Soviet Jewish composer Romuald Grinblat (1930-1995) with his peering eyes and love of music and life.||||PEOPLE are what make any INSTITUTION great, and while the opulence of the Four Seasons building itself and its facilities are exquisite, the hotel STAFF as a group is what made our stay truly MEMORABLE.||We also always looked forward to BREAKFAST, when we interacted with many of the breakfast team.||In a nutshell, this breakfast team was professional, intelligent, friendly, helpful (but not intrusive), team-oriented (which is extremely important especially in the service industry), displayed a strong work ethic, seemed to have some magical "eyes in the back of their heads" in terms of anticipating your needs (sometimes even before you knew them yourself), and had an authentic desire to make your stay as wonderful as possible. ||IF we were a "king and queen," we would definitely want this breakfast staff on our team! ||Toshikazu Kato is Executive Chef since May 2021, and it is apparent that he likes his job and is interested in providing the highest level possible of quality food and quality preparation of it. Kato comes to Four Seasons St. Petersburg with approx. 15 years of chef and management experience in major cities around the world, including in Japan (Tokyo), India (Mumbai), Qatar (Doha), UAE (Dubai, Abu Dabi), and now Russia. ||Julia Shubina is the Tea Lounge Restaurant Manager, Anna Boika is Food & Beverage Manager, Tatiana Khramenko and Ekaterina Islamova are Assistant Managers, Julia is Hostess, and Sunnat and Muhammed work behind the plexiglass protector shields serving food to guests. Waiters included Ksenia, Simona, Anastasia, Evgenia, and many others whose names unfortunately we forgot to write down.||We talked with one person on the breakfast team who stated in response to our specific questions that she has worked at Four Seasons for 8 years, that she takes pleasure in making hotel guests happy and satisfied and she enjoys reading their positive reviews of the team's work, that her work and the hours that she works at Four Seasons does not prevent her from having a personal life and that even though she does not yet have children she believes that Four Seasons welcomes and supports employees with children; that Four Seasons management is successful because it INVESTS in its employees (training, good relationship, career opportunities, and advancement). Overwhelmingly, the staff have a good command of both the Russian language and the English language and almost certainly a few other languages.||||As regards Four Seasons’ BREAKFAST BUFFET, there probably are NOT enough adjectives to describe this truly GREAT and GLAMOROUS buffet! ||First, almost all of the food and the employees who served it were behind clear and large plexiglass partitions that are cleaned and disinfected every day after breakfast ends, and from a COVID-19 standpoint this was extremely important in protecting both guests and employees.||Second, the appetizing manner in which the food was presented and served was impressive. ||Third, the broad selection of food enabled everyone to have exactly what they wanted to eat for breakfast.||Fourth, the food was extremely fresh and utterly delicious.||Finally, the serving stations were set up quite functionally and consisted of the following foods and drinks:||(1) scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, eggs benedict with salmon, bacon, chicken sausages, grilled tomatoes, waffles, syrniki (tvorog or cottage cheese donuts), blini pancakes;||(2) Escolar fish, salted salmon, smoked salmon, salmon caviar, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, fresh greens, grilled vegetables, salami, ham, cheddar cheese, brie cheese, maasdam cheese, mozzarella, farm ricotta with honey & nuts, fresh sliced fruit (papaya, mango, strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, persimmon), whole fruit (plums, apples, pears, mandarins);||(3) hazelnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, raisins, granola, bran flakes, corn flakes, soya milk, whole milk, fruit smoothie, chocolate cake;||(4) homemade kefir, ryazhenka (fermented milk product), soya milk, fruit smoothie, fruit yoghurt, cream cheese, fruit supreme, fruit salad, birscher muesli, chia pudding with coconut milk, honey;||(5) bakery: assorted breads, cinnamon rolls, pastries with fruit, croissants, muffins;||(6) in small jars on the table: honey, cowberry, strawberry, and sea buckthorn preserves;||(7) drinks: coffee, tea, water, glass of prosecco (sparkling white wine), fresh fruit juices (see below);||(8) In addition, you can order directly off of the breakfast menu (and the following items are also included in the breakfast buffet price): cottage cheese (1.5%), homemade yoghurt, eggs to order (omelette, fried, poached, scrambled, boiled), traditional eggs benedict, fresh fruit juices (orange, grapefruit, carrot, pineapple, pomegranate, kiwi, strawberry, apple), organic Irish oatmeal, porridge (rice, buckwheat).||||If the breakfast buffet is not included in the price of your room as it was in our hotel stay, you can pay 3,050 Rubles per person for the breakfast buffet or you can order individual breakfasts on the breakfast menu. Also, if you are not staying at the hotel but simply want to enjoy a wonderful breakfast dining experience with family, friends, or business acquaintances, you will be welcomed “with open arms.” ||||Aside from the breakfast buffet that we enjoyed every morning, we had dinner with two friends at the PERCORSO ITALIAN restaurant and enjoyed our meal and time there (Alexei did a great job of serving us).||We also had drinks (with two friends) and dinner two times (as a couple) at the XANDER BAR managed well by Kirill Dogadin who is customer oriented and very efficient (and who recently was promoted to Assistant Manager of the Sintoho Japanese restaurant which is also in the hotel). ||Hilda, Roman, and another Kirill served guests, including us, and did an excellent job. ||Alexandra as the quintessential and tactful hostess stood at the front door of the bar and greeted a broad range of guests who occasionally required her refined diplomatic skills in helping them. ||We enjoyed the food and service at the Xander Bar, and since we were staying at the hotel we were able to order food not only from the Xander Bar menu but also from the room service menu which expanded the food selection offered.||||IF above we give you the wrong impression that all we did at the hotel was eat (and sleep), we now turn to the Fitness Center and the Luceo Spa and Water Zone area, all of which as of January 4-9, 2022 require a QR Code (reflecting either COVID-19 illness during the past 6 months or vaccination during the past 12 months) – however, once we showed our QR Code during our 1st visit, thereafter in later visits we were NOT asked for our QR code again. ||Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and already having had two close relatives in St. Petersburg die from it and too many relatives and friends get infected, be hospitalized, and/or have difficulty recovering from it, during our hotel stay this time we chose not to visit the Fitness Center and/or the Luceo Spa (with its broad range of massages, skin care, and body care to fit every guest’s desire, i.e., we read fully their impressive brochure) but plan to visit them during our next stay.||However, we did visit the Water Zone during hours when there were very few people there. ||The Water Zone consists of a beautiful and tranquil medium-sized skylit vitality pool that we swam in and that had several types of hydro massage jet streams that relaxed our bodies and especially our backs. The Water Zone also had comfortable lounge chairs where you could enjoy a cup of tea and the free water and small snack offered. ||As a couple, we highly prefer JOINT (combined) male and female TURKISH HAMMAN and SAUNA, so the SEPARATE ones in the male and female locker rooms were a disappointment, even though they were quality built and always worked well. However, since we had the wonderful vitality pool to share together, this lessened our disappointment with the separate Turkish hamman and sauna. The male and female locker rooms were very spacious, nice and extremely clean, and the on-duty male and female attendant in each one did a great job of making sure that everything was orderly, clean, and with an adequate supply of towels, robes, slippers, water, and other supplies. Unfortunately, we were able to go to the water zone only three days (but would definitely have gone there five days but for the fact that on the eve of our arrival to the hotel one of us had a minor eye injury and it took two days to heal). ||||To summarize, we had a truly memorable stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in our own home city of St. Petersburg, Russia, and we liked our stay so much that in all likelihood we will stay there again during the holiday season in coming years. We want to thank the Four Seasons Hotel staff for their hospitality towards us and all other guests. ||||Finally, be sure to look at our answers to tripadvisor.com’s questions below regarding “hotel style and amenities,” “hotel ratings,” and our two TIPS to help you plan...

The problem with Four Lions’ service despite it’s over promise.||||Shocking and alarming “customer service”||Very bad staff attitude, pompous and undignified.Reported duly in a daily basis with no improvement so we cut our long stay and went to a better hotel.||||The hotel manager, Signor Livio Faverio, an Italian with whom I exchanged numerous WhatsApp messages. ||Livio Faverio is very adept at over promise; the problem is he under delivered despite his “promises” . I am confident you reading this review know what I’m alluding to.||The question is do you want a 5 star customer service? We did not receive it.|| ||In our example Faverio would act genuinely interested to learn from customer dissatisfaction ; yet he never fixed the problem which he took personal responsibility for.||||Examples :||||1. The swimming pool and sauna was closed for 4 weeks. Four Lions expected customers to use “W” hotel swimming pool and sauna which is 5 minutes away from Four Lions. ||||The state of swimming pool was very dirty, unhygienic with bacterial mould clearly evident. |||| No hot water in our en-suite shower. Faverio joked that we were making this up. I did not find his humour appealing. We had to use cold water for 4 nights before ||We were asked to change rooms after a disruptive midnight reception phone call.||We were asleep; the hotel disrupted our busy business time schedule for the next day. If Faverio had investigated the cold water problem from my first alert this would have been professional.||||Can you imagine cold ice shower each day? This was troubling especially because the gym showers were closed and not for use.||||The toilet roll is very inferior quality in the en-suite thin and paper feel.||||Problem : ||||The hotel has no bidets. Bidets are important for hygiene. In Four Seasons the toilet plumbing is weak and old. There is no air ventilation in the en-suite toilet. Can you imagine the unpleasant smell after toilet use? Faverio blamed his low budget on bathroom and room improvements.||||In the hotel there are no bidets in any rest room. This is so different to other 5 star hotel in Saint Petersburg whom all have bidets. Can you imagine no water to cleanse yourself properly after toilet visit o. Four Seasons?||||Customer Service:||||The waitresses are constantly annoying in their unfriendly approach.||For breakfast I was late for business meeting because it took over 16 minutes to serve me a boiled egg.Faverio blamed the waitress for not communicating the order to the head chef. My question. ; do you need a head chef to boil an egg?||||More Complications :||||I’m trying to do business on my phone especially during breakfast and waitresses every 5 minutes would keep me waiting for 10 - 15 minute for a hot coffee.||||We also found this hotel has very poor breakfast policy which means we were going to be over charged for certain foods despite the hotel promise “ breakfast package inclusion” in our price.||||I had told Livio on several occasions his staff were very problematic. To my face he told me they are all Russian ( he was being extremely condescending in my humble opinion). He said the staff have no understanding of hospitality unlike rest of Europe. I told him this was an unoble remark especially because my wife is Russian. What do you think would you tolerate this kind of remark despite your ethnicity? ( I imagine Faverio believes Italians are superior in hospitality).||||We reported Livio to Four Season CEO office worldwide via email;Four Seasons’ reply is that Four Lions Saint Petersburg as Four Seasons is not part of their business.||||We did get the impression Head Office and the majority of his staff find Livio troublesome. For example, there are no managers on duty during the night and reception is un trained in important matters at hand.|| ||Flowers and bouquet wilted because the water was not changed||Again Livio made excuses; he blamed Russian house keeping poor level.||He blames Russians for everything unsatisfactory in the hotel it would appear. ||||More Problems: ||||The business guest centre in Four Lions has very little space and the water supply for coffee tea was not functiona during our long stay.||||I lost many precious business deals due to the ineptitude of Four Lions and Livio was offering to keep us guests for much longer so we would spend more money.||He genuinely does not care about anything it seems but profit.||||The gym is very small and there is no natural light; it’s a very dark space with a chandelier. I prefer chandeliers in a bedroom not a gym.||||Be aware; good luck. There are better hotels in Saint Petersburg which are just as luxurious. ||||This post is to help those who are considering Four Lions ...

Overall, my vacation got ruined and our engagement day became the worst day. First of all, we weren’t informed about the turn-down service when checking in. Only informed about paid services such as Spa or breakfast.

Since no one informed about the turn-down service of specific time, we weren’t aware of someone could enter the room.

Our privacy interrupted by a house keeper who entered the bedroom without knocking the whole room and the separate bedroom door.

She didn’t make sure if someone is in the room. She just opened the bedroom door. And the house keeper happened to see us at very intimate moments and being naked. The housekeeper shouldn’t enter the room unless it’s clear that no one is in the room. It’s a basic manner.

It really ruined our night of engagement which only comes once in my life with my fiancée. We both are traumatized. The hotel kept sending the same housekeeper to our room for room service and it was very uncomfortable to see her.

We immediately claimed and reported the problem to the front desk.

Here is the real issue. We were blamed by the front desk manager that it’s our fault not turning on “Do not disturb sign”. Instead of receiving a sincere apology, he escorted us to the restaurant we booked as if it’s time for your dinner.

Later that night, we just received the champagne and fruits without getting a notice or any messages.

We got a note by the assistant director at our last night on 25th. No one in person gave us an apology until the check out moment in person. They should’ve delegated the situation correctly at that night immediately on 24th.

We’ve commented several concerns regarding public health and safety. During pandemic, the door men didn’t check the temperature correctly with a thermometer.

I’m coming from South Korea where it’s strictly followed by the safety protocols. We also complained to the front desk about the issue and nothing hadn’t changed during our stay.

Another issue was the housekeeper touched our personal belongings and disposed a Sisley eye cream.

When checking in, the front desk manager asked for my visa status, which never happened at any five star hotels. It’s their job to do simple research about Korea is a visa free country for Russia. They simply could google before asking customers about visa as if it seemed like I’m illegally traveling the country. We understand the safety protocol and regulations. However, I’ve never faced such a poor hospitality from a five star hotel like four seasons. I’ve never received an invoice at the end of checking out and the front desk workers weren’t  dare to ask about it. The assistant director came out to give an apology for the situation. We explained how much it ruined our special day, the day of engagement. Giving complaints was huge waste of my time while I should be truly enjoying my stay in St. Petersburg in Russia.

When I complained about the dirty bath tub and showed the pictures, then the assistant manager was offering free spas or restaurants in Moscow when we were about to leave. And I think this rude offer wouldn’t do anything for not only our ruined the engagement day, but the whole trip to Russia to propose to my girlfriend.

The four seasons should listen and be aware of aforementioned complaints.

In the end, my vacation got ruined and it really traumatized my fiancée and I. The hotel’s way of dealing with the situation was horrible. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to visit four seasons in St. Petersburg due to the poor...