March 27–One of the world’s most prestigious hotel operators has set its sights on Pittsburgh.

Representatives of the Four Seasons Hotel Group will be in the city next Tuesday and Wednesday to look at possible locations for a hotel and to meet with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

They also will be meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins to discuss the former Civic Arena site, which the team is redeveloping, and the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority to discuss land next to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center set aside for a headquarters hotel.

Kevin Acklin, chief of staff for Mr. Peduto and city Urban Redevelopment Authority board chairman, confirmed Thursday that Four Seasons officials would be meeting with the mayor next week but added they “have not provided the details of particular locations or specifics regarding their level of interest.”

“We are excited to learn of their potential interest and would invite their investment in Pittsburgh, which would increase our hotel capacity and further contribute to our competitiveness as a city,” he said.

Eric M. White, the URA business development executive who is coordinating the visit, said Four Seasons is “seriously considering a presence in Pittsburgh.”

“They are expanding aggressively and they like Pittsburgh. They like the investment opportunity. They like the culture. They like the upswing the city is on. They like the vision the mayor has cast for the future,” he said.

Mr. White said the Canadian-based chain became interested after he invited a friend who is an equity investor in Four Seasons to the city several months ago and he “loved what he saw.”

That got the ball rolling and now “they’re coming in to kick the tires. We’re hopeful and we’ve got some good relationships in our favor and Pittsburgh’s on their list,” Mr. White said.

Four Seasons will be scouting locations Downtown, which is of “real interest,” and in the Strip District and along the riverfronts, he said.

It also will be considering air rights opportunities.

Asked whether that would include the air rights above the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, where a New York developer last year had proposed building a hotel, Mr. White replied, “I think everything in the city is a possibility.”

Among those making the trip to Pittsburgh will be Ricardo Suarez, senior vice president for development, Americas, for Four Seasons.

The chain, Mr. White said, could be considering a hotel of 150 to 250 rooms at the low end to as many as 350 rooms at the high end.

Four Seasons is considered one of the top five-star luxury hotel chains in the world. It operates 95 hotels in 40 countries, including locations in Moscow, Beijing, London, Paris and Tokyo, according to its website.

In the United States, it has hotels in most major cities, including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

The chain did not respond to an inquiry about the visit.

Mark Popovich, senior managing director of the Pittsburgh office of HFF, a commercial real estate brokerage firm, said Four Seasons is “considered among the top” luxury hotel brands, on par with Ritz-Carlton, the Fairmont and Mandarin Oriental.

For Pittsburgh to land one, “It would add a lot of credibility. Generally the luxury brands are focused on major gateway markets — New York, San Francisco and Miami. You typically don’t see a Four Seasons in smaller markets. From that standpoint, Pittsburgh is considered a smaller market,” he said.

“The Four Seasons Hotel Group is synonymous with upscale luxury hotels. It would be a real coup for Pittsburgh to be able to join their family of cities in which they have hotels,” added Craig Davis, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, the local tourism group that also will be meeting with representatives from the chain while they are in town.

Pittsburgh is in the midst of a hotel boom, with 1,500 rooms under construction or in the pipeline.

A 248-room Hotel Monaco, an upscale boutique hotel operated by Kimpton, recently opened on Sixth Avenue in the former James Reed Building.

The five-star, 185-room Fairmont Pittsburgh opened in Three PNC Plaza in 2010 and “does very well,” Mr. Popovich said. “I think people have a hard time getting a room there.”

To have a Four Seasons, a Fairmont and a Hotel Monaco in a city the size of Pittsburgh would make quite a statement, he said.

“In the hotel industry, people would take note of that. To get a Four Seasons, it’s similar in a way to getting a Whole Foods or an Apple Store. There’s a certain panache or something that comes along with that because they just don’t go into any market. They are very discerning brands,” he said.

Mark Belko: [email protected] or 412-263-1262.