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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 4, 2012--
Where do
you want to go next? For many, the answer this year will
undoubtedly be Baku.
As football fans worldwide look forward to the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's
World Cup
in the fall, and the country's first Four Seasons now welcoming guests,
the
capital of Azerbaijan is now clearly marked on the world map.
What was once a
well-kept secret among oil industry
executives who did business in the region in the past century is now
attracting
the interest of a much broader range of travellers. With its recent
hosting of
the Eurovision Song Contest, rich cultural history and vibrant arts
scene,
designer shopping, developing wine industry, ever-changing skyline and
pulsing
nightlife, as well as the business opportunities that continue to
emerge in the
country's post-Soviet era, people from all over the world are now
making their
way to the city by the Caspian Sea. "This is an incredibly exciting time for
Baku. The city
is changing almost daily now, and we are right in the middle of it
all,"
says Four Seasons General Manager Tarek Mourad, predicting that "this
may
be the year people finally stop asking, 'where is Baku?'" More Reasons to Visit Baku Now Pinar Suer, lead concierge at the new Four
Seasons Hotel
Baku notes that the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will also feature
concerts by
American pop diva Jennifer Lopez to open the competition, and megastar
Shakira
as part of the official closing. R&B queen Rihanna is also set to
perform
in Baku this fall. Another event in the city this year
recommended by Suer is
the opening of the acclaimed Azerbaijan Carpet Museum is set to open
its new
building – shaped like a giant rolled carpet – on the waterfront by the
end of
the year. As for the city's infamous club scene – named by Lonely
Planet
as one of the top ten Ultimate Party Cities - the concierge team can
help
guests navigate the velvet ropes, identifying the best clubs on the
best
nights. The charming Old City, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site located
adjacent to Four Seasons, offers centuries of architecture, including
the
famous Maiden Tower and Shirvanshah's Palace. Further afield,
archaeological
and cultural tours can be arranged to the Baku Ateshgah (the Fire
Temple),
Gobustan National Park with its petroglyphs and mud volcanoes, the 14th
century
Mardakan Quadrangular Castle in Gala, the fire-emitting mountain at
Yanar Dag
and many other unique sites. Have You Tried the Local Merlot? For food and wine lovers, Azerbaijan
represents a new
frontier of sorts. "Gourmands already know that the best saffron and
caviar comes from this region, and now oenophiles are starting to take
interest
in our homegrown wine industry," says Mustafa Suer, director of food
and
beverage, noting that the Hotel's restaurants and bars will all feature
Azeri
wines, along with the best international selections. "Executive Chef
Marco
Bax and his culinary team promise to celebrate the local bounty and
traditions,
while bringing in the finest ingredients and new ideas from around the
world
for our local and international guests." The reservations books are now open at the
highly-anticipated top floor Kaspia restaurant and its adjacent
see-and-be-seen
bar, plus the ultra-exclusive Garabag private dining room. Zafferano,
Piazza
and Bentley's are all on the ground floor, attracting curious peaks
through the
windows in the weeks leading up to the opening, "or perhaps they smell
the
chocolates that Executive Pastry Chef Ahmed Said has been making to
fill our
mini-pastry shop off the Hotel's main lobby," says Suer with a smile. A Calming Oasis Expect a new obsession with spa in the city
now that the
Hotel's own Jaleh Spa and Pool is open. Spa Director Shawna Morneau has shopped the
world for the
very best spa and salon brands, and worked with her team of therapists
to
prepare a menu of traditional treatments and the newest wellness
approaches. In
addition to eight treatment rooms, two suites with private balconies
overlooking the Caspian invite intimate shared spa journeys, and, given
that
her last position was in Morocco, it's no surprise that Morneau
enthusiastically recommends the traditional hammam experience
and the
local ghassoul ritual. The Hotel's stunning indoor pool, with its
soaring
two-storey atrium topped by a glass roof, is an intimate enclave open
to Hotel
and Jaleh Spa guests, as well as a very limited number of Spa and
Fitness Club
members. Reasons to Celebrate Savvy brides and grooms have already put
Four Seasons on the
map, choosing the Segah Grand Ballroom for their weddings even before
the Hotel
opened. "Four Seasons has a worldwide reputation for highly
personalized
service and attention to detail – exactly the assurance that brides and
grooms
need on the most important day of their lives," notes Aynur Mamedova,
PR
manager at the Hotel. Four Seasons Hotel Baku will also provide
catering
services to events at nearby embassies and corporate offices. Welcome to Four Seasons Hotel Baku,
Azerbaijan Located on the promenade on the shores of
the Caspian Sea in
the Azeri capital, Four Seasons Hotel Baku offers the city's finest
accommodations in 171 rooms and suites, four restaurants and
bars
including the high-style Kaspia and Kaspia Bar, the exclusive enclave
of the
Jaleh Spa and Pool, lavish meeting spaces, and the signature service of
Four
Seasons hotels and resorts worldwide. The Beaux Arts-style Four Seasons
Hotel
Baku is the first in Azerbaijan, and the 89th property in the company's
worldwide portfolio of hotels and resorts. For reservations, visit Four Seasons
Hotel Baku
online. About Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts |
Contact: Laura Zanzal +1-212-299-8955 [email protected] http://press.fourseasons.com |