Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is thrilled to announce the arrival of Four Seasons Hotel Firenze and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus. Flo and Bo, as they are affectionately known, join big sisters Four Seasons Hotel Milan and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet as the proud parent’s second properties in Italy and Turkey.
Despite their later arrival, the hotels are actually older than their siblings due to an extraordinary long gestation period.
Comprising two Renaissance palaces, the Palazzo della Gherardesca and the Conventino, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze’s birth is over 500 years in the making. In a former life, the building was occupied by a Pope, five centuries of Florentine nobility and a Viceroy of Egypt. Now, the Hotel welcomes guests for the opportunity to view rare 15th -19th century artworks in their original context and to linger in the Giardino della Gherardesca, the city’s largest private garden.
An Ottoman palace, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus took nearly 200 years to come to fruition. Previously, the palace was a summer retreat for the Ottoman elite. The “new” Hotel welcomes guests to enjoy the rich history of the City – once the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman empires – from a waterfront location. Guests wishing to keep it all in the family can travel between the Bosphorus and Sultanahmet via private boat.
The newly unveiled hotels are welcomed to the Four Seasons family by 76 “siblings” in 32 countries around the world. Want to send your congratulations? Visit Four Seasons Hotel Firenze and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus to see the new additions.