On August 12, the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou held a ceremony marking the delivery of its first batch of luxury guest rooms upgraded for sustainability. The renovation project integrated in depth environmental protection and health concepts with the essence of Lingnan culture, with "green craftsmanship" used to ensure the well-being of guests and redefine aesthetic spaces. That is not only an example of putting ESG into practice for the hotel industry, but also a successful case of how to enhance the quality and efficiency of existing urban assets.

The tallest Four Seasons hotel in the world, the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou opened in 2012 and has operating for over a decade. It has kept in pace with continuously evolving customer demographics and aesthetic preferences. Guided by ESG principles, it has responded to market and customer needs, adhering to a people-oriented philosophy, and embraced green and environmentally friendly methods, in tackling to the renovation project.

Renovation details underscore refined upgrades: Unveils new oriental elegance tied in with spatial texture

Strategic Renewal: Silent Elevation of Quality. The renovation project is a strategic mission that goes beyond transforming physical space. Starting in the planning stage, the concept of "renewal without closure" has been integrated into the full work cycle from design to construction and operation. With ensuring service excellence and the health and safety of guests as top priorities, it has demonstrated how "silent elevation of quality" could be done.

Precision Breakthrough: Protecting Returns Amid Space and Time Constraints. With the help of historical data, the ‘window of opportunity’ for renovation was identified, work conditions were heeded to aid ascertaining project scale, and a dynamic balance between ‘renovation and returns’ was achieved through rigorous space and time assessment. While ensuring returns, the value of existing assets is galvanized in a race-against-time.

Details Shape the Soul: True Luxury Shown in the Finest Features. Staying away from large-scale demolition and reconstruction, the most attention has gone into the details defining the spaces. From how chair backs curve,  layering of lighting to the paintings and décor patterns, every detail has undergone multiple rounds of meticulous deliberation, aiming for an aesthetic balance between functionality and comfort, and to bring out the true essence of "luxury that quietly nourishes" in the subtlest details.

Keeping Culture Alive: Contemporary Interpretation of Lingnan's Charming Traits in Four Seasons

Lingnan culture, a treasure of Chinese civilisation, embodies thousands of years of wisdom and aesthetic flairs unique to the region. The design team, with ‘reinterpreting ancient charm in a modern context’ as its guiding principle, plus emphasis on continuing the iconic narrative of the Four Seasons brand, has captured the refined elegance of the wok handle gable and the rhythm and flow of the region’s picturesque mountains and waters and transformed them into contemporary spatial poetry. With the rippling Pearl River as thread and the Baiyun Mountains as canvas, the design reshaped with fluid texture the timeless spirit of Lingnan for contemporary appreciation.

Inside the guest rooms, with the traditional wok-handle-shaped ceiling providing a screen for artistic display, and the Guangdong-style window lattices borrowed for use in the light fixtures,  traditional symbols and modern aesthetics are perfectly married in the intelligent living space. The custom-designed artistic furnishings are inspired by Cantonese porcelain and olive pit carving, both Intangible Cultural Heritage, all features enabled by technological systems behind the scene, allowing Lingnan craftsmanship to shine through in silence. At the touch of the smooth lacquer and gaze of the translucent enamel, guests can immerse themselves in the profound cultural heritage—that is not merely a space renewed, but a civilized dialogue that brings back treasured memories of the past.

Green Renewal: Hotel Experience Reshaped by Innovative Technologies

Efficiency Revolution: Modular assembly reducing construction time by 40% and waste by 80%. Breaking free from traditional renovation constraints, advanced prefabrication construction techniques have been used in the project. Over 90% of the décor components were precisely prefabricated in the factory for efficient on-site "building blocks" assembly. That not only reduced overall construction time by 40%, but also cut construction waste by 80%, significantly lowering environmental burdens and achieving a perfect balance between speed and sustainability.

Loyal to the mission of "Where Good Living Starts", Yuexiu Property has sustainable development deeply embedded in its business DNA. It has continuously invested in innovative resources to lead the evolution of green building technologies. The "Quiet Luxury Renewal" space upgrade at the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou excels as an example of this philosophy in action. By applying the cutting-edge "near-zero pollution renovation" technology, proven in the residential sector, in high-end hotel renovation, it succeeded in reducing notably disruption to the hotel environment and operations, setting a new benchmark for the industry's green transformation.

Looking ahead, the project will serve as a starting point for Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou in exploring new paths toward sustainability, striving for a paradigm shift in the "micro-modification" realm and to lead industry transformation. It is committed to creating for guests unforgettable "top of the world" experience, and opening them to a new chapter in sojourn stay. Moreover, Yuexiu Property will continue to play a leading role in the industry, collaborating with partners to drive architecture and cities toward a greener, more human-centric, and more sustainable future, contributing its strength to enhancing the quality of urban life.