What took them so long? Four Seasons Hotel Beijing set to open

The Four Seasons Hotel Beijing is set to open in the Chinese capital by the end of 2012 -- but the adjacent top-of-the-range apartments are already making waves.

Chinese tycoons and property magnates have stampeded to snap up the 210 Four Seasons Private Residences -- including the largest, which is priced at RMB 72 million -- and only a few are left on the market.

"The luxurious Private Residences range from 240 to 800 square meters, costing RMB 90,000 per square meter, and will have access to all the hotel's facilities once it is open," said Jennifer Sun, director of public relations.

"We're really pleased to say that most of the 210 units have been sold already."

Anyone not quite able to afford their own private residence should find some measure of consolation in the hotel itself.

With 313 guest rooms (including 66 suites and one "Imperial Suite"), Four Seasons Hotel Beijing will embrace a Chinese/Western fusion motif, with wooden screens and Chinese furniture accenting to-the-minute amenities such as in-room flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations and full Wi-Fi service.

There will also be an on-property spa, a large pool, tea garden and Cantonese and Italian restaurants, as well as a 3,250-square-meter function space with two ballrooms, meeting rooms and a "boulevard-style vision" meant to top all Beijing hotels, according to a company press release.

Four Season Hotel Beijing will be located in the Yansha area of CBD (one of the most dynamic business and entertainment areas in the capital), and operated by Wuhan-based real estate group Changqing Group.

Four Seasons Hotel Beijing is accepting reservations. Room rates begin at RMB 1,900 per night, plus 15 percent service charge.

48 Liang Ma Qiao Lu, Dongcheng District, Beijing. 北京东城区亮马桥路48号，+86 10 8441 8370, www.fourseasons.com/beijing