Four Seasons Bengaluru: A luxury business hotel that cuts no corners

What comes to mind when you think about business stays? Apart from location, location, location (accessibility to the airport being top priority here), I for one, think about good WiFi, a decent desk, a view to stare at while working on those PPTs, good brasseries and bars for those lunch meetings and after-work hours. The rooms are very atune with the latest technologies, with the FS Chat that tells you all your in-room dining as well as restaurant options, an app and iPad that gives you access to newspapers and magazines from around the world, and curtains that open as you enter.

Four Seasons Bengaluru by Embassy One ticks all these boxes and some more when it comes to a business-cum-leisure trip. We arrived in the midst of summer for a trip that was exactly that – business and leisure. On the agenda were a few meetings around town, a massage appointment, plans to check into as many hip restaurants and bars as our itinerary allowed. Bengaluru had been due a while, and the Four Seasons, located in one of the hippest areas in town allowed us the luxury of doing so.

The architecture of the hotel is very modern, with clean lines and muted accents that blend in with the greenery ensuring a calming space. The room décor is also muted, with large windows, a functional bathroom big enough for a his and hers sink, a bathtub and a decent sized shower area. The flatscreen TV was up-to-date, and easy to connect to OTT apps, another feather in the cap for FS Bengaluru – this writer has been to enough beautiful hotel rooms only to be forced to sleep early on a night in when the TV refused to cooperate.

Diverse meal options

Our first meal was a buffet at their multi-cuisine kitchen – Cur8. A word on the menu here – the spread was a nice blend of cuisines from all over the world. The hip salad bar had a fresh couscous salad, a beetroot and stracciatella salad, a quinoa and chicken salad that we had our entire meal with (almost). Apart from the local delicacies, the fresh seafood, and the piping hot Bengaluru biryani, there were woodfired pizzas and delicious pasta options. An indulgent lunch is par course here. We ended up taking a walk around the property to digest the big lunch, and ended up spending some time in their gardens, an ode to the garden city of Bengaluru.

The seating options outside make for very good alfresco dining spots. We chose to eat our breakfast at the same spot the next day, before heading out for work.

Tipple of the Day

The evening was reserved for Copitas, which has featured in Asia’s Best 50 Bars multiple times, and is a dynamic bar on Level 21 of the hotel. The menu had just been refreshed, and we were also able to sample several off-the-menu items. The new menu included ingredients from all parts of the tree, such as blackened lemon for fruit, or a cocktail inspired from lemongrass for stems. The unusual ingredient-forward menu is sure to keep the bar ranking in the Top 50 this year as well. Besides, the chic interiors are done in red, white and black, making it a striking spot for pleasure seekers in Bengaluru.

“We are privileged to have featured on the list twice in the short time since the launch of Copitas. The listing is a testimony to the constant commitment of Four Seasons to delight our guests with exceptional experiences. We invite residents of Bengaluru and our guests from around the world to come and experience the magic of Copitas,” says Reuben Kataria, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru.

The Greener Future Menu as it is called, is inspired by the ethos of using every part of the plant – from seed to fruit. This is Copitas team’s method of attempting sustainability head-on, with the aim of promoting a more balanced ecosystem to support the bar industry. The menu is designed to spark conversations around nostalgia where one relives their childhood memories with the cooling sips of nannari sherbet on a summer afternoon or a peanut bar (chikki), a nostalgic sweet indulgence. Guests receive re-plantable “seed bombs” as takeaways after their evening of cocktails and are also encouraged to carry home the coasters used to place their glasses on, as they are made from holy basil seeds, making for meaningful gifts in themselves.

The next memorable meal was had at Far and East, the hotel’s standout specialty Japanese restaurant. Located on the 21st level of the hotel, Far & East is a modern space with a tropical-rainforest leitmotif reflected in its brightly patterned upholstery and curtains. The traditional Asian-inspired risque art and warm lighting creates an inviting mood for an intimate and relaxed meal.

The location of the restaurant implies that guests can enjoy stunning views of the garden city from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling glass facade or step out to the extended lounge and terrace to sip on a variety of Asian-inspired cocktails, beers, and wines along with a sumptuous meal. With three private dining spaces offering personalized menus and service, the private space especially is great to hold business meetings and intimate events. Far & East elevates guests’ dining experience with exclusivity. We opted for the set menu, which involved a nine-course meal featuring several of the chef’s specialties, from signature sushi and dimsum platters, to a delicious fried rice and quintessential Japanese katsu chicken to round off our meal. Some of the items also involves a bit of drama, from the flaming duck, which is flambeed and carved in front of the guests, to the delicious dessert which comes enveloped in smoke, its perfect plating revealing its berry and chocolate flavours little by little.

Overall, the hotel’s location, its stellar rooms and diverse dining options make it a very convenient choice when visiting the garden city. The stay at Four Seasons Bengaluru by Embassy One is bound to be relaxed, as the hotel intuitively takes care of your comfort while you take care of everything else.