Four Seasons Beirut: Hot Hotel Openings of the Year

The cool Lebanese capital is getting another luxury hotel addition. (We've been excitedly anticipating the opening of Le Gray, from the hotelier behind London's One Aldwych and Carlisle Bay in Antigua). The other hotel that's crossed our radar? Four Seasons Beirut which is slated to open in December 2009. HotelChatter says that "all you Four Seasons loyalists out there... will have a new reason to visit Beirut." The city's known for its vibrant social scene and Four Seasons is planning to attract the crowds to a sky-high, "see-and-be-seen" rooftop pool lounge. Soaring above Beirut's Corniche, the glass-and-steel landmark building has views of the Mediterranean from private terraces adorning each and every room. Noted designer Pierre-Yves Rochon created the French-inspired interiors, showcasing polished maple, bronzed wallpaper and chinoiserie lamps. With a prime location in "the Paris of the Middle East," the Mediterranean gateway that links Europe to the Middle East, Four Seasons Beirut will feature a full-service spa, meeting and event spaces (including a grand ballroom), and two restaurants and three bars.