Exclusive Sky Garden Floor Opens at Four Seasons Philadelphia

The typical suite, even at a Four Seasons, is no longer enough for the luxury crowd.

The Four Seasons Philadelphia has opened Sky Garden, an ultra-exclusive eight-accommodation enclave that guests can only access via a hidden elevator button that illuminates with their room key. But what truly sets these suites apart are their massive outdoor terraces — perched 45 stories above Philadelphia — that are larger than most hotel rooms.

Privacy is essential here. Massages and other spa treatments can be had in the floor’s own wellness room. The top suite includes its own gym. And, if you really want to feel exclusive, the entire floor can be bought out, something a wedding party has already done for September.

Sky Garden suites offer ample room to unwind in exclusivity.
(Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center)

The new floor is home to eight rooms, half of them suites, and evokes more of a residential feel than that of a hotel. Art is everywhere. The suites come with their own laundry machines and a kitchen with a Sub-Zero refrigerator and Wolf range.

Large dining room tables allow for in-suite entertaining, and the hotel staff will help serve a meal from the in-house Jean Georges restaurant. The hotel serves meals on a china pattern made exclusively for the floor. Plus, there’s a curated record collection for all your listening needs.

But what really makes the suites stand out are the giant outdoor terraces — larger than most hotel rooms.

Unprecedented Outdoor Space

The Four Seasons sits atop the Comcast Technology Center, Philadelphia’s tallest building. Like many skyscrapers, the footprint of the building gets narrower as it climbs, through a series of setbacks. The last of these happens on the 45th floor, creating a unique opportunity to have an outdoor terrace above the larger roof of the 44th floor.

That’s where the two Sky Terrace Suites and the over-the-top Sky Terrace Penthouse rest.

These unique spaces offer expansive views of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. High glass walls block the wind without obstructing the views. The outdoor tables can accommodate groups of up to 10. And in the penthouse, the outdoor space is accompanied by a glass conservatory that evokes the feeling of a summer at a Hamptons beach house — just 45 floors up.

Prices for the two one-bedroom suites start at $10,000 a night, and the two-bedroom penthouse starts at $25,000 a night. However, the hotel expects relocating sports stars, concert performers or other high-net worth individuals to book for much longer stays, in some cases months.

The Hotel-Within-a-Hotel Concept

The idea of an exclusive hotel within a larger hotel isn’t new. Most Las Vegas casinos have a set of suites that often operate like their own hotel with their own entrances, floors and staff. Others have hidden, exclusive buildings, like the Mansion at MGM.

And then there are places like the Rosewood London, which offers the Lincoln House Wing, a three-story compound with its own private elevator, dedicated entrance and the ability to combine into an 8-bedroom private getaway.

The Four Seasons Philadelphia is building upon that tradition but in a more discrete and subtle manner. Plus, no hotel in the world has quite the exclusive outdoor space, so high up.

Cornelia Samara, a Four Seasons regional vice president and general manager of the hotel, said the concept for the floor came together following the pandemic when guests were staying longer and looking for more residential features.

Her team was given this “blank canvas” of the 45th floor to develop. They could have made a spectacular event space, she told Luxury Travel Advisor during breakfast in the hotel’s lobby, high above the Philadelphia skyline.

But the hotel went the opposite direction and created something that Samara said “feels very private, specialized and inspiring” before adding “and there’s a demand for it.”

The multimillion-dollar project — she wouldn’t divulge the price — brings the hotel to 227 rooms and suites.

Samara has a long career in luxury hotels and is seeing a shift in guest demands. Today, it’s much more about privacy and the quality of the stay than physical goods.

“More and more so, it’s about creating experiences. It’s about personalization,” she said. “It’s the value of time and what we can create for them in that quality time.”

The Market for Ultra-Exclusive Travel

The question for the industry is whether such exclusivity serves a genuine market need. Standard rooms at the hotel typically start at more than $1,100 a night, come with top-notch service, and plenty of luxury amenities.

Chad Clark, principal of Chad Clark Travel Ventures, a Virtuoso advisor, says there is absolutely the need — or at least the demand.

“Everyone’s trying to up their game,” Clark noted, adding that “luxury is about exceeding expectations.”

His ultra-wealthy clients already have a cellar full of rare wines, multiple collectible watches and even bespoke sports cars. There’s still plenty of money to spend and they want to collect experiences.

There’s nothing unique anymore about a luxury hotel offering shoeshines, butlers, or turndown service.

“That’s become commonplace,” Clark said, adding that his clients demand to stay at hotels that are nicer than where they live. “And, you know, our clients are living in beautiful homes.”

Dr. Richie Karaburun, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, notes that the stratification of luxury travelers into smaller and more private groups extends beyond hotels.

Cruise ships now have their own elite sections, often with direct access to private dining spaces and the spa. Airline lounges weren’t exclusive enough for top-level travelers, so airlines have created another group of more private and more exclusive lounges.

“We have one life and one life only. What are we going to do with our money?” he said. “Experience is the new currency.”

Hotel loyalty programs and credit card points have opened up luxury brands like Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt and Waldorf Astoria to “the everyday person,” Karaburun said. But for real high-net worth travelers “it’s getting crowded” at these hotels.

The Sky Garden suites are just the latest in a series of over-the-top travel experiences — at higher and higher prices — that the ultra-wealthy are booking to set themselves apart.

“To me, there’s not a meaningful ceiling for these guys,” Karaburun added. “They aren’t really considering or even looking at the prices.”

And it’s not just older, wealthy people who are seeking such exclusive experiences.

Lindsay Messina, co-founder of Fioraé Luxury Travel, associated with Embark Beyond, recently turned 30 and caters to clients in her generation.

They too, she said, are seeking trips that are “a little bit more of an intimate, elevated experience.”

“When you grow up in that luxury, that class level, you’re used to those nice things. And you continue being able to do it,” Messina said. “For high-net worth people who are doing well, there’s a sense of: I should spend the money now and enjoy my life.”