Mumbai, Jan. 6: Four Seasons — the Canadian luxury hotel chain — is finally coming to town.

Its arrival has sent a frisson of excitement through the luxury hotel business, sending its rivals into a frenzied refurbishment drive to square up for competition.

Four Seasons is planning a soft launch in February of its 202-room, 33-storeyed glass tower in the Worli business district.

With a minimum rate of Rs 20,500 for a night’s stay and its spacious, ultra-modern decor, the hotel is expected to give The Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace a run for their money.

Competition will be particularly hard on The Oberoi, which some years ago wanted to forge an alliance with Four Seasons. The minimum tariff at The Oberoi is Rs 20,000 while Taj Mahal Palace charges Rs 23,500 for a single room.

The presidential suite at Four Seasons — a sprawling 3,336 square feet on the 32nd floor — offers a spectacular view of the Arabian Sea and the Mahalaxmi racecourse in the foreground. The suite can be configured as a two- or three-bedroom suite with the addition of connecting rooms. The tab? Just Rs 2.25 lakh a night.

The living room in beige and sunshine yellow is spacious and offers a chaise longue, comfortable sofas, a 42-inch LCD television, a home theatre system, an in-room safe and a bar.

Designed by Hong Kong-based Bilkey Llinas, the interiors in gleaming mahogany, contemporary designs, rich fabrics, warm tones and plush carpets provide a warm and intimate feeling. The bathroom in Italian marble is furnished with deep-soaking tubs, glass enclosed showers and WC, with another guest powder room off the living room area.

Bilkey Llinas designed the Hyatt Regency hotels in Calcutta and Mumbai and is currently working on the Hyatt Regency in Delhi and Bangalore.

With the smallest room measuring 388 square feet, Four Seasons hotel will have the most spacious rooms in town.

The Oberoi as well as Hilton Towers at Nariman Point are undergoing a major facelift to take on the challenge.

Designed by Hong Kong-based Pia Wang Lee, the executive lounge at Hilton Towers now boasts of white oakwood panels and veneer while the bathrooms styled with Italian Botticino marble are fashioned to give the guests an unrestricted view of the LCD television while they soak in their luxurious Toto bathtubs.

The newly done executive floor suite at Hilton has a futuristic Toto water closet fitted by a wireless remote control to handle the motorised seat and the cyclone flush.

An exclusive Bose music system and a 60-litre fridge along with a walk-in pantry complement the living room.

“We’ve already done up three executive floors at The Oberoi, which exude warmth, comfort and finesse. We’re also in the process of finishing refurbishment of four more floors. Five new meetings rooms have been added to the hotel’s Hilton Meetings located on the 35th floor, which are contemporary in design, sound proofed and equipped with state-of-the-art business tools and technology. The entire hotel will be given a new look,” said Rattan Keswani, executive vice-president, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts.

The 104 Premier rooms at the Hilton have acquired a superlative white oakwood flooring with wall-mounted LCD televisions and soundproof windows, while the bathroom has speakers neatly hidden under the vanity counter, revolving mirrors and offers Crabtree and Evelyn products.

At the Hilton Towers, the health club is being renovated, while a brand new spa will be unveiled by February.

In their willingness to enlarge the rooms and create more space at The Oberoi, the management is even ready to reduce the room inventory. “We’re working on redesigning the room segmentation at the Oberoi and plan to increase room sizes. These changes will significantly reduce our room inventory,” added Keswani.

After extensive talks with the Four Seasons brand for a strategic marketing agreement in 2003, EIH (which owns Oberoi Hotels) signed a franchise agreement with Hilton International a year later. That franchise runs out in April.

Hilton Hotels Corp — which was bought out last year for $26 billion by private equity firm Blackstone — has since tied up with realty firm DLF to develop at least 20 hotels across the country, including Calcutta.

Four Seasons has already sparked a buzz. “We’re delighted with the response from clients, the community and prospective guests,” said a hotel spokesperson.

In addition to speciality restaurants, the Four Seasons hotel will offer a health club, a spa, a private membership club, helicopter services from the nearby race course and golfing facilities at the Bombay Presidency Club.

Four Seasons plans to spread its wings: last August, it tied up with DLF to establish a 230-room luxury hotel at Gurgaon that will open by the end of 2010.