Features

Beijing: Boutique hotels

30 Nov 2011

Mark Graham trawls China’s capital to uncover individualistic hotels aimed at those looking for a sense of history along with their creature comforts

The ancient – and once decidedly dull – Chinese capital of Beijing virtually reinvented itself for the Olympic Games of 2008, adding trendy boutique hotels to its portfolio, as well as funky bars and restaurants. Until the world’s largest sporting spectacle came along, the city was bereft of boutique hotels, or at least any that catered to discerning international travellers. There were plenty of backstreet faux-imperial courtyard-style hotels, almost all offering the kind of dire service and sloppy maintenance that once defined the China hospitality industry, but nothing of class or style. Now, some four years after the Games, the city has a decent portfolio of alternative accommodation. Here is a selection of notable properties. The Orchid Anyone seeking the real-deal Beijing local experience, in a traditional hutong (alleyway) courtyard home, need look no further than The Orchid, a recently opened boutique hotel in one of the city’s most vibrant areas. Yet despite its downmarket location – in a scruffy street that has bare-bulb local restaurants, hardware stores, hawkers, overflowing trash bins and stinky public toilets – The Orchid is an amazingly quiet, clean, even serene place to stay, bursting with high-tech features that include Apple television sets and custom-made beds and mattresses. It even has a roof terrace, a great spot for gazing over the hutongs while sipping a cocktail. There are just 10 rooms, some with a garden, others with a small courtyard, all with VPN wireless internet access and custom-made beds. The nightly rate includes a generous breakfast, with tea selection by Canadian co-owner Joel Schuchat, who was once a tea trader. On tap at the cosy bar-cum-reception are beers from Great Leap Brewing, a micro-brewery located a few streets away, and there’s a decent selection of wines. It is also handy for some of the bars and restaurants of Nanluoguxiang, the striking Bell Tower, glorious Hou Hai Lake, imperial-era Beihai Park and the Forbidden City itself. But at busy times it can be a half-hour cab ride, or longer, to the CBD. Book well in advance – it is proving to be a popular spot, with glowing reviews from leisure travellers. Rates from RMB600 (US$94) 65 Baochao Hutong, Guloudong Dajie, Dongcheng District; tel +86 10 8404 4818 www.theorchidbeijing.com Grace Hotel This dinky little 30-room boutique property, located in the 798 art district, is the first Asian venture by Grace Hotels. It began life as the Yi House hotel, a pet project of former Hong Kong investment banker and art lover Shauna Liu, whose refined design eye gave the interior real character, with thought-provoking paintings and photography lining the walls. In a nod to those roots, the new management has renamed the main restaurant Yi House, and retained many of the quirky touches that made it such a distinctive place. There is the option of booking an artist’s room with single bed, superior room, deluxe room or suite. All rooms are slightly different, with their own artwork, luxury bed linen and Ba Yan Ka La toiletries. The hotel is a few strides away from the main galleries of 798, including the huge Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, a former armaments factory that was designed by East German architects using the Bauhaus style. Rates from RMB860 (US$135) Jiuxianqiao Lu, 2 Hao Yuan,?798 Yishu Qu, 706 Hou Jie 1 Hao; tel +86 10 6436 1818 www.gracebeijing.com Hotel G The hip Hotel G is close to the city’s main late-night fun zone: Gongi is where the young nouveau-riche party animals of Beijing come to dance and karaoke the night away in the half-dozen mega clubs located along the main drag. It is also within easy reach of Sanlitun, where Beijing’s more sophisticated and internationally oriented restaurants and nightspots are located, and a short drive from the CBD. All in all, a perfect spot for anyone seeking a smaller, cosier and trendier alternative with a bit of action nearby. Hotel G’s most sought-after rooms are loft-style, with raised bed areas and a bathroom big enough to accommodate a freestanding bath. Each room has its own mood lighting controls, offering a variety of colours and hues, while the lobby has red sandstone walls, stitched leather columns and lots of twinkling LED lights. Pop art can be found throughout the building – reflecting the cheeky ambience of the place. Rates from RMB1,180 (US$186) A7, Gongti Xilu; tel +86 10 6552 3600 www.hotel-g.com The Opposite House The starkly minimalist The Opposite House has firmly established itself as the accommodation of choice for the international creative crowd – and business travellers who want to escape the cookie-cutter, loyalty points-obsessed approach to running a hotel. The radical theme starts with the orange-and-green exterior. Inside, the designers set out to break virtually all of China’s traditional five-star hotel rules, dictating that thick marble pillars, old-style landscape murals, deep carpets and legions of black-suited flunkies with corporate lapel pins are absolute essentials. Not at The Opposite House, where guests will look in vain for a reception desk; instead, new arrivals are checked in by laptop-wielding staff, all dressed in casual clothing and sneakers. It might be a little too out-there for some tastes: the 99 rooms have bare wooden floors, a simple, neutral décor and deep, Japanese-style oak bathtubs. The great location, in the buzzing nightlife zone of Sanlitun, means there are scores of restaurants and bars within a five-minute walk. Rates from RMB1,800 (US$283) The Village at Sanlitun, Building 1, 11 Sanlitun Beilu; tel + 86 10 6417 6688 www.theoppositehouse.com Aman at Summer Palace The Aman group, renowned for its beach and mountain resorts, certainly picked a striking location for its first-ever China venture: the fabulous Summer Palace, the lakeside retreat of the Empress Dowager. Rooms now used by Aman guests are those where supplicants and petitioners waited while they sought an imperial audience which, depending on the rulers’ moods and whims, could be hours or weeks. Every effort was made to use materials either from – or inspired by – the Qing dynasty, and adding more modern elements such as a spa, cinema and fine-dining rooms. In the warmer months, Aman is clearly a realistic option, a real heritage site with modern creature comforts, but whether the resort will lure guests in the depths of winter, when the temperature can drop to minus 15 for weeks on end, is another matter. Marvellous though the grounds of the Palace are, and a mere gateway-stride from the resort, there is not much else around in this outer suburb. But that also holds appeal: Aman offers the chance to step into a cushioned cocoon, a place with sublime imperial-era buildings, extensive grounds and exquisite service and food. Rates from US$650 1 Gongmenqian Street, Summer Palace; tel + 86 10 5987 9088 www.amanresorts.com Brickyard Eco-Retreat at Mutianyu Great Wall A newly opened out-of-town gem, perfect for a Great Wall visit tagged on to the end of a business trip. The resort is located in a village just below China’s most famous structure, with uninterrupted views of the Wall from every room – and a skylight to view the stars. It is the brainchild of former corporate warrior Jim Spear, a long-time China resident, who converted a number of traditional homes in Mutianyu village to international levels of luxury. The same sensitive and meticulous approach was applied at the Brickyard, where every room has contemporary western features such as state-of-the-art bathroom fixtures and iPod docking stations, and an antique carpet, desk and chair. “When I designed the Brickyard my aim was to retain the original structures wherever possible,” says American Spear. “It means there is a real, and interesting, story for our guests to discover, but the main reason for keeping the old buildings was to be ecologically sound.” The spa offers various Chinese-style treatments and the spa’s Gold Suite, features a private outdoor courtyard with shower and plunge pool. All treatment rooms have antique ethnic fabrics and carpets, murals made from broken glazed tiles originally made at the factory, and fresh flowers picked from the garden. Close by are two restaurants operated by Spear. One, in the former village schoolhouse, serves western organically sourced food, cooked by an Indian Canadian chef, while the other serves more rustic Chinese cuisine. “We have tried for a simplicity that looks effortless; we are the antithesis of a big, fancy, soulless resort,” says Spear. Rates from RMB1,200 (US$189) Beigou Village, Huairou District; tel +86 10 6162 6506 www.brickyardatmutianyu.com

Practicalities

Getting there

Beijing has several daily flights from most major Asian capital cities – and hourly services from Hong Kong, via Dragonair, Hong Kong Express and various mainland Chinese airlines.

Entry via Hong Kong is favoured for a number of reasons, among them the ease of acquiring a (mandatory) visa from China International Travel Service.

Getting around

First-time visitors to Beijing are always surprised by how modern the city is – at least superficially – and its sheer size. The Beijing boutique hotels featured here are, with two exceptions, located within the downtown area, but even that covers an enormous area. Many appointments in Beijing will require a cab ride (flag fall: RMB10/US$1.50), as walking is often impractical and the subway can be very crowded.

It is vital to have every destination (and your hotel address) written down in Chinese characters, preferably with detailed instructions on how to get there. Cab drivers are often

from out of town, have scant knowledge of Beijing’s geography and stubbornly refuse to carry a map.

It takes around around 90 minutes to get to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where the Brickhouse boutique hotel is located.

Allow an hour to reach the Summer Palace, where the Aman resort is situated.

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