Boutique Hotel in Sanlitun : The Opposite House

The newly created Swire Hotels group, owned by Hong Kong-based Swire Properties, opened its first hotel "The Opposite House" in Beijing in summer 2008.

lobby of the Opposite House

exterior of the Opposite House in Sanlitun, Beijing

The hotel with its green glass exterior and minimalistic interior offers 99 suites starting at 1850 CNY per night (minimum stay 2 nights).

all rooms feature wooden floors and are very bright

the bathrooms feature bath tube and double sinks made of oak wood

the only traditional Chinese accessory is a wooden chest used as coffee table or storage

 

a room (studio 95) with a balcony

Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the hotel is part of Swire's first integrated commercial project in China, a giant new shopping, lifestyle and dining development, called The Village, at Sanlitun in Beijing.  So if you wonder why all the old houses had to vanish, for what and why all these glass cubes look alike, then you know: it is all part of an integrated project by this Hong-Kong based company.

from right to left : the (South) Village, addidas store, Yashow market

If you have been in Sanlitun lately and have any dining or shopping experience in the Opposite House's neighbourhood, let me know what you think.

map and contact, click to enlarge

photo source: the opposite house

Beijing City Guide by Design*Sponge

Maybe you already know design*sponge, a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by writer Grace Bonney. This extremely successful blog also has a growing collection of city guides, that are compiled with the help of readers. Design*Sponge city guide to Beijing is quiet a complete list of things to do & see in this fast changing city.

Like many others which are planning a trip to Beijing the authors of this city guide came across my blog. They liked the "great beijing home/decor shopping list from beijing notebook" and included a link to this blog.
Thanks for the mention !

I can recommend to check out this new online city guide as it is compiled just recently, in August 2009 and includes all the new stuff - and the old stuff that has not vanished.

Beijing Boutique Hotel: The Emperor

The Emperor Hotel is one of the few boutique hotels located right in the heart of Old Beijing. It is located close to the Eastern walls of the Forbidden City. Therefore, from the roof top of the hotel, from the gym & spa and the Yin Bar, you have fantastic views! Wangfujing Road, the pedestrian international shopping street with some other luxe hotels and Tiananmen Square are in walking distance.


Stylish rooms combining traditional culture and modern fashion. Complimentary 24h butler service for all rooms, flatscreen TV, Wireless Internet access, free minibar (?!) ...


The Emperor Suite - located on the South West corner of the hotel offers an exclusive private view on the Forbidden City - about 3999,00 CNY.


The gym & spa on the roof top with views over old Beijing, outdoor wading pool, hot tub and massage rooms.


The Yin Bar with views over the Forbidden City - you can rent the place for special occasion! - the photo was taken in June 2008, when we thought about hosting our farwell party here.


While looking up The Emperor on the www for actual pictures, I found often these two wrong information:
1) The Emperor Hotel is not the first Design Hotel in Beijing. It only opened in summer 2008, long after the Hotel Kapok which is another hipp boutique hotel in the neighbourhood of Old Beijing.
2) The Emperor Hotel is not located inside the Forbidden City


The Emperor
ADDRESS:
33 Qihelou Street
Dongcheng District
100006 Beijing, PR CHINA

ACCOMMODATION:
55 rooms including 9 suites

PRICE RANGE:
about 75 Euro (Superior Room) to 400 Euro (Emperor Suite)

ARCHITECTURE / INTERIOR DESIGN:
Graft Label


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You might also like my post about Hip Hotels in China
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Beijing: February Urbane issue

The February and second issue of urbane is out. I checked it online today - the whole magazine can be read online - and saw the Water Cube on the cover (I posted about it before).

They feature an interview with John Pauline, the architect from Sydney-based architecture firm PTW, which is in charge for the project.

They also feature my article about my German friend's house in Lanebridge. She is a fashion designer and I posted about Ira Walendy before. She moved with her husband and two kids to Beijing in 2005 (like we did). It was really interesting to do a "homestory By Design". I got the chance to work together with talented photographer Judy Zhou and was asked to advise on rooms and angles. We had far more great shots then got published. Regarding all the beautiful pictures, the editor made it a 6 page story instead the usual 4 pages.

See below how an expat family - whose housing is covered by the employing company - could live in Beijing. Not too bad! Read the article online here, page 48 ff OR click below on the pictures to enlarge:





One of the pictures that did not get published is the minimalistic fire place with a free floating stone shelf (photographed by me):





And here a list (left) that I deem very interesting for travellers :
It is the latest list of   Beijing Boutique Hotels   - published by Urbane magazine.
(click on the list on the left to enlarge !).

update:
I found Urbane today at Jenny Lou. It is distributed again together with That's Beijing.

Hip Hotels in China

This is the cover of the Chinese ELLE Decor magazine in May. It features an article about new Hip Hotels in China. Although I cannot read Chinese, I can look at the pictures and follow websites.

So, today, I post for you this list of newly opened Hip Hotels featured by ELLE Decor China, in case you plan to visit:

Hotel Kapok, Beijing
Newly opened stylish Boutique Hotel in the heart of Beijing with bamboo-Zen atrium. Just steps from the Forbidden City and the shopping area around Wangfujing. The calming suites have glass-walled bathrooms. Bicycles are available for rent to discover old Beijing. Website in Chinese and English. 89 rooms.
16 Donghuamen Dajie, Dongcheng, phone 6525 9988

Hotel Kapok Beijing

Lapis Casa, Shanghai
This new charming boutique hotel with 20 uniquely furnished rooms, makes a great getaway in the heart of trendy Xintiandi. If you want to replicate the look at home, the furnishing and accessories are for sale in the Lapis Casa shop.
18 rooms from 1500 - 2500 RMB.
68 Taicang Road, Shanghai, phone 5382-1600

Pier One - M Suites, Shanghai
In May 2006, Pier One, a new hospitality complex, opened its doors to the public. The stunning 1930's Art Deco Building (by architect L.E. Hudec), a former brewery, surrounded by gardens and Suzhou Creek and with its modern interior design gives customers a perfect setting for romantic dining or corporate events. Pier One is the home of four individual venues: Mimosa Supperclub, Monsoon Lounge Bar, Club Minx and since December 2006 the 'M SUITES', a 24-room boutique hotel. It has rooms overlooking the river, and a sleek, stylish design. 24 rooms, 980 - 2880 RMB.
88 Yi Chang Road, Suzhou Creek, Shanghai, China / phone (21) 5155 8318 / info@pierone.cn

House of Shambhala, Lasha, Thibet
House of Shambhala has opened in May 2006 and is located in a traditional Tibetan courtyard house, the type favored by nobility and high-ranking lamas in days gone by. Located in a quiet alley of the Barkor within the heart of old Lhasa, House of Shambhala is a realm of serenity for travelers to the “Land of Snows” on “The roof of the world”. It merges boutique hotel escape, yoga-spa center, fine dining and teahouse all linked through dedication to Tibetan ethnicity, architectural heritage preservation and culturally sustainable development. It is part of the Red Capital Group. 10 rooms from 1000 to 1320 RMB per night.

Shama Luxe at Xintiandi, Shanghai
100 design serviced apartments from 32000 RMB per month.
Block 18 Lakeville Regency, Lane 168 Shun Chang Road, Luwan District, Shanghai 200021, China, phone +86-21-6385 1818

Fortune Land International Hotel, Beijing
This Design Hotel offers 168 artistic rooms within Beijing’s Central Business District (CBD). 1088 - 2788 RMB.
38 Baiziwan Road, Beijing , 100022 China, phone +86 10 877 18866, fax +86 10 877 62556

La Faeux Casual Hotel, Shanghai
32 rooms, 258 - 1300 RMB
127 Fanyu Road, phone 5258 8585
www.lafaeux.com

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ELLE Decoration China mentioned as well the following 'older' Hip Hotels:

88 Xintiandi, Shanghai (since 2001)
Commune by the Great Wall, Beijing (since 2002)
Fuchun Resort, Hangzhou (since 2004)
Banyantree, Lijiang (since 2005)
No. 9
Jia Shanghai
PUDI
W Hotel

I would also add the Red Capital Residence and the Red Capital Ranch, both part of the Red Capital Group, Beijing.

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The descriptions of the hotels I got partly from Elle Decor (I can read room numbers, and rates and opening dates) partly from the hotel's website or other websites, partly from Luxe City Guide Beijing for Hotel Kapok.

Personally, I have seen Hotel Kapok, The Emperor and The Opposite House. I like them all. They are all in great locations. The two first just next to the Forbidden City and the latter in Sanlitun.

Area codes / prefix phone numbers in China:
+ 86 for China
+ 86 - 10 for Beijing / in China: 010-
+ 86 - 21 for Shanghai / in China: 021-

Exchange rate: 100 RMB = about 10 Euro = about 12 USD

Beijing: a day unfolds

I was looking forward to today's trip to an art village. However because of the heavy rain yesterday and a wrong weather forecast for today, this trip was cancelled. So I had extra free time and started to enjoyed it on the sofa reading a book about Chinese Houses. (yeah, my life in Beijing is not too bad) I read a chapter about Beijing Courtyards ... and came across pictures of the former residence of the famous Peking Opera actor Mei Langfang. This courtyard is a museum since 1986. So, this became my next destination! With my camera and a bottle of water I went on a ride. I strolled through hutongs (small alleys) and found this beautiful courtyard house.


And more. Not too far away, I checked out the new stylish Kapok Hotel that is located between Wanfujing Shopping area and the Forbidden City. Both in about 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel. And they offer bicycle rent for 60 RMB / 24h. Great idea, as this is the right area to discover the charming part of Beijing - the way you expect Beijing to be.


And more. Walking down to the gate of the Forbidden City, I came by 'The Courtyard' restaurant. They have moved the 'Courtyard Gallery' from the basement to out of town Shunyi area. Now, you can have a very intimate dinner in the basement, still with views over the moat of the Forbidden City, and even with a bed next to the table... what kind of dinner will that be? Well, they won the 2007 Restaurant award in the category 'Best for a date'.


And then, my 'photographer eye' caught fishermen. And I observed them for a while. I tried lots of different shots and different settings with my camera. And I enjoyed this peaceful moment in Beijing. It is really picturesque in this area. This is my favorite picture of today: A fishermen fishing in the moat of the Forbidden City, the red wall on the left is part of the Forbidden City.


So that was my other day. Not bad for a short notice cancelled day. Maybe even better. I will know next Monday, as this is the day the art village trip is postponed to.

All pictures coppy right by me.