Raffles Beijing, China

 

Raffles Beijing, China.  First opened in the 1900s as the Grand Hotel de Pékin, the hotel’s classic French-Orient colonnaded façade is an enduring symbol of Beijing’s history.  In 2005 Raffles Hotels & Resorts began restoration work, adding a new wing and the hotel re-opened as Raffles Beijing in 2006 regaining its rightful position as Beijing’s most distinguished hotel just 40 minutes by taxi from Beijing Capital International Airport, around the corner from the main shopping street of Wangfujing and a few blocks from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.  Nine of the 171 rooms have been named after former guests of the hotel: the Henri Cartier-Bresson Suite, the George Bernard Shaw Suite and the Charles De Gaulle Suite.  At Jaan, Beijing’s most exclusive French restaurant, the original 1920 timber sprung dance floor evokes the glamour of the 1920s.  Jaan offers light, innovative French cuisine with a modern edge.  With a sisterly nod to Raffles Singapore, The Writers Bar honours Chinese and foreign literary luminaries – including American journalist and writer Edgar Snow, Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and Chinese novelist Guo Mo Ruo – all of whom have stayed at the hotel, visited or written about it over the years.  East 33, a striking buffet restaurant serves delicious food, from rustic wood-fire pizzas to crisp Peking duck.  Raffles Beijing has state-of-the art meetings facilities in its six function rooms.

At a glance: 171 guestrooms and suites; 2 restaurants; 1 bar; indoor swimming pool; gym; Wi-Fi www.raffles.com/beijing