The Urban Edit
The fact that the ultra-discerning (and China-sceptic) Monocle founder Tyler Brûlé jetted in for a single day to stay at CHAO says quite a lot about Beijing’s newest hotel.
It may be right in the center of the Sanlitun chaos, but few will have noticed this exciting new space taking shape. Transforming a formerly drab government hotel from the outside in has taken months – and its understated new façade gives little clue as to the sheer scale of what now lies behind.
At Bespoke we’ve always put a lot of effort into making sure our vehicles are the best out there. In-car Wi-Fi as standard, besuited drivers, a choice of soundtrack and a bunch of other useful little knick-knacks like phone chargers and umbrellas. But now we’re attempting to up the game further with a couple of sexy new additions to our touring fleet.
From this month onward we’re unleashing a handful of hot red Tesla cars onto the city’s mean streets. Those touring with us will have the option of booking one of these natty numbers to cruise around town allowing then to relax in in the knowledge that not only are they clearly out-cooling the competition, but also that their entirely electric vehicle is giving the city’s sometimes-less-than-perfect air quality levels a bit of a break. Result!
Do you know someone who’s bilingual, extremely organized, and either has accounting experience or loves helping visitors to China plan their trips? We’re currently looking for people to join our team in Shanghai and Beijing so if you do, please put them in touch with us. If we end up hiring somebody you recommend, there will be a tour-shaped reward in it for you. Can’t say fairer than that now can we?
We’re hiring for the following positions:
It was hard for us to imagine how the Peninsula Beijing was going to spruce itself up enough to alter our perception of it – but by Jove, they’ve only gone and done it.
We’ve never seen dog on the menu up here in Beijing. Except in the North Korean restaurants, where they do eat it. But you will see a lot of dogs in the capital – they’re just usually wearing mini Superman outfits (Beijingers are obsessed with their pet pooches). As for other unmentionables… Yes, local tastes can encompass everything from deep fried scorpion to sea slugs. The good news? You don’t have to encounter any of this if you don’t want to. You’ll only find these ‘delicacies’ on Chinese-tourist-heavy snack streets and at expensive banqueting restaurants, neither of which make up the bulk of the restaurants in the city.
Hmm. This one makes us a little angry. Not because it’s a lie, but because it’s often reported out of context. The pollution can make you ill – after many years of breathing it, or if you already have an existing respiratory disease. Otherwise it shouldn’t affect you physically at all. Most importantly, don’t let it ruin your trip. A visit to Beijing was never going to be a beach holiday now was it? You’re here for the culture. And besides, seeing it for yourself qualifies you to have your own opinion (the sky is blue more than people think). When the pollution is occasionally visible, Team Bespoke tends to re-imagine it as a mystical fog. Or a gust of dragon’s breath. Hey, whatever works.
