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.
Remember when the Park Hyatt opened and we all ooohed and aaahed over its elegant white walls, blond wood furniture and subtle lighting. Shanghai was ready to embrace a future of tasteful elegance and refined sophistication. Well, folks, that was way back in 2008 and guest what – it turns out minimalism was simply a passing fad. Wanda’s new Reign on the Bund hotel leads the new charge of ‘more is more’ venues that reminds us just how much fun unbridled extravagance can be, and then some. Watch out Vegas, Shanghai is coming for you.
Wanda, the Chinese mega-conglomerate, has been busy furiously buying and developing commercial properties the world over, but it’s Shanghai that they’ve picked for their top level, flagship hotel. And when your CEO is Wang Jianlin, the country’s richest man, you don’t do things by halves that’s for sure. It’s very clear that no expense has been spared here – and whilst the building’s exterior has been overseen by none other than British ‘starchitects’ Foster and Partners, it’s the interior design by the company’s own Wanda Design Institute that is very much the star of the show here.
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.
Bespoke has teamed up once again with the experts from Historic Shanghai for a one-off Nanjing Art Deco Weekender – and you’re invited! After spending much of last year dodging Nanjing’s security guards, invading period movie theaters and scouring lanes for ‘ziggurats’ and ‘sunbursts’ with Art Deco lovers from across the globe for the World Congress, we decided to do it all again for our friends in Shanghai and beyond. Can’t make the Weekender? We’ll also be holding a talk on April 27th. Read on for more…
Honestly, we’re not frequent visitors over in Zhujiajiao, one of Shanghai’s closest watertowns – the crazy tourist numbers and indentikit stores mean we’ve been heading further afield. But we’ve just been introduced to something that might help to change our minds.
After much delay, the new Ahn Luh resort is finally ready to swing open its hefty doors in the first week of January 2016. Counting Aman guru Adrian Zecha among its founders, Ahn Luh is aiming to be the first Chinese company to make a name for itself in the world of super luxury resorts. Will they succeed? The gorgeous main building, a 600 year old Huizhou-style structure that’s been painstakingly moved here from Anhui Province, and the promise of a year-round outdoor pool (the first in Shanghai?) have certainly piqued our interest. We’ll be heading over when it’s fully open to find out more.
In case you hadn’t noticed, China is really quite large – not an easy place to plan a trip to if you’ve never been before.
Enter The China Edit – Bespoke’s most creative, customizable trip yet for first time visitors to the country.
