The Urban Edit
Bespoke Beijing has teamed up with the Opposite House hotel to offer its guests an exclusive on our new bike tour. Along with a room at the ‘House, hotel guests will be treated to ‘Life on Two Wheels’, a cycling tour like no other. Led by our expert (an Australian-born, Beijing bicycle culture historian, urban researcher and cycling fanatic), it won’t just take you on a journey around the city, but put the importance of the Beijing bicycle in context.
Hidden gem courtyard hotels are truly the best kind of surprise. You pick your way down a grey alleyway, past dusty bicycles and gossiping old ladies, and emerge into an oasis of comfort, calm and hospitality. Beijing’s The Orchid is the master of this transition, but another, brand new courtyard hotel has the same moves under its hat: introducing Le Zai Hotel.
The Waldorf Astoria has stood proud on New York’s fifth avenue since the late 19th century, a grand dame that has hosted Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly – even a visiting Deng Xiaoping. 121 years on, Beijing has become the newest member of the Waldorf Astoria club. And boy is it a stunner.
Conrad Hilton (or ‘Connie’, as Don Draper memorably calls him in the TV series Mad Men) took over the brand in 1949, the same year Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China. But the historic link here concerns a certain Qing Dynasty viceroy named Li Hongzhang, the Waldorf Astoria’s first Chinese guest in 1896 (along with his 40-person entourage). The Waldorf Astoria Beijing is apparently built close to Li’s old Beijing residence, which is a nice twist in the tale.
Over 600 years in the making, The Temple Hotel Beijing is at long last rolling out the red welcome mat. A beguiling combination of boutique luxury and ancient temple architecture, is this Beijing’s most exciting hotel opening, like, ever? Read on and find out.
Welcome, ‘suite’ readers, to Bespoke’s first instalment of The Inn Thing, a blog series where we look through the keyhole (err, behind the keycard reader) at a selection of Beijing’s hotels. Our mission: to give a useful and entertaining glimpse into places we think our customers and friends might be interested in. First up: we visit the two signature restaurants of Four Seasons Beijing.
With just a few days to go until the WORLD FIRST that is our PLA sidecar time-travel themed scavenger hunt on October 19, here’s a little rundown of the awesome prizes we’ve secured for you, our beloved and intrepid time chasers.
