“Rosewood gives me the feeling that the details are what’s important,” says Clement thoughtfully, twirling the lapel of his tailored three-piece Hong Kong tweed suit. Which is also his uniform, because Clement works in guest relations at the new Rosewood Beijing. In Country Kitchen, the hotel’s casual Chinese restaurant, staff are sporting blue cotton suits that might best be described as Mao chic.
Upstairs in the guest rooms (interiors by BARstudio, starting at 1,800 RMB at time of writing), there are odd bits of object d’art, selected books including an English edition of Dream of the Red Chamber, and trendy furniture pieces mismatched enough to convey a personal touch –which for a chain hotel of 283 rooms is a pretty good achievement we reckon. As Clement would say, it’s the details.
But hang on a mo. Rosewood? In case you don’t have your finger on the global hospitality biz pulse, the smallish Dallas-based chain was bought out by a Hong Kong company a couple of years ago, and this is their first China venture, with plenty more to come around the world in a flurry of “substantially accelerated global growth” according to Wikipedia. We’ve got to say it, Rosewood Beijing is uber luxurious and rather stunning. It feels like a hotel brand vying to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton in the luxury stakes.
Drinking and dining at Rosewood Beijing comes in the form of six outlets: Bistrot B for French, RED BOWL, a joint serving Chongqing and Beijing style hot pot which will open next year, House of Dynasties for Cantonese private room dining, a bar (not yet open), and Country Kitchen which we sampled on our visit.
Country Kitchen is an open-kitchen, a la carte style restaurant that stakes its culinary chops on northern Chinese comfort food, which means various types of rib-sticking noodles (the Exec Chef hails from noodle-mad Shanxi), wood-fired Peking duck, claypots of shrimp or pork belly, and an intriguing section of the menu entitled “lost recipes” that claims to have unearthed dishes once beloved by Beijing folk but forgotten during the austere Mao era. Think Made in China (Grand Hyatt) meets Bellagio.
One of the best features at Country Kitchen is the adjoining terrace with views across the East Third Ring Road to the CCTV Tower. Come to think of it, CCTV Tower views are a real commodity here. The huge Executive Lounge offers acres of CCTV eye candy (and wins extra points for also having a roaring fire and a billiards table); and front-facing guest rooms come at a premium.
Location-wise there are worse spots to stay in Beijing than along the East Third Ring Road. It’s decent for subway connections via Line 10, handy for the CBD and Sanlitun, good for upscale drinking and dining generally, but pretty awful for hutong explorers. On the one hand it’s a stylish option for business travellers, but equally we reckon tourists craving a bit of pampering (fabulous spa and gym, naturally) would be very happy here. And so would we. Rosewood Beijing is a seriously desirable China debut for a brand clearly going places.
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About the author: Tom O’Malley is Propaganda Secretary at Bespoke Beijing. A lifestyle journalist, guidebook author, glutton and bon vivant, Tom is a tireless crusader for fine food, hospitality and tourist experiences in China’s capital.