Bulgari Hotel Beijing

The Liangma River is a canal more than a river, lined with willows and the walls of embassies, and it marks the quietest edge of Chaoyang. Bulgari Hotel Beijing, Beijing, stands on its north bank in the Embassy District, with a garden that steps down to the water. It opened in September 2017, the first Bulgari hotel in China and the fifth in the collection.

History

Bulgari and Marriott announced the Beijing hotel as part of the Genesis development, a mixed-use project in the Embassy District that also includes an art centre designed by Tadao Ando. Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, who have drawn every Bulgari hotel since Milan in 2004, designed the building and its interiors. The opening on 27 September 2017 came ten weeks before Bulgari Resort Dubai and eight months before Bulgari Shanghai, the collection's second Chinese house. Niko Romito's restaurant opened with the hotel, the second Il Ristorante after Milan.

Architecture and design

The hotel is a low block of bronze-framed glass and stone, set back from the river behind its garden, with the collection's black marble, oak and bronze inside. The ground floor opens onto a terrace and the lawn, with willows and water as the view instead of the city. Citterio and Viel gave the lobby and the bar the proportions of a private residence rather than a grand hotel, and the artworks include Chinese contemporary pieces chosen for the house.

Rooms and suites

There are 119 rooms and suites, among the larger in Beijing, most looking over the river and the garden. Bathrooms are in marble with separate dressing areas, and the top suites have terraces. The Bulgari Suite, on the top floor, has a private terrace, a dining room and views along the river.

Dining

Il Ristorante Niko Romito serves the chef's pared-back Italian dishes, with a private dining room and a terrace over the garden in summer. Il Bar, with its own terrace facing the river, is the evening venue and serves Italian aperitivi and cocktails. The Lobby Lounge handles breakfast and afternoon tea, and the garden terrace is used for drinks in the warm months.

Wellness

The Bulgari Spa has a 25-metre indoor pool, a vitality pool, a hammam, saunas, treatment rooms and a fitness centre with personal trainers. The pool hall is lined in the collection's gold and green glass mosaic, as in Milan and London, and is among the longest hotel pools in Beijing. In summer the garden adds an outdoor terrace for yoga and breakfast, and the river path outside the gate is the hotel's running route.

Weddings and events

The hotel has a ballroom and a series of meeting and private dining rooms, with the garden terrace as an outdoor venue for receptions in spring and autumn. Weddings use the ballroom and the garden, with the river as the backdrop for photographs; the hotel's position near the embassies makes it a frequent venue for diplomatic and corporate dinners.

Location

The Embassy District in Chaoyang is home to most of the foreign missions and the galleries and restaurants of Sanlitun, a short drive away. Beijing Capital International Airport is about 30 minutes by car, Beijing Daxing about an hour, and Beijing Railway Station about 25 minutes. As a luxury hotel in Beijing it is small, residential and set apart from the business towers of the Central Business District a few kilometres south.