The Best Hotels to Book in Beijing’s Central Business District

Guarded by a pair of enormous iron lions, the Rosewood exudes calm and classy sophistication. It’s an ambience elegantly supported by distinctively Chinese landscape murals, and objets d’art that grace its rooms along with lattice-like screens and beautiful lighting that characterise its public spaces. Offset the unapologetically urban panoramas in the rooms with a stint by the plant-fringed, atrium-lit pool, while restaurants range from French bistro fare to hot pot, regional cuisine and Cantonese-style dim sum.

If the millennial business world has beautiful people, they’re very likely hanging out here tapping into the pizzazz of Beijing. Co-working lounges, hot desks and even office rental space provide the uptime. Downtime comes with a huge gym and group fitness classes, traditional Beijing dishes at San Wu Tang restaurant, snacks and pub-grub at Beersmith along with up to 16 beers – some of which may be brewed in-house.

Occupying the upper floors of Parkview Green, a striking pyramid of glass and steel that contains an upscale mall and offices, the Éclat bills itself as a luxury “museum hotel”. It’s no idle boast – rooms and public areas feature over a hundred paintings and sculptures from the likes of Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol and several highly regarded local artists. Design and decor is both high-end and eccentrically playful: the room ambience ranges from chic Parisian apartment to alpine chalet and punk-hipster. Suites feature “lagoons” – because plunge pools are simply too prosaic.

Behind the relatively plain 14-storey facade lies an old-fashioned ambience that taps the elegance of a British country house hotel. Expect solid furniture, sober wallpaper and spacious rooms. Dining options range from traditional English afternoon tea in the Lounge – bolstered by cocktails if needed – to fine Chinese dining in Yu and pan-Asian cuisine from Aroma’s open kitchens.

Externally, the three linked high-rise buildings of the Vista almost resemble giant grilles, both striking yet austere. Inside, the lofty polished-marble lobby features a large arresting peony montage in golden bas-relief framing reception. This sets the tone for a thoroughly modern and agreeably swanky property with numerous Chinese accents, from lattice screens to cloud-design carpets echoing traditional paintings. This tasteful restrained opulence comes with an indoor heated pool.

Wedged among high- and low-rises, the rather fetching traditional garden and pavilion of the Otani seem as valiant as they are incongruous. Interiors are rather snazzier than suggested by its stark functional facade – earthy palettes, Chinese accents and decorative motifs along with recessed ceiling lighting help lend a subdued but sophisticated air. Dedicated Cantonese and Japanese restaurants offer convenient dining, and there’s a good-sized indoor pool under a barrel-vaulted glass roof.

The vast jutting porch with a fountain at the St Regis looks set to shelter presidential limos and welcome VIPs at any given moment. Yet irrespective of your international credentials, all guests can enjoy the celebrated St Regis Butler Service, from unpacking garments to delivering freshly pressed coffee or brewed tea. A balconied lobby hung with tiered chandeliers sets the elegant, stately atmosphere that pervades the property. There’s a magnificent glass-walled indoor pool, and the Iridium Spa taps natural hot springs from a kilometre underground.