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 Located
along China’s northwestern frontier, where the urban segues quite
promptly into uncharted desert terrain, Beijing’s place on the margins
of civilization is part and parcel to its tumultuous history. In the
early days, this was merely an oversized trading outpost for nomadic
tribes from modern-day Korea, Mongolia, and central China. Clans
converged on this oasis of rudimentary economic trade, and in due time
the prosperity, activity, and dynamic economic geography of the city
made it a highly desirous acquisition. Such is the fate of many great
cities, sites of fierce contests of succession over centuries, always
emerging with a colourful history and an obvious resolve.
The better part
of Beijing’s steadfastness goes back about 800 years. The city that
Genghis Khan burnt to the ground in 1215 was resurrected for his
grandson Kublai, and then lost to the Ming Dynasty in 1368. As dynasty
after dynasty took control of the city, larger and larger walls were
erected by the new, to avert the fate of those to whom the city was
abdicated. Feudal warlords defined the region for several hundred years
until Japan swept through eastern China just before the Second World
War, but their withdrawal eight years later left civil chaos and a
political cavity, ideal conditions for Communist Mao.
Today,
Tiananmen Square and the Maoist Revolution are a fading footnote in red
China’s history. With the 2008 Olympics coming up fast on the horizon
and a new Western cultural model of cell phones and designer fashions
stepping out of newly erected edifices, speaking fractured English, the
Forbidden City of Beijing, capital to more than one billion Chinese
residents, is on the cusp of a global explosion that will see the city
merge into the company of the world’s great developed cities. To
welcome the world, Beijing needed a flagship hotel that spoke of class
and dignity in every language, and in the St. Regis, that vision has at
last come to fruition.
Situated
in the very heart of this exhilarating city, all of Beijing’s
shopping, entertainment,
and diplomatic history roll up to the front stoop of the St. Regis. From
the gracious and ornate doors of the lobby, Tiananmen Square and the
Silk Market are just a few minutes walk away, and the hotel’s
adjacency to the Beijing International Club, established back in 1911 as
an exclusive club for government officials and international
dignitaries, lends an air of critical international importance to the
block. Diplomats and correspondents discuss and pen the future of
foreign affairs down the road, and at the end of the day rest their
minds on the pillows in each St. Regis room.
Half
of the 273, in fact, are suites, and all are suited with king-sized
beds, the chocolate-covered truffle of sleeping arrangements for the
road-weary traveller. Fresh-combed linens spill over its edges, accented
by soft earth tones that form the décor for the room, creating a
palatial environment for the discerning guest. Five-star accoutrements
are standard at the St. Regis, from the Continental-style duvet to the
big-screen television, dual phone lines, in-room fax service on request,
and the legendary 24-hour St. Regis butler service that the hotel chain
is famous for. Complimentary garment press and fresh fruit each morning
are merely touchstones to the experience. Drinks in the Executive Lounge
can be counted among the service’s more endearing perks.
Before
a fine culinary experience at one of the hotel’s top dining rooms,
it’s the perfect place for an aperitif . One’s cocktail of choice can
set the palate for “the best steak in town” at the Astor Grill,
a boast from the kitchen that is confirmed in the first bite. The latest
addition to the St. Regis collection of restaurants, the Astor Grill
also boasts a comprehensive list of wine and cigar selections, providing
the perfect compliment to the dish, and to the post-dining
decompression. Danieli’s, a staple in the St. Regis hotel
chain, offers a rustic and elegant Italian dining option, high on class
and style but low on pretensions. For a quick and accessible meal, The
Garden Court provides a great all-day buffet in a relaxed, open-air
atmosphere, and the Celestial Court specializes in fine Chinese
and Cantonese creations, inspired by the age-old culinary traditions of
the region. Drinks are best enjoyed in either the wine or cigar lounge,
contingent on one’s libation of choice, or in the Press Club Bar,
once a bastion for the fatigued foreign correspondent and today a
perfect place for discussing the daily news over a cocktail.
Food and drink, though, are not
the only measures of contemporary dignity and style found at the St.
Regis. Traces of old China can be deciphered in the tastes and décor in
and around the hotel, but once inside the revolutionary spa, Mao’s
China is a distant afterthought. As the first luxury spa in Beijing, the
St. Regis facility spans four floors of the Club Wing that adjoins the hotel. Modern lines and
state-of-the-art fitness and cardio equipment compliment Jacuzzis,
saunas, plunge pools, a glass-enclosed, Roman-style aquatic facility,
and a 2,000-square-meter natural hot spring water spa. The fog of
tranquility steams the walls, but for true indulgence book a treatment
in one of 10 rooms where therapies from Western and Oriental cultures
are fused together in perfect harmony. Relaxing without intrusion, or
playfully enjoying a game of squash, badminton, bowling, or mini-putt,
right on the premises. At the St. Regis, the energy and
demands of the international business or leisure traveller are met with
the standard of service synonymous with the St. Regis name. For the best
look at the new Beijing, step into the open arms of its incomparable
host.
Where
to Stay
The
St. Regis Beijing - www.stregis.com/beijing
- 21 Jian Guomenwai Dajie, Beijing, 100020, China -
Phone (86)(10) 6460 6688 - Fax (86)(10) 6460 3299
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