Best Hotels in
Beijing

The only hotel in China with direct access to a UNESCO World Heritage site — Aman's 51 suites occupy Qing Dynasty guesthouses at the gates of the Summer Palace. Lacquered corridors lead to rooms layered in raw silk and cedarwood; dawn walks through the imperial gardens belong exclusively to guests before the day-trippers arrive.

• Ultra-luxury
• Heritage
• Couples
• Views

Anchored on Goldfish Lane steps from the Forbidden City, The Peninsula set the standard for luxury in Beijing when it opened and has never relinquished it. The fleet of Rolls-Royces, the subterranean spa, and the Huang Ting restaurant — serving arguably Beijing's finest Cantonese cuisine in a room of glazed antique birdcages — make this a perennial benchmark.

• Luxury
• Central Location
• Dining
• Business

A soaring tower in the CBD whose interiors channel the geometry of traditional Chinese architecture through a decidedly contemporary lens — latticed screens, ink-wash murals, and rooms with floor-to-ceiling views of the cityscape. The Sense spa and the Manor Club lounge lift it well above the competition for business travellers wanting something genuinely beautiful.

• Luxury
• Business
• Design
• Spa

Kengo Kuma's architectural statement in the heart of Sanlitun — raw concrete, a six-storey atrium of bamboo, and rooms that feel more like a private art collector's apartment than a hotel. The basement venue draws Beijing's creative class and the all-day restaurant is among the best in the neighbourhood.

• Design
• Boutique
• Nightlife
• Art

Occupying the former Beijing Club building on Chang'an Avenue, the Waldorf wears its Republican-era bones proudly — high ceilings, marble columns, and a Bull and Claw steakhouse that has become a power-lunch institution. The location, midway between Tiananmen and Wangfujing shopping street, is simply unbeatable for first-time visitors.

• Luxury
• Heritage
• Central Location
• Dining

A slender tower of bronzed glass draped in silk-inspired screens, the Mandarin Oriental offers some of Beijing's most considered rooms — warm tones, hand-painted panels, and deep soaking tubs. The Qi Wellness spa is a genuine sanctuary, and the rooftop bar delivers Forbidden City views that make sundowners compulsory.

• Luxury
• Spa
• Views
• Romance

NUO is China's answer to a genuine luxury lifestyle brand — each of its 438 rooms draws on Ming Dynasty artisanship, from hand-embroidered headboards to inlaid lacquerwork desks. The swimming pool, flanked by carved stone lions, and the Michelin-recognised Sui Tang Li restaurant confirm this as one of Beijing's most culturally immersive five-star stays.

• Luxury
• Culture
• Business
• Dining

Tucked into a restored imperial compound steps from the Forbidden City's east wall, Capella Beijing feels like a private villa complex — courtyards of persimmon trees, pavilion suites with heated kang beds, and a spa built around the Five Elements. Discretion and quiet are its defining virtues.

• Ultra-luxury
• Heritage
• Romance
• Spa

An art hotel that doesn't merely hang paintings in corridors — a Salvador Dalí sculpture guards the lobby, a Botero bronze watches over the pool, and original works are installed in every suite. Located beside the World Trade Centre, it attracts the creative and diplomatic communities in equal measure.

• Art
• Design
• Boutique
• Business

A beautifully restored hutong courtyard near the Drum Tower — just eight rooms wrapped around a jasmine-draped garden, with exposed brick walls and curated antique furnishings. The rooftop bar, offering Bell Tower views over a sea of grey-tiled rooftops, is one of Beijing's best-kept secrets.

• Boutique
• Neighbourhood
• Heritage
• Value