The world's largest imperial palace complex — 600 years of Chinese imperial history. We've hand-picked the best hotels in Beijing within easy reach, so you can explore the area without the commute.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.