A renaissance rather than a renovation: this is how the Peninsula group describes the profound evolution of its Beijing hotel, opened in 1989 near the Forbidden City. Over 120 million dollars and almost two years have been spent restoring the prestige of this "grand lady who deserved it, but needed it", notes Vincent Pimont, its new general manager.
For this hotelier, who has been Director of the Peninsula Paris since 2014, this is a return to his roots, as it was here that he began his career with the Hong Kong group in 2007. I left a hotel with 525 rooms to return to a 230-room establishment," explains Vincent Pimont. The surface area of the rooms was almost doubled. The average standard room, with lounge and dressing room, is 65 m2, making it the largest in the city, if not in China. Of the 230 rooms, the hotel also has 61 suites, the duplexes on the 14th and top floors offering, in addition to a loft feel, very fine views over the Chinese capital.
Designed by Hong Kong decorator Henry Leung of CAP Atelier, the renovation programme highlights imperial architecture and Chinese craftsmanship using noble materials such as mahogany, jade, onyx and bronze, as well as contemporary creativity. Contemporary art is the hotel's common thread. Beijing is known for its thousand-year-old culture, with the Forbidden City and the Great Wall," says Vincent Pimont. We wanted to showcase the dynamism of the local art scene.
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The hotel has collaborated with the Beijing Museum of Contemporary Art and exhibits original works by Belinda Chow, Zhang Du and Kong in its public areas and guest rooms. The Peninsula Beijing also supports the emergence of young artists, hosting them in residence and exhibiting their work in a newly-created gallery.
The luxury brand's other strong point is technology, "with 2km of cable per room", explains Vincent Pimont. Of course, business travellers will be able to take advantage - free of charge - of high-speed WiFi, as well as a tablet that easily controls all the home automation in the room. "Technology must be intelligent, at the service of travellers". For example, when a guest sets foot on the floor during the night, a nightlight switches on automatically, or a spa button immerses the bathroom in a relaxing atmosphere while displaying the "do not disturb" sign on the front door.
The Peninsula Beijing will also offer business travellers a policy already in place in Beverly Hills and Paris, but which it will be the first to offer in Beijing, namely the possibility of checking in at any time. "If guests give a little notice that they will be arriving at the hotel at 7am on a long-haul flight, the room will be made available at no extra charge. They will also be able to keep their room if they leave in the evening. Among other services, the hotel has large areas dedicated to meetings and events and two restaurants. One, Huang Ting, is decorated like a traditional house with a square courtyard, and specialises in Peking duck, while the other, offering Western cuisine, is based on a contemporary 'farm to table' philosophy, with the hotel working with 22 local farms to source fresh produce, mainly organic.
The Peninsula Beijing is the second to present a completely new face after the complete renovation of the rooms and suites at the Peninsula Chicago, completed last year. The group, which celebrated its 150th anniversary at the end of 2016, is developing at a measured pace and we will have to wait until 2020 to discover its new hotels in London, Istanbul and Yangon.
