For its first project, Swire Hotels - the hospitality arm of the Hong Kong property developer - has aimed high, by appointing celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to oversee its masterplan.
The result is a slick emerald-hued glass cube that suitably fits the Sanlitun neighbourhood’s growing reputation from seedy expat hangout to hip fashion hub. Contrasting wooden antique entrance doors lead the way into a lofty atrium lobby, where a mix of traditional and modern artworks - from pieces by Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng to ceramics from Hong Kong-born Fiona Wong - are curated on a quarterly basis.
Upstairs, the guest rooms are simple and understated; decked out in natural wood, floor-to-ceiling windows - that look out onto the shopping district - flood an open plan sleeping, living and bathroom space with light.
The area’s newfound status as Beijing’s fashion epicentre means there is no shortage of shops, restaurants and bars to keep you busy, but we recommend booking a table at Jing Yaa Tang, one of hotel’s three restaurants, where the deliciously crispy Beijing roast duck - the city’s best-known specialty - wins hands down.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Taikoo Li Sanlitun North
No. 11 Sanlitun Road
Chaoyang District
-
Boathouse Zaka is the radical renovation of an ageing structure into a light-filled workspaceOFIS Architects turns a traditional boathouse into a lakeside laboratory on one of Slovenia’s best-loved bodies of water
-
Mercedes streamlines the CLA Shooting Brake to create an aerodynamic electric load luggerThe new CLA Shooting Brake is the first ever electric estate car from Mercedes-Benz, a tour-de-force of quiet technology and elegant lines
-
Willy Chavarria: ‘We’re still so stuck in fashion‘s old guard’As part of the August 2025 ‘Made in America’ issue of Wallpaper*, we invited three creative powerhouses to comment on the state of the States. Here, award-winning American fashion designer Willy Chavarria speaks on creative resilience, uniting with activist groups, and shaking up fashion’s old guard
-
Discover a futuristic bar in Shanghai with mad-scientist energyPenicillin opens in Shanghai with a clinical steel and concrete design by LC Studio alongside its trailblazing, sustainable cocktails
-
A colossal ‘ship’ in Shanghai honours Louis Vuitton’s travel legacyLouis Vuitton’s The Louis is an OMA-designed hub combining retail, culture and dining in the heart of Nanjing West Road
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in ShanghaiPrada partners with Wong Kar-wai to bring Mi Shang Rong Zhai to life, a dining experience influenced by the arthouse director’s seminal oeuvre
-
Enjoy heritage views and contemporary brews at a new Beijing caféJM Café, White Pagoda Temple by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio nods to the history of the Xicheng District while injecting a shot of vitality
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillityAlila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
