The 12 Best Hotels in China Right Now
The sharpest stays across China right now, from courtyard calm to sky-high glamour.
China does big hospitality with precision. Think Ming-era courtyards hiding spa cinemas, glass boxes cantilevered over harbours, and riverside sanctuaries where your morning run loops a bamboo grove rather than a block. Here’s an editor’s pick of twelve stays that actually earn the hype, with clear reasons to book and exactly what each does better than the rest.
Aman Summer Palace, Beijing
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If you want to feel the city’s history in your bones, base yourself at the discreet pavilions of Aman Summer Palace. Guests slip through a back gate to the imperial gardens at opening time, which means you’ll wander the lakes and covered walkways before the tour groups arrive. Rooms are all dark woods and latticework, the spa leans into traditional Chinese medicine, and the subterranean pool turns jet-lag into a distant rumour. Book this when you want Beijing without the blare and a taxi-free morning at the palace itself.
Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing
For Forbidden City views with your eggs, the terraces at Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing are tough to beat. You’re on pedestrianised Wangfujing, minutes from the Palace Museum, so sightseeing is gloriously simple. Inside, it’s city-slick not stuffy: spacious suites, a proper urban spa and MO Bar for nightcaps when the towers start sparkling. When rates swing, compare on Expedia and Booking.com and pounce.
The Peninsula Beijing
Peninsula’s Beijing outpost is a smooth operator with house cars, intuitive service and a location that makes classic sights easy. The all-suite layout at The Peninsula Beijing means space to spread out, dressing rooms that actually function, and lighting you don’t need an engineering degree to master. Walk to Tiananmen and the shopping stretches of Wangfujing, then retreat to Jing for polished Cantonese.
The Temple House, Chengdu
Chengdu’s best address blends contemporary design with restored courtyard heritage. The Temple House sits by Daci Temple and the open-air lanes of Taikoo Li, which is shorthand for easy hotpot dinners, boutique browsing and late-night tea. Rooms are quietly luxe, Mi Xun serves plant-forward Sichuan that locals book for, and staff can line up panda base visits without the headache. Come for the neighbourhood energy, stay for the bath-soak serenity back at the House.
Amanyangyun, Shanghai
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A short drive from the centre yet a world away in mood, Amanyangyun is built from relocated Ming and Qing dynasty houses, set among a camphor forest. Suites open to private courtyards; antique villas bring fireplace evenings and discrete butler wizardry. Wellness is the north star here—tea rituals, a hushed spa, and those slow mornings where the line between “do nothing” and “do everything” blurs. Pair it with a few nights downtown if you want both Shanghai gears.
The Peninsula Shanghai
If you want the Bund to feel like your front garden, check into The Peninsula Shanghai. This Art-Deco dream is pure old-Shanghai fantasy with modern bones. The rooftop Sir Elly’s terrace is your golden-hour address, the pool is charmingly cinematic, and rooms tilt toward “residence” rather than “unit.” You’re steps from the riverfront promenade and a quick hop to People’s Square.
Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake
Hangzhou lives up to the poets when you’re actually on the water. Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake hides among willow trees and koi ponds, with villas and suites that open to private gardens. Borrow bikes, then float a boat ride at sunset to understand why the West Lake cultural landscape is world-listed. Dinner at Jin Sha hits refined Zhejiang notes without losing warmth.
Park Hyatt Shenzhen
In Futian’s business core, Park Hyatt Shenzhen stacks calm, minimalist rooms high above the city, with views that make emails feel less grim. 115 at SKY has the kind of power-breakfast energy you book meetings around, the pool is a glass-box daydream, and the hotel connects cleanly to metro lines when you’re bouncing between meetings and seafood dinners in Nanshan.
The Ritz-Carlton, Xi’an
Xi’an’s luxury scene jumped a level with The Ritz-Carlton, Xi’an. Rooms are quietly plush, Club lounge food is actually worth lingering over, and the rooftop Flair is your sundowner spot. The concierge will time your run to the City Walls and line up a driver for the Emperor Qinshihuang Museum so you hit the Terracotta Army between tour-bus waves.
The Sanya EDITION, Hainan
Sanya has become China’s beach shorthand, and The Sanya EDITION nails the glossy, grown-up version. A private “ocean,” cabanas for lazy afternoons, and sea-view rooms designed for the sunrise. Bali vibes but with proper Chinese seafood and an easy launch point for boat days along Haitang Bay. When Hainan duty-free shopping calls, you’re not trekking across the island.
Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai
For a dialled-up city break, Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai sits above Suhe Creek with head-on views of the Bund. Il Ristorante – Niko Romito is a legit destination dinner, the bar is a jewel box, and the restored Chamber of Commerce building next door gives your stay a bit of time-travel theatre. It’s where design nerds and fashion-week regulars cross paths, pleasantly.
The Upper House, Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s loud, glittering energy is best enjoyed with a quiet place to land. The Upper House rises over Pacific Place with huge, light-washed rooms, bathrooms made for hot-soak plotting and a service style that feels like a friend with keys to the city. Walk the mid-levels, tram the Peak, then come back for a sunset cocktail and skyline that refuses to get old.
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