Peking Redux

Much of historic Beijing is being flattened in the name of redevelopment, but not, mercifully, its oldest hotel. Located a dumpling’s throw from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, the extravagant, 90-year-old building formerly known as the Grand Hôtel de Pékin is now the Raffles Beijing, beijing.raffles.com. When Raffles Hotels & Resorts—owner of Singapore’s famed Raffles Hotel—took over the management reins last year, it led a no-expense-spared effort to restore the sort of style the hotel enjoyed in the days when the likes of George Bernard Shaw, Sun Yat-sen and Henri Cartier-Bresson graced its rooms (in fact, nine Personality Suites are named after famous former guests).

The attention to detail is fantastic: 14th century art can be seen by the reception desk; an outstanding collection of Chinese objets d’art imparts a sense of place to interiors that once looked almost entirely European; and the lustrous lobby dance floor has been restored. True to the Raffles spirit, each of the 171 rooms and suites coddles you in old-fashioned comfort. A butler swiftly delivers pillows of your choice on discovering that you had a sleepless night, and housekeepers deposit cards filled with engaging tales of the hotel’s history on your bed. Superb contemporary French cuisine is available at the Jaan restaurant, and if you really want to test the distance to the former imperial palace, well, the East 33 café serves a whopping 33 varieties of dumplings.