Intriguing Urban Hotel ‘The Opposite House’ to Open

First project for Swire Hotels: The Opposite House, a luxurious contemporary hotel, will open in the summer of 2008 in Beijing’s vibrant Sanlitun district. It is an integral part of The Village at Sanlitun, Beijing’s premier open-plan shopping destination, developed by Swire Properties.

The hotel aims to provide a new luxury experience for travellers who seek design, individuality, style and personalised service.

The Opposite House is the first of a number of hotels being developed in China, Hong Kong and the UK by Swire Hotels, a new initiative from Swire Properties. These will all be highly distinctive hotels, individually named and designed by world renowned architects and designers.

The Opposite House will be the first hotel by esteemed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, whose work includes some of the most innovative retail and commercial spaces in Japan. With the Opposite House, he will alter the definition of hotel space by minimizing conventional boundaries, creating seamless flowing space that allows light to flood in.

His striking design greets guests with its emerald glass exterior while the interior colours and textures are a vibrant mix of modern and traditional and come alive when struck by the natural light in the hotel’s abundant space.

The hotel’s 99 rooms will include 10 spacious suites which will be amongst the largest in Beijing, with more than half being over 70 sqm. All guest rooms will be strikingly simple with natural wooden floors and subtle touches of Chinese décor, lending each one a sense of place. The bathrooms owe their design to their Asian home with deep oak soaking tubs, invigorating rain showers and under floor heating.

The restaurants and bars, conceived by well known Shanghai-based, Australian-born restaurateur David Laris, will take you from the shores of the Mediterranean to the lands of north Asia, whilst the contemporary bar will offer a range of wines, cocktails and spirits. The luxury meets punk ‘mini club’ will define its own scene and create a new late night spot in Beijing.

The name, The Opposite House, is derived from a translation of a Chinese word, which historically described the building located opposite the main house in a courtyard where esteemed guests would stay. The name also reflects the hotel’s southern location within the courtyard design of The Village at Sanlitun, the new retail and entertainment complex which will raise the bar for international luxury brand shopping and innovative places to eat and drink in Beijing.

The hotel’s name also highlights Sanlitun as a district of diversity and opposites – old and new, east and west, bohemian and chic.

The Opposite House’s team all have one thing in common, aside from their wealth of experience; a burning desire to inspire the individuality and creativity of each team member in order for them to provide spontaneous, intuitive service to their guests.

“Our goal is to create different and surprising experiences that challenge the norm and complement the lives of our customers,” said Brian Williams, Managing Director of Swire Hotels. “We feel we will achieve that with The Opposite House in Beijing, our first hotel.”
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Swire Hotels

Swire Hotels has been created to manage small luxury hotels in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the United Kingdom, providing a luxury experience for travellers who seek individuality, style and personalised service.

The Opposite House in Beijing will be followed by the opening of a 117-room luxury hotel in Pacific Place, Hong Kong, in the summer of 2009 and a 100-room hotel at Taikoo Hui in Guangzhou in 2010. Swire Hotels will also manage a 343-room lifestyle business hotel called EAST, to be opened in Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong, in 2009.
In the United Kingdom, Swire Hotels is developing a collection of luxury boutique hotels in regional English towns and cities to be launched in 2009.