My husband & I stayed here for 2 nights in October. It has been a long time since we've both been so excited about a hotel - the service & design were equally fabulous, & the location is great if you want to be in Chaoyang (near most of the popular bars & restaurants, easier access to the airport). I would wholeheartedy recommend this to anyone looking for a refreshing change from boring corporate & overrated design hotels.

We stayed in a Studio 70 room on the 6th floor, facing Sanlitun. It was stunning, with floor-to-ceiling windows on 2 of the 4 (long) walls, letting in a gorgeous amount of sunlight & views over the street while being opaque to people outside, due to the clever design on the windows (the windows look green from the outside). When you want to sleep, you push a button for the automated blinds, which completely shut out the light (there are also sheer curtains). The room was huge, with a large bed space with flat screen TV, sofa/desk area, & gorgeous bathroom. The floor & bathroom are finished in long, natural wooden planks, in an onsen sort of style. The huge, wooden soaking bathtub was reminiscent of an onsen (the architect is Japanese) - sheer luxury! - & there was a separate large wooden shower cabin with rainshower & a separate WC. The amenities were a very nice local brand of natural skincare products. The towels were plentiful & extremely fluffy.

The first round of drinks & snacks in the minibar are complimentary each day - an extremely nice touch. The hotel sent us a half-bottle of champagne when we checked in; this may have been because we were on a package, though it wasn't included. The staff were smart, extremely polite & eager to help. When I picked up a copy of the FT in the lobby upon checking in, a staff member told me it was yesterday's copy but that the new issue would be arriving shortly & they would bring it to the room; less than an hour later, someone appeared at the door with that day's FT.

The lobby is spectacular - a soaring space with long natural wooden plank flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows & interesting artwork by local artists. The huge wooden front door is also very dramatic. The check-in is done on a sofa with a wireless tablet - such a nice change of pace from a counter. We didn't eat at the hotel, but we went to the ground floor bar, which had some nice signature cocktails & a good vibe. The basement club also looked promising.

If you can, arrange for an airport transfer in the hotel's Maserati Quattroporte. It's a sheer delight to be driven down the highway in this beautiful vehicle. The location is great if you want to be in Chaoyang, though the traffic on Sanlitun St. itself can be tedious. On a Sunday it took us only 30 minutes to get to the airport.

In summary, I cannot think of a single thing that marred our experience. If you can book this hotel in a package, all the better (ours included an upgrade to the Studio 70 room as well as the airport transfer), but this is one of the few hotels that I have found to be worth the price tag.