The Opposite House
"To start, take us inside the hotel.Beijing’s original design-driven hotel stirs up playfulness with a deep sense of zen. There’s an art gallery vibe at this striking glass box of a hotel, with permanent installations (such as Chen Wenling's Red Memories) and statement design (a 20-foot-high wall of 6,000 Chinese apothecary drawers) featured in the soaring space, where metallic textiles sweep down from the ceiling. So what's the story here?When it opened a decade ago, the Opposite House was something completely different for Beijing: contemporary, Zen-like, and decidedly non-ornate, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. It was the first of the House Collective (part of The Swire Group), whose most recent addition is Middle House Shanghai, which opened in early 2018. We've booked a room, checked in, we're ready to head up to our room. What will we find there?A glass elevator takes you up to the 99 bedrooms, each a clean, crisp haven of white linens, polished Scandinavian wood, and rough charcoal-hued stone walls. Light streams in from the wall of windows overlooking the Sanlitun neighborhood below. Plenty of space to unfurl the yoga mat in the closet, and settle in with a few downward dogs on the heated floor while the Japanese cedarwood bath fills up. Are there any good food options on site?The Opposite House gave Beijing its first food truck—a sleek wooden vehicle parked outside the entrance, ‘BAO House’ lit up in red neon. The traditional homemade dumplings are given a modern twist, stuffed with a decadent mix of wagyu beef, mushroom, and black truffle, or Thai pork with red curry. Inside the hotel, Alan Yau’s Jing Yaa Tang is theatrical: a low lit, sultry Chinoiserie dining room lacquered with burnt orange and plum. Order the fiery Sichuan poached chicken with crushed peanuts, sesame, and peppers. How's the service?Lack of reception desk does not mean lack of a proper ‘huanying’ welcome, by young multilingual staff padding around in black, iPad in hand. The Guest Experience team can make you feel like the only guest in the hotel. Who else are we likely to see checking in to adjacent rooms?Avant-garde art types in out-there Chinese designs and Japanophiles in Comme des Garçons, all in black from head to toe. Beijing’s best-dressed bankers beat a path to the well-chilled Mesh lounge to sip watermelon-chili Martinis on the leather loungers. How does it fit into the surrounding area, and what's worth checking out nearby?Formerly seedy Sanlitun has blossomed since the hotel’s opening, with independent boutiques and excellent restaurants and bars setting up shop. Dover Street Market is over the road; while nearby the former Beijing Machinery and Electric Institute has been repurposed as 1949—The Hidden City, a collection of bars and restaurants. If you could fix one thing, what would it be?The lighting in the public spaces is so dim as to be disorienting. So what makes this hotel so special? Why would you recommend it?Most high-end hotels in China still conform to the overly decorated, chandelier-filled lobby model. For contemporary cool with strong art and food credentials and super-smooth service, there is nowhere else in Beijing." - Cynthia Rosenfeld
