"With every decade that goes by China opens itself further to the West. By now Hong Kong feels like it’s right next door, and Beijing and Shanghai are quickly losing their air of exoticism. Even Xi’an, the eastern end of the Silk Road, is finding itself more and more accessible to foreign travelers; surely it’s a sign of the times that the top hotel in town is the Sofitel on Renmin Square, an utterly modern luxury hotel from the French-owned international chain." - Tablet Hotels