Urban Resort Concepts announces the launch of The PuXuan Hotel and Spa
Uniquely poised as a new urban haven within the Chinese capital, The PuXuan Hotel and Spa is the latest Urban Resort Concepts (URC) luxury hotel, set to open in January 2019, moments away from one of the world’s most significant historical sites, Beijing’s Forbidden City.
Designed by internationally renowned German architect Ole Scheeren, the 116-room luxury hotel sits atop the new Guardian Art Centre in an iconic state-of-the-art building at the intersection of WangFuJing Street and WuSi Street, a symbolic crossroads of commerce and arts.
Discover Hostmanship
Crafting a world that revolves exclusively around guests, The PuXuan has cultivated a new guest experience philosophy by URC, one that returns to the origins of luxury through simplicity of design, context, craftsmanship and attention to detail – Hostmanshipä. It is a culture that encompasses the spirit of innovation, intuition and generosity, as well as an explorative and sensory journey that goes beyond conventional luxury.
A Service of Intuition
Devoid of complicated processes, a stay at The PuXuan is marked by genuine and intuitive care, delivered by colleagues with a resolutely can-do attitude and empowerment to create handcrafted experiences designed around the needs of guests.
Guests have unprecedented access to benefits and inclusions that include guaranteed 24-hour check-in and check-out, a fully stocked mini-bar, daily breakfast anywhere in the hotel or on the go, use of a meeting room for up to two hours, secretarial services, best in class Wi-Fi, local calls, pressing service and more.
A Homage to the Past
Paying respectful yet contemporary homage to one of the capital’s most distinct quarters, The PuXuan stands as a gem of modernity amidst the neighbourhood’s ancestral heritage.An upper ring of rectangular glass panels evokes the brick patterns of the adjacent hutong* dwellings while the lower volumes of cuboids formed of grey basalt stones allude to their hue and form. Circular apertures sprinkled across the lower levels form a pixelated abstraction of the historic masterpiece Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by 14th century Chinese landscape artist Huang Gongwang with the dual purpose of admitting light into the building while softening the austerity of the facade.
In collaboration with Shanghai-based design firm MQ-studio, the hotel’s interior design exemplifies URC’s hallmark design principles; the seamless integration of a luxuriously understated, contemporary and soothing aesthetic, firmly anchored within the rich and colourful heritage of its environment.
Taking inspiration from the elaborate carved stone thresholds to the doorways of traditional hutongs, guests are greeted by six pairs of menduns, welcoming them to their home in Beijing. Inside the hotel, a beautiful inner courtyard, the focal point of traditional Beijing homes, along with beautifully crafted and intuitive spaces, connect guests to the quintessential Beijing experience, rooted in authenticity and context.
A Sense of Privacy
Comprising 92 rooms and 24 suites, handcrafted and artisanal furniture by Hermès-owned Chinese lifestyle brand SHANG XIA, only the finest materials and state-of-the-art technology create a guestroom experience unparalleled in the capital today. Framing uninterrupted views across the Forbidden City or one of Beijing’s oldest neighbourhoods below, the generous and open spaces make use of all-natural daylight, while the intelligently designed bathrooms either seamlessly integrate into the room experience or can be enclosed as entirely private spaces. Every room features a full-sized walk-in wardrobe as well as a unique, built-in air filtration and ionising system for minimal in-room API exposure.
Amidst the stress of modern life and an occasionally overwhelming city, UR SPA offers a stylish, genderless space of revitalisation for guests seeking tangible and result-driven treatments based on the principles of modern science and ancient healing along with a 24-hour state of the art Gym and Movement Studio.
Tailor-made treatments using CHA LING L'Esprit du Thé, a brand developed by LVMH research in France that harvests the power of traditional Chinese medicine with the art of French beauty, and organic formulations by one of the industry-leading creators of wellness products COMFORT ZONE, offer anything from 30-minute express treatments to whole day rituals.
A Platform for Exchange
At the heart of The PuXuan Hotel and Spa’s 8th floor lies a radical departure from the conventional “executive or club floor”. Designed like a personal townhouse apartment, guests of The PuXuan Club have 24-hour access to a new level of “privilege” with a handsome and fully serviced lounge space, private meeting rooms, outdoor spaces, a library and a domestic kitchen and dining area designed by Bulthaup.
The two flagship restaurants will serve unpretentious French classics with extraordinary savoir-faire by Executive Chef Ivan Miguez or traditional Cantonese fare interpreted in contemporary and exciting ways by Chinese Executive Chef Waikit Yeung. The Tea Room and The Lobby Lounge will offer beautifully designed spaces for guests of the hotel as well as trendy and in-the-know Beijing dwellers seeking differentiated dining experiences.
The PuXuan Hotel and Spa will join URC’s first property, The PuLi Hotel and Spa in Shanghai as well as The PuShang Hotel and Spa in Xiamen to be among the ranks of The Leading Hotels of the World, a group established in 1928 that has since grown to more than 375 of the finest hotels from around the world. The collection of URC luxury urban resorts further includes The RuMa Hotel and Residences in Kuala Lumpur, due to open November 2018.
* Hutongs are narrow streets or alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences in Beijing, and originates from a Mongolian word meaning water well.