The Opposite House Beijing

Though it’s called The Opposite House it’s not as high-concept as it may sound. Not a hotel where down is up, or the flat-screen TVs watch you, but a hotel named for the guest house that sits across from the main house in a traditional Chinese courtyard home.

It’s really only meant metaphorically. This is no traditional courtyard home, but rather a very modern purpose-built hotel development, a roughly cubic structure clad in green glass by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Inside is a massive central atrium, loosely divided into distinct semi-public spaces, unapologetically modern in style and geometric in form.

It’s kept warm by rich colors and liberal use of natural materials, right down to the guest suites, where even the odd rectangular bathtubs are carved from deeply grained wood. The smallest is not all that small, and the biggest is big indeed — and all come equipped with the very latest in high-end design furniture and fittings, along with the occasional weathered wood antique, for personality’s sake. Meanwhile three restaurants and a lounge-like cocktail bar exude just as much character. Jing Yaa Tang in particular is a standout, serving traditional Peking duck dishes in a sleek, low-lit dining room.

Big things are happening all over Beijing at the moment, and in hotel terms, this may be one of the biggest — contemporary-design hotels are relatively new here, and The Opposite House is an ambitious and confident start.

Travel advisory: Passport and visa requirements differ from country to country. Please check with your local authority before booking.