CHAO Sanlitun Beijing

In keeping with its Sanlitun environs — Adidas and Apple maintain international flagships here, to give you an idea — CHAO Hotel aspires to deliver every conceivable luxe-lifestyle experience in one hyper-curated swoop. Dining, networking, entertainment, fitness, and the arts all have something urgent to say, often interrupting one another to do so. Context helps here: in a landscape dominated by skyscraping excess, naked hospitality needs to wear a statement to stand any chance of success. And with patronage heavily skewed towards contemporary entrepreneurs and business travelers, it’s hardly a surprise that they’ve chosen to resolve the classic dichotomy between expert focus and genial adaptability. In any case, “hotel” is unequivocally just one of CHAO’s many names, and as long as that aspect doesn’t get snowed under, we’re more than game to see just how far the concept can go.

Quite some ways, naturally. This place is huge, though never without that crucial veneer of seamless, effortless luxury. Rooms don’t rock the design boat, preferring instead to emphasize the sunlight through floor-to-ceiling windows (occasional smog notwithstanding) and the human touch in handworked leather, walnut furnishings, and plenty of hardwood. To be sure, some megahotel gloss creeps in with the recessed neon lighting, but it finds balance against the warmth and subtlety of the earthy color scheme. The sheer breadth of freebies also warrants mention — tea service, Nespresso machines, bluetooth multimedia systems, wi-fi, snacks, and a surprisingly robust bar with all the fixings.

Tempting as it may be, don’t limit yourself to just the room. All guests obtain clubhouse access, an innocuously phrased amenity that means much, much more here than one might expect. Among the work-hard/play-hard offerings are a bleeding-edge gym, a swank barbershop, a functional library (we hate to have to clarify the term), future-chic workshare facilities, and a spectacular fleet of event spaces that nearly beggar description, all geometric and tracklit and underscored in softly lit wood. You’re unlikely to see the entire hotel in just one visit, in other words, especially when accounting for the multiple dining and nightlife outlets. A fine reason for a return visit, if you ask us.