Take a break on Chang'an Avenue

It is a prestigious neighborhood full of movers and shakers. On the right is Tian'anmen, where the portrait of the nation's founding father gazes down on tourist hordes come to pay homage.

On the left is the capital's shrine to free economy, the Wangfujing shopper's paradise and the multiple annexes of the Oriental Plaza where almost all of the world's couture brands are represented.

And in the middle are the three heritage brands occupying what was Beijing's oldest and best-known hotel block. Sandwiched between Beijing Hotel and Grand Hotel Beijing is Raffles Beijing, the 125-year-old grand dame named after the founder of modern Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles.