Luxury goes back to the future

The legendary Peninsula Hong Kong was built with the vision of being "the finest hotel east of the Suez", and from the moment it first opened its doors to guests in December 1928, it has welcomed the rich and famous, the titled and tycoons. Since then, The Peninsula has become a byword for luxury around the world.

Including Hong Kong, the name now adorns nine other award-winning properties in Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Paris, Bangkok and Manila; with two other projects in development, The Peninsula London and The Peninsula Yangon.

Now, as in the 1920s, Peninsula hotel's provide luxurious comfort, modern facilities and intuitive technology combined with exceptional, personalized service. This requires the continual evolution of luxury to enhance guests' experience with the ultimate in personalization. The Peninsula Chicago and The Peninsula Beijing are the latest to secure their place in the brand's future.

The Peninsula Chicago has undergone a comprehensive guest room redesign that sets a new standard for luxury accommodation in Chicago and introduces the brand's advanced guest room technology to the United States. The hotel is also debuting new service initiatives, including 24-hour check-in and "Keys to the City", which gives guests amazing access to Chicago's best destinations.

"Innovation is an attribute of The Peninsula Hotels, and the new guestrooms feature personalized technologies that elevate guest stays to a previously undefined level of bespoke and experiential luxury. These technological developments combined with our new 'Keys to the City' service firmly distinguish the hotel's commitment to welcome travelers to Chicago," said Maria Razumich-Zec, general manager and regional vice-president of The Peninsula Chicago.

Redesigned guest rooms are now available and the renovation work will be completed by April 2016.

The Peninsula Beijing is also undergoing an exciting transformation. After 25 years providing legendary hospitality to guests from across China and around the world, the hotel is being reinvigorated with a makeover that is set to begin a thrilling new chapter in the hotel's history.

"A Beijing landmark is reborn, as The Peninsula Beijing begins a spectacular transformation," said Robert Cheng, vice-president of marketing for Peninsula Hotels.

This transformation of the hotel, located in the central Wangfujing district of the Chinese capital, will be completed in two phases between winter 2015 and autumn 2016.

Once finished, discerning business and leisure guests will be able to enjoy luxurious accommodation with cutting-edge in-room amenities and bespoke technology, as well as exquisite Chinese and international dining. While the Peninsula Arcade will feature the best in luxury brand shopping, and an art gallery that will exhibit modern works by Chinese and international artists.

Chicago: Room rates for premier rooms start at $530 and premier suites start at $880.

Beijing: Room rates for deluxe rooms start at 1,600 yuan ($250) and deluxe suites start at 3,900 yuan.

www.peninsula.com

guoyali@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/28/2015 page10)