Luxury Fit For Royalty

Hangzhou's new flagship property blends ancient traditions with modern standards

Diaoyutai Hotel Hangzhou, a new flagship property of Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality, celebrated its opening on Nov 5 in the capital of Zhejiang province in East China.

Located on the waterfront of the Qiantang River, which has become a scenic hot spot for Chinese and foreign visitors to Hangzhou, Diaoyutai Hotel Hangzhou offers the highest standards of hospitality, previously reserved only for official guests of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

The guesthouse stands on a royal leisure fishing terrace built for ancient emperors. It has accommodated more than 1,000 high-level foreign dignitaries and heads of state since its opening in 1959.

"As a leading hospitality group, we are blending the cultural heritage of Diaoyutai and its 800-year legacy with the international hospitality experience of MGM Resorts International," said Liu Yaning, deputy general manager and director of Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality.

Its lobby, restaurants, guest rooms and banquet halls form a continuous space, fusing international elements with Chinese aesthetics.

The function areas blend the rich legacy of Diaoyutai and the diplomatic culture of the State guesthouse with the scenic charms of Hangzhou, one of the eight ancient capitals of China.

"Blue is the iconic color for Hangzhou, so we used a lot of blue on the decorations to present the local character," said James J. Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.

The hotel features 162 elegantly furnished guest rooms, of which 91 provide stunning river views.

The rooms range from 60 to 315 square meters and are designed in various styles, helping to make guests feel at home rather than just in a hotel.

The Sky Ballroom on the 18th floor, flanked by two large outdoor sky gardens, one in Western and one in Chinese style, is ideal for weddings, meetings, banquets and prestigious events.

Standing in the sky garden, which has a pool, bridge and pavilion, visitors can enjoy a perfect view of the Qiantang River and the main venues of the G20 Hangzhou Summit and B20 Business Summit.

Villa Hangzhou, or Villa 18, is on the same floor as the sky garden. This beautiful private dining pavilion was named after Villa 18, the most prestigious villa at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, which has hosted US presidents, Queen Elizabeth II and many other world leaders.

Villa Hangzhou serves the renowned Diaoyutai dishes, which creatively fuse Chinese and Western cuisines and have been perfected over many years of service to world leaders at the state guesthouse.

Visitors can taste the Diaoyutai cuisine and other Chinese delicacies in the Royal Court restaurant, and enjoy typical Hangzhou and Shanghai dishes in Pinju Hangzhou.

The hotel was designated one of the main venues to accommodate business leaders for the B20 summit during its trial operation in early September.

Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality will launch two new properties in 2017 - the Bellagio in Shanghai and the Diaoyutai Hotel in Frankfurt - marking the first international expansion of the top-tier Chinese-originated hotel brand.

"We will amaze the world with our legacy of unmatched service from the revered Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and enable the world to better understand China's rich cultural heritage and its elegant and exquisite service tradition through our Diaoyutai brand," Liu Yaning said.

Contact the writer at shixf@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/12/2016 page10)