Hotel Profile: Old is gold

Top: The amount of light in the Kunlun lobby adjusts automatically in accordance with the time of day. Above: The Yan Club decor combines oriental elegance with Western design.[Photo/China Daily]

Beijing's Hotel Kunlun opened in 1988 and is still going strong. Liu Weifeng reports. Hotel Kunlun, an old and trusted homegrown brand, continues to command respect among its peers and popularity with guests, particularly celebrities, who look on it as a hot spot for private parties.

One of the first hotels built in the Liangma River commercial zone, it opened in 1988, and is the flagship property of Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotel Management Co Ltd in Beijing. It's one of the first Chinese-managed hotels to be awarded five stars in China.

Yang Shaofeng, general manager of Kunlun, attributes the success of the hotel to its unremitting efforts at innovation.

"Keeping it updated with the latest trends in interior design and service is very important to its sustainability," says Yang, a 24-year veteran of the hospitality industry.

Its stylish new Yan Club, that combines oriental elegance with Western design and has a cigar and wine bar, a VIP lounge and live DJ, is popular with both middle-aged businessmen and the young rich.

The club, whose first phase cost 30 million yuan ($4.6 million), uses wood, stone, metal and glass in its modern design. Although bright and open, thanks to the glass walls, individual spaces still retain their privacy.

The daily turnover of the club is more than 100,000 yuan ($15,312), says Yang, who believes it will become a new selling point for the hotel and an icon of the capital's party scene.

This year, another 35 to 40 million yuan will be poured into the club's second-phase which will take its activities to the second floor.

"Every year, we spend a lot of money on the hotel's renovation to make it fashionable and environmentally friendly," the 48-year-old says. For instance, the amount of light in the lobby adjusts automatically in accordance with the time of day.

What makes Yang more proud is Kunlun's food and beverage service. The hotel offers a variety of cuisines - Shanghai, Cantonese, Sichuan and Shandong, besides Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai - in its 13 restaurants.

In 2010, revenue from food and beverage alone hit 165 million yuan, accounting for a third of its total income. The hotel aims to raise this to 250 million yuan this year.

"Many people come here for food and fun, not just necessarily to check in," says Kathy Chen, the hotel's director of marketing communications.

It's no secret that Chinese celebrities and movie stars often choose the hotel for their private parties or press conferences. The parking lot outside the hotel is often dubbed a "car show" for the number and variety of luxury sedans that can be seen parked there.

Another reason for Kunlun's popularity is a belief in its favorable feng shui.

Chen says the design of the lobby is not just about looking grand but is also imbued with subtle metaphysical meanings.

The round pattern on its marble floor, the decorative glass balls on both

sides of the lobby stairs, the vertical lines on the lobby lounge entrance and the barely noticeable eight-shaped design of its floor, with half in the lobby and the other half stretching outside the main entrance, are all auspicious signs meant to bring luck and fortune to guests.

According to Yang, the hotel will spend some 50 to 60 million yuan this year to spruce up the outside walls.

Yang started his career in the hospitality industry in Kunlun, when he accompanied one of his friends for a job interview, and ended up being recruited.

The hotel's employees include more than 300 people that have worked for more than two decades at the hotel. "We warmly welcome those who leave Kunlun but return years later," Yang says.