Peninsula Beijing

The only hotel in Beijing with its own car fleet (including two Rolls-Royces and 12 Mercedes), the Peninsula also houses an unrivalled collection of more than 50 designer brands in its split-level shopping arcade. Fully refurbished between 2001 and 2005, rooms are all clean lines and modern furnishings, with occasional splashes of colour. Bathroom products are Molton Brown despite their Peninsula logos. Amenities in the rooms are state of the art, from dual voltage plug sockets, free wireless internet and silent fax machines in every room, to a hands-free phone and TV in the bathroom (the latter automatically mutes itself if a call comes through). Even the regularly updated DVD library is standard. The gym, massage room and swimming pool (in a bright atrium with rose petals in the footbath) aren’t open to non-guests, providing an element of exclusivity most other hotels don’t offer.