The Beijing Hotel

Chang'an Jie (Long Peace Street) is a fitting address for The Beijing Hotel and its long list of superlatives.

When Mao wanted to throw a lavish banquet to celebrate the inauguration of People's Republic in 1945, there was only one possible venue – the Raffles Beijing Hotel, the grandest and most famous in the city. Joined at the feast by Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Dong Biwu and others, Mao's merrymaking is just one of many fascinating episodes in the hotel's illustrious but chequered history.

From being 'the only hotel de luxe in the Far East' to a hostel for American troops after the surrender of the Japanese in the 1940s, the hotel has enjoyed good times and bad. The journey from its humble beginnings under two French proprietors in the city's Legation Quarter to today's management under the Raffles brand has taken over 106 years. During that period the building has welcomed many other distinguished characters, from George Bernard Shaw to Charles de Gaulle and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

It was the growing popularity of luxury cruises and ocean liners during the early 20th century that caused tourism in China to take off, and it wasn't long before the Grand Hotel de Peking – as the Beijing was then called – became the talk of the town. The height of luxury, with 'steam heating, private baths and flush toilets throughout', the hotel was renowned for its gourmet food and dining terrace overlooking the Forbidden City. 'Unexcelled cuisine, with French chef. Banquets a specialty, wines of the best districts of France,' read one advertisement. The hotel's European-style dancefloor was another hit. The building even housed the headquarters of the Thomas Cook Travel Agency and kept two private limousines to meet guests at the railway station.

Despite knock-backs in the form of Japanese occupation in 1937 followed by World War II, the hotel continued to play an important role in Beijing's social scene and, until the opening of the Great Hall of the People in 1958, was the venue for nearly all major political functions. The hotel continued to expand during the 1970s and for a short time, thanks to an additional 20 storeys, was the only authorised building in the centre of the city tall enough to overlook the Forbidden City. Later, during 1989, it was from the hotel's sixth floor that journalist Charlie Cole took the famous photo of a protester in front of tanks on Tiananmen Square.

As Beijing grew more tourist-friendly again, the hotel was forced to build a new wing to cope with the increased demand, and in September 2005 the respected Raffles brand took on the task of restoring it to its former glory. After nine months of renovation, the building now has new carpets and leather chairs and staff even sport uniforms designed by Benny Ong. Guests are still encouraged to take high tea – a popular tradition at the hotel since the '20s – and the ballroom has been fully restored, complete with its original grand piano. Let's hope Beijing is willing to kick up its heels once more, because this hotel will be around for a while.