Curated stays
Each entry here comes with a confirmed rate that includes breakfast, hotel credit or a stay-and-pay term — not a "from price" that changes when you call. Sorted by city.
Bulgari · Ultra Luxury
On the Liangmaqiao river, with the 800-metre private Bulgari river park running alongside the property. Beijing at its most discreetly expensive.
From US$3,230 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Rosewood · Luxury
A courtyard compound in the middle of the embassy district, with a proper residential feel and one of the best spa programmes in the capital.
From US$1,620 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Independent · Luxury
The former Aman Summer Palace, now run independently under its own name: 51 rooms and suites in Qing-style courtyards a gate away from the Summer Palace, with a private entrance into the gardens.
From US$720 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Sofitel · Luxury
On the edge of Wangfujing, the most convenient base for first-time visitors who want to walk to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen and the hutong lanes.
From US$100 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Shangri-La · Luxury
Inside Beijing’s tallest commercial tower, with direct access to the Guomao metro interchange. The business-district choice for travellers combining China with a few meetings.
From US$650 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Ritz-Carlton · Luxury
On the Financial Street business district with the best airport-transfer benefit on this list — a car and driver included for airport pickups.
From US$500 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Westin (Marriott) · Luxury
Ski-in, ski-out at the foot of the north slope — 262 rooms and suites, many with mountain views, a 30-second walk from the lifts of one of Asia’s largest ski resorts. Ten kilometres from Changbaishan Airport, which is the logistical argument; the Korean restaurant and the Heavenly Spa are the ones after skiing.
From US$190 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Sheraton (Marriott) · Luxury
The resort zone’s family-leaning five-star, next door to the Westin on the same ski hill — same ski-in access, same shuttle to the north-slope gates, at a friendlier nightly rate. The Club rooms add the lounge, which in a resort town means afternoon noodles after skiing.
From US$140 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Waldorf Astoria · Luxury
On the second floor of Chengdu’s tallest residential tower, with a 55-metre lap pool on the 5th floor and the best Sichuan kitchen in the building.
From US$1,050 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Conrad · Luxury
On the Nanbin road with the best view of the two rivers joining — the classic Chongqing image, and the city’s most photographed hotel frontage.
From US$500 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
The Luxury Collection · Luxury
The other Nanbin riverfront option, in a converted 1980s bank building, with its own dedicated hotpot restaurant.
From US$500 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
LUX* · Luxury
Deep in the karst country of southern Guangxi near the Vietnamese border. The ethnic-minority photo programme is included in the rate, which is unusual in the region.
From US$1,190 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
EDITION · Luxury
EDITION’s Dali outpost on the Erhai side of the Cangshan range: villas and suites rather than towers, with outdoor pools and the brand’s restaurant-and-bar energy.
From US$1,230 per night
Valid to 2026-11-30
Jianguo · Luxury
The established full-service hotel in Datong, central between the old city gates and the road to the Yungang Grottoes. Consistent rooms and a strong breakfast before the grotto morning.
From US$90 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Estelle · Luxury
The reference address in Dunhuang, with a desert-themed design, a children’s maze, and the standard room as the starting point for the Mogao and Mingsha route.
From US$1,930 per night
Valid to 2026-10-31
Biyue · Luxury
An oasis-style property a short distance from the Mogao caves, with green oasis rooms and a daily Silk Road afternoon tea.
From US$1,790 per night
Valid to 2026-10-31
Le Méridien (Marriott) · Luxury
The mountain’s best-addressed resort — fifteen minutes from the Baoguo Temple gate, with its own hot-spring zone, indoor and outdoor pools, and a free shuttle to Emeishan HSR station. After a Golden Summit day, the correct evening is the outdoor hot spring with the mountain in front of you.
From US$160 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Mandarin Oriental · Luxury
On the Pearl River in Zhujiang New Town, this is the Guangzhou address most international travellers want to be based at — river views from the higher floors, a short metro hop from Canton Tower.
From US$340 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Shangri-La Group · Luxury
The Li River runs past the garden: this is the classic Guilin base, with 42-square-metre entry rooms, river-view balconies and grounds that read like a small park — mini zoo, boat lake, outdoor pool. Five minutes from the city centre by taxi, forty-five from Liangjiang airport.
From US$180 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Zhenpo · Luxury
Guiyang’s most design-led five-star, built as a gallery as much as a hotel: Guizhou stone, batik and silverwork treated as art rather than decoration. The base for a Guizhou arrival night, ten minutes from the high-speed rail station.
From US$220 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Airui · Luxury
A new eleven-storey property on the Yimin river in central Hailar, blending Mongolian motifs with a clean modern fit-out. The practical base for grassland loops: free airport transfer and cars that leave at dawn.
From US$150 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Aman · Ultra Luxury
A restored hillside village of Song-dynasty dwellings in the tea fields above West Lake. Twenty-seven houses, one village — and no two rooms alike.
From US$960 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Conrad · Luxury
On the Fuchun River in the Fuchun mountains, the gateway to the new Longmen caves and a half hour from Hangzhou airport.
From US$1,430 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Shangri-La · Luxury
On the bank of the frozen Songhua with the ice-and-snow world across the river. Heated everything, a proper concierge for the festival season, and the shortest route to the ice city at night.
From US$160 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Kempinski · Luxury
The European-style option in Nangang, close to the railway station and Saint Sophia side of town. Strong German restaurant, deep bathtubs, and quieter streets than the riverfront.
From US$140 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Peninsula · Luxury
The grand dame of Tsim Sha Tsui, across from the Star Ferry pier. The lobby still has the famous afternoon tea, and the harbour view from the upper floors is the best in the district.
From US$1,070 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Ritz-Carlton · Luxury
The tallest hotel in Hong Kong, with the Ritz-Carlton Bar on 118th floor still the best view of Victoria Harbour anywhere in the city.
From US$1,140 per night
Valid to 2026-12-20
Rosewood · Luxury
A converted 1960s tower turned into a vertically arranged house of ten restaurants and a proper spa. The most design-led luxury address in Hong Kong.
From US$1,840 per night
Valid to 2027-12-31
Mandarin Oriental · Luxury
Above the Landmark shopping arcade in Central, with the Mid-Levels escalator and the Peak Tram two minutes away. The most convenient base for a first Hong Kong visit.
From US$1,360 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Bolian · Ultra Luxury
Seventeen villas inside the waterfall scenic area, each with its own hot-spring plunge pool and a terrace facing the gorge. The only way to be at Huangguoshu before the tour buses and after they leave.
From US$370 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Banyan Tree · Luxury
A Huizhou-style estate in the rice paddies between Hongcun and Xidi — white walls, dark tile, mist over the fields at dawn. The right base for the villages, with the mountain drive under an hour.
From US$280 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Crowne Plaza · Luxury
The practical Tunxi address: walkable to the old-town bridge and night market, direct access for the mountain cable-car road, and the most dependable rooms in the city.
From US$110 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Conrad · Luxury
Inside the Jiuzhaigou scenic area, so guests get early entry to the valley before the coach convoys arrive. The single best reason to overnight inside the park.
From US$700 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Radisson Blu · Luxury
Kashgar’s most reliable international-standard hotel, fifteen minutes from the Id Kah Mosque and the old town lanes. Air conditioning that works in July, and a breakfast that starts before the livestock market run.
From US$180 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
InterContinental · Luxury
On the shore of Dianchi Lake with the Western Hills across the water. The practical base for a Yunnan arrival night: close to the airport rail link, far enough from traffic to sleep.
From US$180 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
St. Regis · Ultra Luxury
The reference address in Lhasa: Tibetan craft in every surface, an oxygen-enriched floor for the first nights, and the Potala in view from the courtyard. Butler service as standard.
From US$260 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Shangri-La · Luxury
A calm, high-standard hotel on the west side of town with Potala views from the upper floors, a garden courtyard, and the most restful first nights at 3,650 metres.
From US$210 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Steigenberger · Luxury
A river-loop property ten minutes from the Xiaoqikong gate, built around a bend of the Zhangjiang where the water is the colour of jade. Pools, spa and a German-run service standard — unusual in a county town like Libo.
From US$230 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Aman · Ultra Luxury
Two hundred-year-old Ming-dynasty dwellings rebuilt as a village above old Lijiang, with a spa and a private cinema. The single most distinctive stay in the region.
From US$1,050 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Banyan Tree · Luxury
Naxi-style villas with pool villas at the quieter Ren’an outpost, an hour from old town. Better value than the Aman if you want a private pool.
Rate on request
Valid to 2027-01-24
Independent · Boutique
The Dazhai valley’s best-positioned lodge — 270-degree floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Golden Buddha Summit terraces, which means the sunrise arrives in the room. Butlers port the luggage up from the cable car, which is the service that actually matters on a mountain with no road to the door.
From US$110 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Mandarin Oriental · Luxury
On the Cotai Strip, a short walk from the Cotai arenas and a five-minute shuttle to the old Taipa village. A convenient base for a half-day Macau taster or a longer casino-resort break.
From US$270 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Wynn · Luxury
The performance-led end of the Cotai Strip: a choreographed lake show, a full resort promenade and SkyCabin cable cars that carry you straight across to the casino floor.
From US$300 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Four Seasons · Luxury
The calmest address on the Cotai Strip, backstaged by a private park and a short covered walk to the casino. Our pick for travellers who want Macau at a lower volume.
From US$840 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
W Hotels · Luxury
The design-led address inside the Studio City complex on Cotai: a W with a film-and-music personality, and the most visually playful stay on the strip.
From US$160 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Independent · Luxury
The historic house in the border town, restored with its 1900s stone facade intact and Russian-speaking staff on the desk. Rooms are the largest in Manzhouli, and the bar looks straight down the main street.
From US$120 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Banyan Tree · Luxury
Inside the Garden Expo park with private hot spring pools in every room category, and a children’s club. The easiest family add-on to a Nanjing stop.
From US$340 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Tsingpu · Ultra Luxury
A restored earth-building compound in Taxia village, run as a cultural retreat: twenty-odd rooms inside rammed-earth walls, wooden galleries, and a programme of paper-cutting, tea and Hakka cooking with village teachers.
From US$320 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Jing's Residence · Luxury
A restored courtyard mansion inside the walls, five courtyards deep, run with the standard of a city design hotel. The way to experience Pingyao after the day trippers leave the lanes.
From US$160 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Xihe International · First-class
The best hotel on the lake’s west shore — a new-built high-rise at Heimahe with oxygen-supplied rooms, underfloor heating and hot water that survives the plateau winter. Ten minutes from the sunrise point, which is the entire reason to be on this side of the lake.
From US$70 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Hilton · Luxury
The comfortable landing point for a city that UNESCO listed for its maritime Silk Road heritage. Twenty minutes from the Kaiyuan Temple and the old harbour quarter, with a pool that children actually use.
From US$160 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Mandarin Oriental · Luxury
A private bay on the south-west coast of Hainan with over a kilometre of beach in front of the hotel. The closest thing to a tropical resort inside China.
From US$470 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
St. Regis · Luxury
On Yalong Bay, the best of the Hainan beach resorts. The Butler service is the real differentiator here — someone who knows your name and your preferences for the whole stay.
Rate on request
Valid to 2026-12-28
1 Hotel · Luxury
A sustainably built resort in the forest between Haitang Bay and the sea, with its own private bay. Younger, more design-forward than the older Hainan resorts.
From US$540 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Ritz-Carlton · Luxury
On Yalong Bay with a long, calm stretch of beach and a genuinely good kids programme — our standard recommendation for families splitting between Sanya and Hong Kong.
From US$330 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Aman · Ultra Luxury
A relocated Ming-dynasty camphor tree and a collection of antique villas set inside a forest in Jing’an. Forty minutes from the Bund, and the most quietly spectacular hotel in Shanghai.
From US$960 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Puli · Luxury
On the edge of Jing’an Park, with a rooftop pool looking over the old French Concession rooftops. Fits the city better than most and feels more like a private house than a hotel.
From US$960 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Fairmont · Luxury
The 1930s Sassoon House on the Bund, with the legendary Jazz Bar and a rooftop terrace facing the Pudong skyline. History is the selling point here, and it delivers.
From US$970 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Swire Hotels · Luxury
Piero Lissoni’s 111-room house inside HKRI Taikoo Hui, in Jing’an. Minimal, craft-led and quietly expensive — the Shanghai stay for people who care more about design than a river view.
From US$510 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
J Hotel · Luxury
High on the 60th floor of the Shanghai Tower, with glass-floor bathrooms and a bar that looks straight down the length of the Pudong river.
From US$1,360 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
MGM · Luxury
A boutique option on the north end of the Bund with the best-value harbour view on this list.
From US$750 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Ritz-Carlton · Luxury
On the upper floors of the IFC tower in Lujiazui, with the river and the Pudong skyline framed from the west-facing rooms. The address for a skyline view rather than a heritage one.
From US$340 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
The House · Luxury
A country-style retreat in Songjiang with a deer park on the grounds and a peacock-themed afternoon tea. A restorative night away from the Bund.
From US$940 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Songtsam · Luxury
The Tibetan lodge that set the standard for high-altitude stays in Yunnan: hand-built timber rooms above the valley, hearth fires in the lounge, and the Songtsam guides who know every monastery road.
From US$280 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Banyan Tree · Luxury
Converted Tibetan farmhouses moved to a private valley outside town, each a two-storey lodge with a hearth and a balcony over the river pastures. The quietest address in Shangri-La.
From US$320 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Mandarin Oriental · Luxury
In the Houhai district with a rooftop pool looking across Shenzhen Bay toward Hong Kong. Our default Shenzhen base.
From US$530 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Raffles · Luxury
On Dapeng Bay in a building shaped like a sailing ship, with the longest private beach in the city and a serviced marina next door.
From US$960 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Ritz-Carlton · Luxury
On the southern shore of Lake Tai, with the classical garden district on one side and the water on the other. The best-placed hotel for the Suzhou gardens.
From US$1,060 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Four Seasons · Luxury
A walled garden hotel in the Jinji Lake district with four separate gardens, each with its own pool — the calmest Suzhou option, away from the canal crowds.
Rate on request
Valid to 2026-12-31
Conrad · Luxury
The most comfortable base in Xinjiang’s capital, and the practical one: a club lounge that opens early enough for the Turpan train, and a concierge who knows which flights to Kashgar actually leave on time.
From US$220 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Seven · Luxury
On the Jimei waterfront with the usual collection of Fuzhou and Xiamen villas moved here over the years. Quieter and more residential than the island hotels.
From US$480 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Fairmont · Luxury
On Yundang Island facing the Taiwan Strait, with the old international airport and the Gulangyu ferry terminal both within a short drive.
From US$350 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Holiday Villa · Luxury
The best-positioned property at Xijiang: villas on the ridge above the west gate with terraces facing the whole valley of stilt houses. Check-in includes the village ticket, and a shuttle drops you at the viewpoint before the day crowds.
From US$190 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Sofitel (Accor) · Luxury
The only international luxury hotel in Qinghai — a plate of French polish at 2,275 metres, ten minutes from the museum district and a comfortable first night before the drive to the lake. The club rooms add lounge access, which matters at altitude where breakfast coffee is a medical decision.
From US$120 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
The Peak · Luxury
A disused sugar mill on the Li River bank, turned into a design hotel with a clifftop infinity pool. The most photographed address in Yangshuo.
From US$220 per night
Valid to 2026-10-31
Independent · Luxury
Villas scattered across the karst hills above Yima village, with twenty-four-hour butler service and the best night sky in Guangxi.
From US$620 per night
Valid to 2026-10-31
Century Cruises · Luxury
One of the newer generation of Three Gorges vessels: balcony cabins from 26 square metres, a proper spa, and shore excursions run in small groups rather than by the coachload. Sails Chongqing to Yichang downstream in four days.
From US$590 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Crowne Plaza · Luxury
Where you land after the cruise: central, quiet, and twenty minutes from the Yichang East rail station for the onward high-speed train to Wuhan or Chongqing.
From US$120 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Crowne Plaza · Luxury
The reliable gateway hotel inside the Wulingyuan scenic area: five minutes from the park gate, which means the quartzite towers are the first thing you see and the last thing before dinner.
From US$130 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Pullman · Luxury
A calm, well-run resort hotel on the edge of Wulingyuan with the most consistent service in the area. Rooms face the peaks or the courtyard; either way the early starts for the park are easy.
From US$120 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Alila · Luxury
On Dong’ao Island in the Wailingding archipelago, a short ferry from Hengqin. A two-night sea-view suite package with meals included.
From US$1,040 per night
Valid to 2026-11-28
