Hotel Review: China World Summit Wing – Beijing’s Tallest Hotel

The China World Summit Wing rises way above any other Beijing hotel, starting at the 64th floor where the reception is located. My first encounter with the hotel was perhaps unlike any other I’ve had before. Upon alighting from the cab, the greeter by the door immediately asked me, “Are you Mr. Chua?” to my pleasant surprise and immediately whisked me up to my 65th floor abode where my entire check-in process was done inside my room.

The property was built a couple of years back and is just one of the Shangri-la properties lining the China World Trade Centre area which also houses a China World Hotel, Kerry Hotel, Traders Hotel and (soon) a Hotel Jen. Indeed, this part of Beijing is dominated by Shangri-la hotels.

Supposedly inspired by the Valley Wing of Shangri-la Singapore which offers more than the brand’s usual level of luxury and where everyone automatically gets a soft club lounge access, the China World Summit Wing was built in 2010 occupying the top floors of the China World Tower.

Grand Premier King Room

My room for this particular stay was a Grand Premier King which is two notches above the base-level rooms. At 75 square meters, it was perhaps the largest non-suite hotel room I have ever stayed in. I have been in suites that were less than 2/3 the size! The Grand Premier occupied the corner of the building and as such did not have your usual rectangular hotel room shape (lots of nooks and crannies to be found throughout the room).

Although in many ways a modern room, the motif featured some prominent Chinese art including a painting of mountains and clouds by the head board of the king-sized bed. This juxtaposed with some contemporary art pieces – such as a curvy red sculpture by the seating area.

Due to the size of the room, you don’t really have a TV that is situated right across the bed. Instead, the 40 inch LCD TV to the left comes with a swivel to allow you to watch your favorite TV shows without straining your neck. I love the automatic features in the room – especially the automatic curtain control where you can adjust the day and night curtains at the click of the button. There’s nothing like a perfectly pitch black scene for a good sleep and I was quite impressed by how the floor-to-ceiling windows could be totally concealed even in the morning. You wouldn’t be able to tell between day time and night!

The room comes with plenty of seating space, from the armchairs by the minibar to the functional working desk that faces the window with a majestic view of the Beijing skyline.

You also get a separate wardrobe and storage area due to the sheer size of the room. Here, you will find your much-needed slippers, bathrobes as well as a copious amount of hangers. It seems that the closet was designed for long-stayers.

While the bedroom itself is pretty impressive, the bathroom is set to generate oohs and ahs. There’s a separate shower area complete with rain showers as well as a different enclosure for the toilet. At the far end is the soaking tub which allows you to have a wonderful view of the city while enjoying a nice hot bath.

Bathroom toiletries are from Jasmin & Bergamote by L’Occitane. In case, you find yourself needing to use the bathroom while watching your favorite show, fret not. The mirror actually has a 15 inch flat screen TV installed in the middle that can be activated with the click of a button.

While the room itself has plenty in the way of creature comforts, the soft product was also quite impressive. Cleaning is done twice a day – once in the morning and another time for turndown service. I actually found myself having to do a bit of work during my stay and ended up using my laptop for a bit. Seeing that I had nothing to pad my mouse, housekeeping thoughtfully left a note saying I was being lent a leather mouse pad to my delight. Other than this, I always came back to my room finding all my clothes neatly folded and hung at the respective racks. All my messy wirings (from my charging devices) were also rolled up very neatly.

Resident’s Foyer – “Club Lounge” For All Guests

As I mentioned previously, the hotel took inspiration from the Valley Wing of Shangri-la Singapore and similarly, all guests of the China World Summit Wing Beijing get access to the Resident’s Foyer – a lounge facility located within the 64th floor lobby area of the hotel. I was told of the benefits which read as follows:

• 24-hour daily access to the lounge
• Soft drinks, coffee, tea and fresh whole fruit throughout the day, as well as snack refreshments three time a day
• Happy Hour from 6pm to 8pm daily
• Two-hour usage of the meeting room per day per room with prior booking
• Two computer workstations with Internet access, a scanner and a printer
• 24-hour secretarial and concierge service

As the hotel caters to a lot of business travelers, I chanced upon several guests making use of the lounge for business meetings. Personally, I dropped by the Resident’s Foyer for evening cocktails. I was told the theme changes by the day and each of the hotel’s F&B outlets actually take turns in providing for the light bites at the lounge.

Aside from canapes, guests can also select from a number of alcoholic beverages during happy hour. While there’s no champagne, I thought the selection was quite decent for a pre-dinner affair.

Breakfast at China World Summit Wing Beijing

Breakfast is served at Grill 79 which doubles as a Western restaurant at other times of the day. The breakfast spread features a good variety of Western dishes such as bacon, sausages, a decent amount of pastries and cereals (they even have pretzels!) but personally, I believe the Chinese section deserves more attention.

While you do get your standard congee and dimsum, I was quite impressed to find some notable hot items as well. The likes of stir-fried beef and spareribs are probably more common for lunch or dinner buffets but these are very much part of China World Summit Wing’s morning spread.

The breakfast buffet could very well stand on its own as a 5-star breakfast offering but this is supplemented by a decent ala carte menu with the likes of noodles, your choice of egg or a hearty serving of pancakes and waffles. For Singaporeans and Malaysians who are feeling home sick, they can also try having nasi lemak and laksa. Juices are of the fresh variety. Overall, the breakfast spread here is probably one of the most impressive I’ve seen in a Shangri-la hotel.

Verdict

Due to its CBD location, the China World Summit Wing is a popular choice among business travelers and likewise, the property possesses plenty of meeting spaces and facilities catering to this group. During my time there, I was essentially surrounded by investment bankers and private equity professionals while having breakfast. That being said, extras such as the resident’s foyer offerings and luxurious bath facilities make it equally attuned to leisure travelers.

China World Summit Wing Beijing
1 Jianguomenwai Street, Guomao
Beijing, China 100004
Phone: +86 10 6505 2266

How to get there:

By taxi – make sure to mention the Chinese name of the hotel which is 北京国贸大酒店. Taxi fares from the airport to hotel should cost around CNY 100 to 110.

By metro – the nearest metro station is Guomao which is about 15 minutes walk to the hotel via the underground China World Shopping Mall.