Business travellers in Beijing will have a brand-new hotel option in the Chinese capital when the new EAST hotel opens this September.
It's the second Beijing hotel -- after The Opposite House in Sanlitun -- from Hong Kong-based Swire (who you may know as part-owners of Cathay Pacific), and the second EAST-branded hotel. Its older sister in Hong Kong opened two years ago.
Geared towards business travellers' needs, EAST promises "a relaxed, convenient and contemporary environment", with paperless check-in and check-out, plus a one-stop team for everything you need.
EAST Beijing has 369 rooms, including "Urban View rooms with panoramic scenes of Beijing's iconic downtown" for those all-too-frequent 'Blue Sky Days' when you can actually see outside.
The 24th and 25th floors of the hotel cover executive rooms and the Upstairs executive lounge, while the third floor holds The Workshop, the hotel's meetings and events space. Don't miss the noodle bar and candy wall during your breakout sessions.
Dining options are well catered for if you're staying in, with the Feast (Food by EAST) all-day dining international restaurant and Hagaki "Californian-inspired" Japanese restaurant.
Inside each room you'll find free wifi, international power points and iPod Touch devices. The hotel has a full gym called Beast (Body by EAST), a swimming pool and "outdoor splash pool" if you just want to cool down.
EAST is inside the new INDIGO development in Beijing's northeast Chaoyang district, in the same direction from the centre of town as the airport, between the fourth and fifth ring roads. It connects to the INDIGO mall and will offer future access to the Beijing Subway's Line 14.
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Swire Hotels' EAST, Beijing opens in September