Hotels with art collections are a current Beijing trend, but the Éclat’s eclecticism is genuinely impressive. While bronze Dalí sculptures, a Warhol, a hanging shark installation, and outsize photos of Beijing by Wang Guofeng set a museum tone, its vast property-wide exhibition also includes Timothy Oulton travel chests, neon-lit moon gates, and commissioned bicycles with designs by Fendi and Hermès. The 100 rooms and suites are equally unorthodox yet highly comfortable, combining creamy Korean marble and rosewood with such niceties as an automatic massage chair, Miller Harris toiletries, and a bar that glistens with Riedel glassware. The hotel’s originality extends to themed suites with Harry Potter and Star Wars stylings, while eight pool suites each feature a covered and heated alfresco deck with white leather sofas and a private five-meter pool overlooking Ritan Park. The lack of an in-house restaurant dilutes the sociability factor, although there is a spacious lounge that serves breakfast and evening cocktails, plus several upscale restaurants in the adjacent Parkview Green retail mall.

9 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District; 86-10/8561-2888; Hotel Éclat website; doubles from US$354

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