The Luxe List 2014: Waldorf Astoria, Beijing, China

All that glitters isn’t necessarily gold —sometimes, it’s bronze, like the latticework that Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill created to clad this new Beijing house of luxury. A stone’s throw from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the hotel is the Waldorf’s second installment in its quickly expanding foray into Asia, and it’s glitzy inside and out. Yabu Pushelberg interiors mix lacquered framework and walls covered in raw silk with high-tech amenities (rooms come with tablets and smartphones) and the hotel’s impressive Chinese art collection. A hauntingly androgynous portrait by Beijing artist Ling Jian hangs in the Peacock Alley Lounge; one of Shao Fan’s “Deconstructed” chairs sits on the mezzanine level. In the spa, exceptional therapists administer a menu of treatments that leave a lasting impression, as do chef Menex Cheung’s Cantonese delicacies (think spicy Wagyu beef in stewed eggplant), served in the elegant dining room of Zijin Mansion.

5–15 Jinyu Hutong Dongcheng; 86-10/8520-8989; Waldorf Astoria Beijing; doubles from US$490