1. An unbeatable location
The Cordis sits right next to the sleek Norman Foster-designed Terminal 3 building of Beijing Capital International Airport. You can see it from the arrival hall, and it’s a mere 10-minute walk along a lighted path or a five-minute shuttle ride (which is available 24 hours a day) from the airport to the hotel – meaning that you can be all checked in and running a hot bath in the time it’d take you to get to the front of the taxi queue. The hotel also has direct access to the Terminal 3 station of the Airport Express line, making it a snappy 20-minute ride away from downtown Beijing.
2. Sumptuous Chinese fare
Giant woodwork carvings and Silk Road-inspired furnishings create a regal mood at the hotel’s Ming Court restaurant, serving Cantonese cuisine first perfected by its Michelin-starred namesake at the Cordis hotel in Hong Kong. Try the Jade Crab Claws, prepared with live crabs flown over from Fujian province daily, which are steamed with egg white and finished with some local huangjiu (yellow wine).
3. Efficient service with a friendly talking robot
Helping out guests in the hotel lobby is the Cordis’ resident robot helper, a wheeled cyborg with a touch-screen head. It can tell you the weather, find out if your flight is on time and, best of all, lead you to your room, even summoning the elevator. Service levels are high throughout, from the mobile reception counter within the Terminal 3 building (so you can check in right on arrival) to the staff who’ll happily play rounds of ping-pong with solo visitors.
4. Designed to soothe jetlagged souls
Featuring a beige and light grey colour palette, the Cordis is designed to feel immediately calming. A specially crafted fragrance, Sparkling Mint, with a bouquet of sweet orange, grapefruit and lemon scents, is diffused into every room. The rooms themselves – spacious, with high ceilings and tall windows – overlook a serene park. Smart design touches abound, like the bedside alarm clock that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, and there’s a French press (and packs of freshly ground coffee) in every room.
5. Fresh, tasty eating all day long
With an open-plan kitchen, over 10 stations of counter space dedicated to specific cuisines and 200 dishes on the menu, the hotel’s Cordis Market restaurant offers inviting all-day dining inspired by market halls and bazaars the world over. Breakfast features Beijing classics like doufu nao (“brain tofu”, a hearty combination of tofu, chillies and vinegar in a mushroom broth) while lunch includes a fantastic butter chicken and Indian chaat (savoury snacks) thanks to chef Dinesh Singh Rana’s Indian station.
Singapore Airlines flies to Beijing three times daily. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com
SEE ALSO: The world’s 4 most luxurious and expensive hotels
This article was originally published in the August 2019 issue of SilverKris magazine
