Shangri-La Hotel Beijing

The Shangri-La Hotel Beijing sits in Haidian District, the part of the city that holds its universities and technology sector. The Summer Palace is accessible from here, as are Fragrance Mountain and the routes north to the Great Wall.

The hotel has six hundred and seventy rooms and suites. Every room looks out over either the garden or the city, and each comes with Wi-Fi and a television. For a hotel of this size, the range of eating and drinking options is broad: four restaurants and three bars and lounges on site, which means you rarely need to leave the building for a meal or a drink.

Leisure facilities include an indoor swimming pool, a gym with exercise equipment, a sauna, and a steam room — a practical set of options for guests who are in Beijing for several days on business or before a longer trip.

Haidian's concentration of universities gives the streets around the hotel a working-neighbourhood character, distinct from the tourist corridors closer to central Beijing. The Summer Palace is the closest of the major heritage sites and the most logical first stop from this address.