Peals of laughter drift over from the opposite river bank. I see two children running around while their parents look on. A flash of yellow passes by as a canoe glides on the Liangma River. In the gazebo stands a pair of newlyweds, getting their photos taken as guests clink flutes and chatter.
We are on the sculpted lawn of the Bvlgari Hotel Beijing. Located in the capital’s leafy embassy district in Chaoyang, the hotel seems to have assimilated into the neighbourhood, which is teeming with life even on a weekend.
The hotel opened in September 2017 as Bvlgari’s first foray into China. It is housed within the Genesis Beijing complex on Xinyuan South Road, a mixed-use development that reads like a who’s who of the design and architecture world—a team as diverse as the international community who work and live here. Tadao Ando designed the art gallery; Enzo Enea handled the gardens; Kohn Pedersen Fox was responsible for the office towers; and Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, the Italian firm behind every Bvlgari hotel worldwide, shaped the interiors. The brief, as I heard back then, was that all Bvlgari properties were to stay rather homogenous while being true to their Roman roots
I first came before the pandemic, in 2018. It was impeccably appointed and true to the brand. But it felt curiously adrift from Beijing —like a pristine jewellery box that had been set down in China and kept shut. I left admiring it more than feeling it.
This time, it felt different.
During the pandemic years, Chinese luxury grew more self-assured, with local brands and consumers alike showing greater confidence in what Chinese luxury could look like. Bvlgari Beijing seems to reflect that shift. The staff—warmer and more assured than before—deliver the best of Asian hospitality with Italian precision: attentive without servility, personal without intrusion. The hotel has now become woven into the fabric of its neighbourhood, rather than apart from it.
An Italian In Beijing
If you are a Bvlgari devotee—of the jewellery, the watches, or the aesthetics—you already know what to expect: finesse and exacting craftsmanship.
Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel have worked in warm earthy neutrals, burnt ochre and teak, with Italian marble and leather used the way Bvlgari uses gemstones. Furniture is by B&B Italia, Maxalto and Flexform; lighting by Flos. Across all 119 rooms and suites, everything was hand-picked or custom-made.
The lobby is deliberately kept modest in scale, to make the Carrara marble feel more intimate. Murano glass chandeliers cast a honeyed light over an antique map of China from 1690, signed by the Franciscan cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli and dedicated to a Jesuit priest—a reminder that the dialogue between Chinese and Italian culture predates this hotel by centuries. Terracotta warrior portraits from Xi’an share wall space with a portrait of the Roman emperor Lucius Verus. Bvlgari archive jewellery pieces are displayed throughout the space, alongside paintings by Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming and photography by Irene Kung.
On each floor, framed illustrations of archival Bvlgari jewellery designs line the corridors—a reminder of the house’s roots that any devotee will spend time poring over.
The staircase is another showstopper. Barovier & Toso Murano glass chandeliers cascade above it, giving the ballroom approach a jewelled quality—a nod, naturally, to Bvlgari’s high jewellery heritage.
Linger over your drink at Il Bar. The centrepiece is a magnificent oval bar of hand-hammered and polished bronze and stainless steel, made by a local artisan and inspired by the Fontana della Barcaccia in Rome. Order the Serpenti, their signature cocktail: a herbaceous gin concoction served in a coupe with a twist of lemon.
Staying In
I stayed in a junior suite. Rooms start at a generous 645 sq ft and go up to the 4,090 sq ft Bvlgari Suite, which—with its teak accents, floor-to-ceiling windows, private sauna, spa treatment room and Murano chandeliers—is one of the largest in the capital.
My junior suite had elm-wood alcoves, Italian custom furniture, a walk-in closet and a bathroom in white Navona travertine with a freestanding black granite soaking tub. Sound-insulating vertical wood panels ensured that the happy sounds from the neighbourhood stayed outside. If you like natural light flooding your room in the morning, book a southeast-facing Deluxe Suite.
Complimentary services in the junior suite are extensive: 24-hour butler, in-room breakfast on request, pressing service and soft drinks. There is also a Berluti shoe-polishing service—the Bvlgari setup has been so exacting throughout that I found myself wishing I had a pair of leather Oxfords to leave in the basket for the staff to polish.
Roman Baths In Beijing
I made it a point to head to the subterranean pool for laps even though I could have done with more sleep—simply because it is too beautiful. The 25-metre pool is lined in Vicenza volcanic stone, the walls columned and softly lit, the water inlaid with gold and green mosaic tiles to echo the ancient Terme di Caracalla.
The spa, spread across two floors and 16,100 square feet, blends Italian traditions with Chinese techniques, though I cannot vouch for the therapists’ skills as I didn’t try any of the treatments.
Italian Classics Done Right
Il Ristorante — Niko Romito has held its Michelin star for six consecutive years since 2020.
The food stays fastidiously Italian. Romito’s philosophy—maximum flavour from the fewest ingredients—is executed here by Marco Stramaccia as chef de cuisine. The kitchen produces a porchetta with skin lacquered to a mahogany crunch, and a braised Guangdong chicken with olives and capers that is Italian by recipe but tastes as comforting as something you might eat at a Beijinger’s home.
It may never be the most surprising hotel in Beijing, but that is not why Bvlgari loyalists come. They come for the same reason they buy the jewellery: because they know what they are getting, and they can expect it to be perfect every time.
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