NEW YORK—Inspiration can come from the strangest places.

For Ian Schrager, hotel icon and inventor of the now-ubiquitous “boutique” hotel concept, he found it while perusing a local Apple store.

There was just something about the experience, he said—something about walking in and immediately being met by a “brand manager” who exudes passion for all things Apple.

“It’s almost part of a cult. That person does everything and anything necessary to make your shopping there easy, quick, informative and to make sure you’re treated well,” Schrager said. “When I saw that, I thought to myself, ‘Well what kind of service is that? Is that luxury service? Or is that some kind of uncategorized service?’”

Trying to spend a weekend in Beijing is like trying to watch the highlights of the Olympics in only two days of competition. There is just too much to see, too much to do, too much to taste and too many lovely people to encounter! When it comes to the big decisions in your holiday (your Beijing hotel and tour operators), though, there are certainly some stand-out options. Today we are looking at the best designer hotels in Beijing, as well as the best guided tours for experiencing the city.

Hotel #1: Hotel G, Beijing

Hotel G in Beijing is unique among Beijing hotels – where there are plenty that offer three star traditional Chinese decors, or four to five star ordinary Western decors, Hotel G was designed for difference. The interior decor,, as well as the neon windows, the most striking feature of the outer decor, were the brainchild of Mark Lintott, a famed European designer. Hotel G has been ranked #1 by the largest traveler reviews site, Tripadvisor, for around 9 months now.

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