u/shermancchen

One of the newer luxury hotels in China, and one of the newer properties in the Mandarin Oriental portfolio - MO Qianmen opened as a hotel integrated within Beijing’s hutongs back in Sep 2024.

With the MO guaranteed upgrade offer now live, figured it was a good time to write about my stay from last year. This was definitely one of the most unique hotel experiences I had as the property is very different from the usual city hotel.

Location / Property

MO Qianmen is located in the Qianmen district which is one of the best areas for tourists visiting Beijing. You’re a 10 min drive from Tiananmen Sq + Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and also Wangfujing street. It’s also one of the most culturally rich areas of Beijing, and can be quite lively with all the good food and shopping options around. 

One of the biggest draws of the area are the hutongs, little alleys formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences that make it feel like you’ve stepped back into old Beijing. And the most unique thing about MO Qianmen is that the property is built into these hutongs, and each suite is essentially an old residence/address with an inner courtyard. 

There are still local residents that live in the same hutong area as well, so the door to your hotel room will literally be neighboring the home of a local resident who has probably lived there for a very long time. When going from the room to the hotel restaurants, spa, gym, you will be walking through the public alleys where people are doing their laundry, public bathrooms, families hanging out, etc. And yeah being in China, people are probably going to stare a bit, especially if you’re not Asian since there’s always curiosity about foreigners in general. There’s definitely an element of culture shock if this is where you choose to stay on a first time trip to China so it’s important to set the right expectations, but people are always asking for fat hotels that can immerse yourself in local culture, and I can’t think of anything else that is like this.

Being a part of old Beijing, this area also doesn’t feel run down at all. Maybe even a little commercialized. The government allowed for this hotel to be built here only if MO also agreed to do a full renovation of all the hutongs in the area for the community. So everything actually feels quite new and well maintained even outside the hotel rooms and buildings. This is also the reason why this hotel is so expensive (probably the most expensive entry level room in China?), a lot of the money went to the renovation and preservation of the hutongs.

In terms of the rest of the property, there is a main hotel area made up of a couple traditional residences with the lobby, spa, gym and tea house. No pool here, since these are all historical buildings with a lot of limitations on modification. Then like I mentioned previously, each suite is spread out throughout the neighborhood as an individual address/residence. They have little buggies that can take you around the neighborhood but it is very walkable as well.

Rooms

The suites here are absolutely stunning and one of my favorite hotel rooms anywhere. Each of the 42 rooms is a transformed courtyard residence (called siheyuan) and maintains the inner courtyard which is central to this type of housing. A siheyuan is formed by the houses that face a courtyard, making up a square layout with buildings on the north, south, east, and west sides of it. Here they are interconnected to make a square (2-bed) or c-shape (1-bed) suite. 

They’ve done a great job furnishing these suites, the finishes are beautiful. They feel elegant, historic, yet still cozy and home-y. Sometimes historic buildings can be quite dim, but here they’ve made all the windows floor to ceiling so it lets in a lot of light. You also usually have a proper living room, full dining table, soaking tub and complimentary mini bar. 

Food & Bev

F&B was great and honestly always a highlight with hotels in China. Dinner at Yan Garden is really good Southern Chinese food and is opened by Chef Fei who has a 2-star restaurant at the MO in Guangzhou. Tiao is their cocktail bar that serves creative drinks with Chinese ingredients and it was very popular with the locals even before the hotel had opened. It’s a spot that can get very lively at night, and you can text your butler to cut the line if you’re staying at the hotel ;) The breakfast is served in their Italian restaurant and was something I was less impressed with, it’s a mix of a small buffet and a la carte items. I wish there were more Chinese breakfast items. Chinese hotels are still very much dependent on domestic travel for most of their business, so a lot of the hotels are quite focused on western breakfast items since that’s what people want.

Service

Service at 5* hotels in China can sometimes be a bit disappointing, but I will say service level here was in line with the good fat hotels in other parts of the world. Everyone gets assigned a butler for the stay and you can communicate with them through WeChat (China’s version of WhatsApp). The butler team is very responsive and willing to help with any requests. Staff members around the hotel were also very attentive and friendly. I did notice that the English level across the staff was a bit higher than somewhere like Rosewood Beijing where I also stayed on the same trip.

Even though they’re priced like an Aman, I wouldn’t come here expecting that same kind of service style though. I think the staff members could generally recognize faces especially if you are there for a longer stay, but we were asked for our room number quite often and always presented a bill with our meals/drinks.

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China has suffered quite a bit with international tourism since covid, but I am starting to see more interest with travel there recently. It’s such a different travel experience and there are so many interesting and crazy things to see. Went back up to the Great Wall again for the first time in a while on this trip, and it’s always so impressive. 

Overall, I highly recommend MO Qianmen if you’re looking for a unique experience as part a luxe China itinerary. Otherwise, MO Wangfujing is a great property too for a more traditional city hotel experience in Beijing. Feel free to drop any questions about the property, Beijing, or China in general below!

The Maybourne Group operates 4 of the very best hotels in London - The Emory, The Berkeley, The Connaught, and Claridge’s. We’ve done some AMAs here before on the brand and their new preferred TA program called Maybourne Illustrated. But I wanted to do a deep dive into the London properties and do a quick comparison between each.

For context, I am a TA and a mod here. I spent over a week in London last month checking out some of the top hotels in the city. For this specific review, I stayed at The Connaught and The Emory, while also touring The Berkeley and Claridge’s with the teams there.

The Emory and The Berkeley

These two hotels are connected and you can kind of think of them as one property, so I’m going to write about them together.

The Emory opened in 2024, it still feels brand new. Only 61 keys and it’s suites only. But yes, technically the Studios and Jr Suites are just larger rooms. Very spacious rooms in a great layout nonetheless. The Berkeley is the older, more traditional sibling, and The Emory is the newer, younger one. You can generally feel that difference in the clientele too.
The arrival at The Emory is deliberately understated. Entrance is tucked down an alleyway, no grand facade, no real lobby. It’s just a small glass room that functions as a front desk. It’s definitely very quiet and feels more private residence than hotel.

Different floors were done by different designers: Andre Fu on top floors, Patricia Urquiola, Pierre-Yves Rochon, and Alexandra Champalimaud across the others. This is really a theme across all the Maybourne properties in London, where different floors can feel like a hotel within a hotel. The best floors at The Emory are Andre Fu, in my opinion. And the 8th floor is also where you just start to clear the trees over Hyde Park, so park view on the top floor is the best too. We were in a Park Junior Suite on the 8th floor and I loved the room. It’s hard to get something with a nice view in London. Toto toilet in the bathroom, excellent light and blind controls, well stocked complimentary minibar. Sound insulation is also impressive considering it faces a busy street.

Service was very good. Our butler and the guest services staff always knew our names. WhatsApp access to the butler team made everything easy, and they had the house car ready soon after check-in to take us to lunch. They also try their best on early arrivals and late check-outs, and if your room isn't ready you have access to the Surrenne Spa in the meantime. But no, it’s not guaranteed like The Chancery, and they also no longer include airport transfers. 

The Berkeley side has a full lobby and its own concierge / front desk area. It’s much larger at closer to 200 rooms, so it feels more like a traditional hotel vs. that intimate feel you get at The Emory. Different floors are designed differently here too. Some are more Japanese inspired, some more Art Deco, and some even very American. The other big difference in the rooms here is that they have more of the Balcony / Terrace rooms that face the quieter street and church on the other side of the building. I liked the Japanese floor the most, but there’s something for everyone. We’re also able to guarantee an upgrade at time of booking at The Berkeley right now!

Surrenne is shared across both properties and spans four underground floors. It has a well-equipped gym, steam room + sauna, snow shower, 22-meter pool, and a Tracy Anderson studio that is unlike anything I've seen in a hotel. Think bouncy floors in a heated room lol. It doesn’t get that busy even though it’s shared with The Berkeley, since there’s also a rooftop pool on that side.

Breakfast was decent. All a la carte at abc kitchens. It’s named this way because it’s supposed to combine the concepts of all abc kitchens from NYC. Never really loved those restaurants in NYC but I think they do a good job with breakfast here. You can take breakfast at the cafe on The Berkeley side too. There is also a Cedric Grolet outlet next to the cafe there, which can mean a nice welcome amenity for our clients 😉 The rooftop bar is fun, some of the best views in London, and the drinks are great. Go up at sunset if you can!

Who is this for? 

• The Emory is for people who want the newest hard product in London with real privacy. If you want something that feels like a high-end private residence rather than a hotel, this is the best option in the city right now.
• The Berkeley suits people who want the same address and spa access but prefer a more traditional hotel feel, and rates are more accessible. 
• Either way you're getting one of the best wellness facilities in London and a Knightsbridge location that works well for shopping, easy park access, and getting around the city.

The Connaught

This was my other stay that week. It's been around in some form since the early 1800s, it's in Mayfair, and it has a quiet but polished vibe that very few hotels manage to pull off.

Arrival was seamless - doorman to help with luggages, escorted to the room, butler walked through everything and noted all personalization requests. It's the same attention to detail as The Emory, in a slightly more formal service style. There are 121 rooms total, and they’re all kind of different given that it’s a historic building. It’s recently renovated but with a real sense of place. I wouldn’t say that it feels dated at all, and you all know I usually prefer modern hotels. There is a more modern side of the hotel too. The Mews townhouse suite might be one of my favorite hotel rooms in the city.

We were in a Grosvenor Suite on the traditional side. Victorian style windows, chandeliers, and a separate small study where they give you postcards to mail back to friends and family. The way they describe it is like an 18th-century drawing room. The traditional side has the fountain view and Mount Street, which is beautiful. The contemporary side faces Adams Row, a much quieter but maybe less attractive street. I will say the supercars circling Mayfair can get a bit loud at night on the traditional side though. One difference from The Emory - the minibar here has fewer inclusions, alcohol and snacks are paid. 

The F&B here is world-class across the board, it’s my favorite of all hotels for on site dining in London. Helene Darroze holds three Michelin stars and is one of the best fine dining restaurants in the city. The Connaught Bar is always high up on the list of 50 best bars. The martini trolley service is worth experiencing at least once. We had a very solid Sunday roast at the Grill. You can also order off the restaurant menus for in-room dining, which are genuinely good options. Breakfast was excellent, everything tasted just a bit better than abc kitchens. It is also served at Jean Georges.

And there's an Aman Spa underneath the hotel, the only one in the UK. It’s on the smaller side, I probably personally prefer Surrenne still but it’s not a bad option as well.

Who is this for? 

• People who want the definitive but more low key London luxury hotel experience. It’s a traditional hotel done right, it doesn’t feel stuffy or tired, just quietly very very good at everything. 
• It’s also for the foodies who want the best on site F&B options.

Claridge's

Didn't get to stay here this trip but did spend a full afternoon here. If The Connaught is quiet luxury, Claridge's is the opposite. It's the see and be seen hotel. The history also goes back to the 1800s, and that history is very much part of what you're paying for. Grand Art Deco lobby, busy at almost any hour, multiple bars and restaurants, 200+ rooms. It’s the biggest in the portfolio and probably the most social.

Like the others, each floor and wing has a different design identity, and the same room category can look completely different depending on where you land in the building. For example, some Claridge's Suites have two bathrooms, some don't. They also have the best interconnecting room options in the portfolio if you're traveling with family.

Afternoon tea in The Foyer / Reading Room is probably one of the most well-known in London. They reserve space for hotel guests, which matters because it does book out. The bar situation is great too - Claridge's Bar is in a beautiful Art Deco room, and The Painter's Room next door is a quieter, more intimate option. The Fumoir is a hidden gem.

Everything here is also recently renovated. There’s been more reviews about Claridge’s on here so I won’t go into too much other details.

Who is this for? 

• People who want the most iconic London hotel experience. The one that feels the most busy and lively.
• It’s also the best option if you need interconnecting rooms for families or are traveling with a larger group.

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Overall, you can’t go wrong at any of these properties. As we always say, it’s about matching people to the right one.

Also, I did want to mention. The cross-portfolio integration is quite impressive. The Connaught booked Claridge's afternoon tea for us, and at the tea they offered to charge it back to our Connaught room. This can be done across all F&B outlets under the Maybourne properties in London. We were also addressed by name at Claridge's even though we weren't staying there. Then the staff at The Connaught Bar asked how our stay at The Emory was going, since that’s where we were staying when we visited the bar. For four technically separate hotels, it operates more like one seamlessly run brand than almost anything else I've seen. Service really is a highlight at all of these Maybourne properties.

London is a great place to be if you like luxury hotels, especially within Europe. And in my opinion, the Maybourne portfolio sits at the top of that market. Happy to answer any questions on these or on London more generally.

Hey all - made a quick trip to Vietnam just before the Lunar New Year rush back in Feb, and wanted to share my thoughts and itinerary here.

3 nights @ Amanoi (coming from Bangkok)

2 nights @ Capella Hanoi

They’re two totally different hotels and I think it makes a nicely balanced trip. Amanoi is a nature escape on the beautiful Vietnam coastline bordering a national park, Capella Hanoi is in the middle of one of the busiest SE Asia cities.

I would say that I travel at a really fast pace. Partly because I want to personally see as many hotels as I can for my clients, partly also because I just get bored more easily. My recommended itinerary would be to add 1 or 2 more nights at least to each of these places.

Amanoi

Amanoi is located in the Southern Vietnam coast, near Nha Trang. The closest airport is CXR and it is about 1.5 hours away from the airport, or it’s also a 5.5 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh. So yes, it does require some effort to get to, but I think that’s true for most properties that are in these more special settings. Roundtrip airport transfers are included with your stay for 3+ nights.

If we don’t count Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, Amanoi is still the last Aman resort built in SE Asia. Even though it’s 12 years old now, they’ve done a great job of maintaining it and making it feel like a modern hotel even in 2026. I think this is pretty unique because you can’t really get the magic of these original SE Asia Amans combined with the feeling of a modern Jean-Michel Gathy Aman anywhere else.

As of 2026, they have 31 pavilions/villas, 2 specialty wellness/spa villas, and 11 residences. The grounds are large and hill-y, so everything does feel like it’s quite spread out. This means that privacy between the villas are great, but it also means that you will have to rely on the buggy to get around the resort.

For room types, every pavilion and villa is pretty much the same in terms of layout. The differences are going to be the view, size of the outdoor space and private pool vs. no pool. Even the wellness villas are the same, with the exception that you get a whole other standalone villa for the spa facilities. They did also add a small family room / library to a few of the villas last year to accommodate the ever increasing popularity in family travel. Villa placement can be quite important here given not all views are created equal, and only a few are within walking distance from the main pavilion.

I’ve seen complaints about the food & bev from past reviews, but I have to say I really enjoyed the food here. To be fair, they did just bring in a new executive chef with a lot of experience at the end of last year and he’s done a fantastic job. Highly recommend all of the Vietnamese and seafood dishes. There are basically two restaurants at the hotel, one in the main pavilion that serves all 3 meals + the complimentary afternoon tea, and then the beach club is also open for lunch. I think the menu could start to become a bit repetitive for some people after 3-4 nights but they did also make us an entire dinner with off menu items for our last night after talking to the chef about how much we liked local seafood dishes. So there is definitely flexibility with the menu.

What is there to do at the resort? They have two pools and beaches on premise - a main beach + beach pool, an infinity cliff pool, and a more rugged shell beach. The main beach has kayaks, paddle boards, and snorkeling equipment. Beyond taking in the views, there is actually a lot of programming here which makes it an easy place to spend a couple days if you like having things to do. There’s a proper gym, pilates studio, classes like outdoor yoga, and tennis/pickleball courts. From the resort you can also do a short hike to Goga Peak. Plus they can arrange excursions to surrounding areas from waterfall hikes to village visits to golf days.

We also did the banya treatment and it was probably one of my favorite spa experiences. These are private half or full day experiences in the wellness villas, which also have a pool and hot/cold plunges. You can only book these on arrival because if someone has booked the wellness villa for their stay, these treatments will be unavailable to other guests.

When is the best time to go? The Vietnam coast is kind of different from the rest of SE Asia where the summers are actually quite dry. It just can get very very hot. So summers are totally fine as long as you’re ok with the heat. The best time to go is probably Feb to Apr. The reason is because it can get very windy here in the winter months, to the point where it can impact outdoor activities and beach/ocean time. But it’s hard to predict the weather as we always say. I was there mid-Feb and the winds were still quite strong this year into Feb, so we didn’t really get time in the ocean or on the beach. Don’t get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed our stay with the wind (it’s honestly quite nice for the heat too) but I think you just need to come in with the right expectations and also pair this with a proper beach stay elsewhere if you want guaranteed beach time in the winter months.

Lastly, the service here is mostly on point and in line with the top Aman properties as you’d expect. Staff members know who you are, never really have to give your villa number, never see a bill until check-out, ninja like housekeeping even if you leave the room for 10 minutes, all the good stuff. There were some very minor misses which seemed to stem from staff not being aware of our itinerary, like getting sent to the wrong place for our banya treatment or being asked “what did you do today” instead of something like “how was your hike”, but this is me being very picky after having experienced this at Amanjiwo.

What I also loved was that they have a strong focus on hiring from the local community. This does mean that not everyone speaks perfect English, but I am totally for it if the tradeoff means that the local community is benefiting from the resort as well.

Capella Hanoi

The Capella in Hanoi is located in the French Quarter, right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of the city. This Capella property is so different from the rest where it’s usually modern and minimalist (with the exception of Capella Ubud, which is also Bill Bensley). I think the best word to describe the hotel is maximalism and it really fits in quite well with Hanoi.

They took inspiration from the 1920’s golden age of opera in Hanoi, and each floor is themed to pay homage to a different role in opera performances. We were on the 3rd floor (The Actors) which had very bold black white, and red decor, but every room and floor can look different in design.

My recommendation here is definitely to book the room type you would be happy with and book at least the Junior Suite. The entry level room type is quite small, and can feel a bit cramped especially given the styling. There are also only 47 keys and they run at a pretty high occupancy throughout the year. There’s also not much of a view here, so the main decision with the room types will come down to the size of the room.

Capellas have a Living Room concept offering complimentary snacks/drinks as well as the signature afternoon tea. It’s no different here. The breakfast is a big spread, a la carte hot items, a cold buffet, and a banh mi station. This is served at their main restaurant, Backstage. At the very top of the hotel is their bar and hidden cigar lounge / speakeasy. There is also a Michelin starred Japanese restaurant on site. Overall the food & bev program is fantastic. Backstage served one of my favorite phos I’ve had on the trip, since they have a collaboration with the popular Hanoi chef Anh Tuyet.

In terms of the rest of the property, there is an underground pool, spa and gym. All designed in the same theme as the rest of the property. The treatment rooms are probably one of the most unique I’ve seen, they definitely didn’t overlook adding decor details here.

Service here is great. The staff to guest ratio is high. Check-in is done at the Living Room, but it is not really separate from the main lobby so it can feel a bit busier in the evening due to the popularity of their F&B outlets with the local community. Their concierge team (Culturists as Capella likes to call them) are very good with helping arrange all things from transfers, activities and restaurant bookings. For example, it’s pretty popular to do a day trip to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi and they can definitely help with that. They can also help with airport fast track at Hanoi airport, which I would highly recommend for all airports in Vietnam.

There is no doubt Capella is the best option in Hanoi right now, given the fact that Hanoi is still a developing market in terms of luxury travel. But the new Fairmont just opened down the street and FS is also coming soon (I guess this is no longer happening). It’ll be interesting to compare the different options in the future.

Happy to answer any questions about these properties or just Vietnam fat travel in general!