Hylandia by Shangri-la opened on Aug 3 in Diqing Tibetan autonomous region in Southwest China's Yunnan province. (Photos Provided to China Daily)
Throughout time, explorers have never slowed their search for the paradise rumored to be hidden deep within the snowy mountains of China's southwestern areas. Now they can journey there to discover their own interpretation of paradise, with the new Hylandia by Shangri-La their gateway to one of the country's most captivating regions.
Owned and operated by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, the 166-room hotel is located in Shangri-La, the capital city of the Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan province, at an altitude of 3,260 meters.
Diqing is renowned for its mystical snow-capped mountains, deep gorges, shimmering lakes and vast grasslands. It is the only Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Yunnan and is as rich in culture as it is in natural resources, with 13 different ethnic groups living there. Diqing has long been a strategic passageway to Tibet and its capital Shangri-La was a pivotal point on the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
As the first international full-service hotel in the city, the 166-room hotel Hylandia offers every convenience and comfort a traveler journeying to the remote land could want.
"Hylandia is a window through which guests can see and experience Yunnan and Diqing. We wanted to have Hylandia's story be focused on the guest experience from a physical and interpersonal perspective," said Francis Lee, general manager of the hotel.
According to Lee, the hotel is a modern, high-altitude interpretation of the caravansaries once found along the Silk Road, with exotic courtyards, gardens, lounges and restaurants. Its architecture and design are an eclectic blend of Yunnan and Tibetan styles, featuring extensive use of local pine, limestone and other native organic materials.
The Hylandia experience begins the moment guests arrive at the airport, where their airport greeter and driver offers them a kata, or traditional Tibetan white scarf, a custom that symbolizes good wishes and welcome. Upon arrival at the hotel, guests are greeted by a bellman wearing a handsome uniform of the Khampa ethnic group and escorted along colonnades, past a tranquil water pond dotted with copper lotus flowers and into a double-height lobby. The play of light from the skylight above a second interior water feature dazzles, creating positive and negative space as light dances through etched ceiling panels and decorative pillars framing the main lobby.
On the right is the Wisdom Room, a library where guests can enjoy complimentary buttermilk tea and mountain walnuts dipped in local organic honey while they are being checked into the hotel. The salon has both the exoticism of a lamasery and the inviting feel of a private library, with coffee tables and reference books and games to play.
Flanking the lobby on the opposite side is the Aroma Room, where an assortment of teas is served, including the famous Yunnan black tea once traded on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. It is a cozy salon, with a cast bronze fire pit in the center lit by layered butter oil lamps that shimmer under a hand-hammered copper hood. The room is anchored by a tea table with a giant stone tray on top that sits against decorative wooden doors from Nepal. The doors are carved with the eight auspicious symbols said to bring happiness and harmony, and the lobby's timber floors are invitingly dressed with woven carpets made by Indian craftsmen.
The majority of the hotel's staff members are from Diqing, and their role is to help create unforgettable moments and memories for guests in a naturally hospitable and authentic fashion. They personally guide some of Hylandia's signature guest experiences as their responsibilities and job descriptions are relatively fluid, allowing for more interaction with guests.
Signature experiences range from cycling in the nearby 1,000-year-old Dukezong Old Town and then hiking to a local temple, horseback riding and picnicking in Pudacuo National Park, and making black pottery in an artisan's workshop in Nixi black pottery village, where the craft has been handed down for generations.
"Travelers are searching for unique and individual experiences, for something beyond the ordinary," said Shangri-La President and CEO Greg Dogan. "Diqing is an incredible and special destination. We saw a natural opportunity to move beyond the traditional description of hospitality and to create a guest experience at Hylandia that is truly immersive and genuine."
The hotel's Ani's Kitchen serves a wide variety of cuisines - from Chinese to International - at sleek buffet stations. Its contemporary furniture is artfully mixed with rustic elements such as timber paneling and locally hand-painted Tibetan chests.
Hylandia's Hotspot restaurant serves authentic Yunnan and Sichuan specialties and hotpot for lunch and dinner. Inspired by Tibetan architecture, it incorporates a large stone-walled fireplace and other textural elements associated with the province into its modern design.
In addition, Hylandia offers a variety of roof spaces and ground-level terraces for guest and community functions, some shaded by verandas. One of the largest expanses is called Little Moon and Sun Square. The public square has a Tibetan pavilion with an eternally lit Tibetan drum flanked by copper prayer wheels.
"At Hylandia, hospitality has been reimagined as a simpler elegance that complements the humbling beauty of the land and its people, who live in harmony with nature and each other," Lee said.
