Shangri-La China World Summit Wing: Beijing.(TRIED AND TESTED: HOTEL)

BACKGROUND Shangri-La is expanding at a formidable rate across China--32 properties open and another 24 in the pipeline. In Beijing there are six, with The China World Trade Centre--or China World, for short--home to four of them, including a Traders hotel, the second of its new Kerry brand, the China World hotel and the China World Summit Wing, which opened last year.

WHAT'S IT LIKE? All things considered, it's quite understated, certainly in comparison with similar five-star hotels at the top of very high buildings, such as the RitzCarlton in Hong Kong or the Park Hyatt in Shanghai. The idea is for the hotel to differentiate itself from the competition (and the other …