Vincent Wang, a professional travel writer, focuses on writing everything related to high-end hotels. In 2018, he started his own official WeChat account – Vincent’s Hotel Lab. He is also the former executive editor of luxury travel website Zanadu and contributor to the Chinese editions of Conde Nast Traveler. In his view, his greatest wealth is the collection of two thousand luxury hotel brochures. Last week, we caught up with this hotel enthusiast to chat about his favourite hotel design.
Xinyi Li: When did you first get interested in luxury hotels?
Vincent Wang: It started when I was very young. Back then, many high-end hotels in Shanghai were situated on top of tall buildings with sightseeing elevators, rooftop restaurants and indoor water fountains. I was always excited when we had the opportunity to visit our overseas relatives who stayed there. Also before Christmas, the hotels would have special decorations in the lobby, such as Christmas trees and specially designed small villages. These things were more attractive to me than the amusement park in those days.
Little Vincent stands in the lobby of Hilton Shanghai Jing’an.
XL: How many luxury hotels have you stayed?
VW：I have stayed more than 300 different properties so far.
Part of his hotel brochure collection.
XL: That’s incredible. What are the most important things to you in a hotel?
VW：There are two things. The first one must be the swimming pool because I love swimming, and a great pool will have a fantastic view. For example, the Rosewood Hotel Beijing has a pool that I enjoy very much. It’s like a greenhouse, surrounded by trees and flowers.
The other one, of course, is the hotel room. After the bellboy brings my luggage to the room and closes the door, I start a silent conversation with this space. My body and mind become relaxed, and all worries will evaporate. This is the most wonderful moment when staying in the hotel room.
Rosewood Hotel Beijing.
XL: What do you think makes a good hotel room?
VW：First of all, a good hotel room develops a sense of belonging. When you enter the room, you feel comfortable and even want to carry some design elements back home.
Secondly, the whole space layout should be reasonable to provide a relaxing atmosphere and a smooth circulation for activities.
Finally, a great hotel will stand the test of time. For instance, The Peninsula Shanghai hasn’t carried out a major repair over the past ten years. However, for almost two years now, there is no new hotel has exceeded the configuration of The Peninsula Shanghai.
The Peninsula Shanghai.
XL: Can you tell me about your favourite hotel？
VW：My favourite hotel in the world is Ett Hem, although it doesn’t have a swimming pool. It is located in an embassy district of Stockholm, and there are only twelve rooms. The root meaning of “Ett Hem” is “home” in Swedish. Ilse Crawford, a prestigious British female designer, transformed an old house into this boutique hotel. She also designed many Aesop boutiques all over the world. She is very good at using a lot of metals. Ett Hem is a typical example.
Ett Hem, Stockholm.
The most beautiful part of the hotel is the glasshouse in the courtyard. You can enjoy your breakfast in this spacious space.
Ett Hem, Stockholm.
This is the room that I stayed in, which is not the best room in the hotel, but there is a lot of designer furniture and antique furniture. All the design details are very smooth in the room.
Ett Hem, Stockholm.
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