Beijing Dong Fang Hotel Mystery?

Question

So, I'm planning a trip to @Beijing and staying at the Dong Fang Hotel. My grandmother stayed there in the 80s, and she always talked about this amazing, hidden bar... she described it as having these incredible jade carvings everywhere, and a bartender who made the best Mai Tais she'd ever had. Problem is, no one seems to know anything about it. No mention online, nothing in hotel brochures... It's like it vanished. Did this bar actually exist, or was it just a hazy, nostalgic memory? Anyone have any info on secret or forgotten spots inside the Dong Fang Hotel?

moniqueconrad · Answer

your grandma's not making it up. the Jade Lounge was real, tucked behind the old banquet hall entrance near the east staircase. i remember the jade carvings were mostly panels along the back wall, not full statues like some people think. the mai tais were solid but honestly the real draw was the late night pianist who'd play requests until 2am. place got gutted in the 2009 renovation when they turned that whole wing into meeting rooms. if you want a similar vibe now, try the bar at the Beijing Hotel down the street, they kept some of that old school decor from the 80s.

evelore · Answer

oh yeah i think i know what shes talking about. it was called the Jade Lounge iirc, tucked away on the second floor near the banquet halls. it closed like 15 years ago when they renovated the hotel into more of a business spot. the mai tais were legit tho, my dad used to take me there as a kid for sunday brunch

barbli · Answer

yeah the Jade Lounge was def real, i actually found an old photo of it in a Beijing tourism magazine from '87 at a flea market a few years back. it wasnt super hidden just kinda awkwardly placed between the function rooms, easy to miss if you werent looking. the jade panels were these massive green slabs that glowed under the old amber lights, pretty trippy for a hotel bar. if you want a mai tai that tastes like hers prob did, skip the hotel bars and hit Havana Bar in Sanlitun, the cuban guys there use fresh lime juice and real orgeat not that bottled syrup crap

ล่าสุดจาก ปักกิ่ง