Singapore-based Alila Hotels and Resorts, owned by Two Roads Hospitality, Denver, in July will open its second property in China, the Alila Yangshuo.
Set amongst the area’s karst mountains in Guilin, the new 117-room hotel was built on a property that was once a working sugar mill.
Designed by Dong Gong of Vector Architects with interiors by Ju Bin of Horizontal Space Design, the hotel’s design incorporates elements of the 1960’s sugar mill architecture into the common areas, like in the hollow wall structure and in the transformation of the original sugarcane dock into a swimming pool.
Guests can even try their hand at making sugar, as the hotel offers classes. Antique vessels get filled with precipitated sugar concentrate and the finished creation is then wrapped and able to be taken home.
The sugar buck doesn’t stop there. The hotel’s dining options include the Sugar House restaurant, which uses fresh and local ingredients with a mixture of Chinese and Western cuisine. There’s also an in-house rum distillery, the 1969 Bar, with cocktails centered around sugar and rum.
The hotel’s spa, Spa Alila at Alila Yangshuo, is housed underground, with walls and floors are made from underground volcanic rocks unearthed during construction.
Other hotel facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, library, the Alila Living boutique, creative design spaces for up to 20 guests and a private pier for destination dining. A fully equipped gym features a cardio theater, a separate weights area plus power plates and a kinesis wall and kids area.
