Chinese developer Dalian Wanda Group has opened a five-star mountainside hotel within its 5.3sq km (2sq mile) international resort in Yunnan province.
Beijing architects Office for Architecture + Design (OAD) designed the hotel – the first operated under the Wanda Vista brand – drawing inspiration from the lush surrounding forests of Xishuangbanna prefecture and the traditional architecture of the region.
Stone foundations, curving wooden roofs, peacock motifs, simple courtyards and colourful outdoor gardens have been used for the hotel’s 151 villas and its spa centre, emulating the styles of the local Dai culture.
“‘Xishuangbanna’ means an ideal land of magic in the ancient language of Dai, and we wanted to reference that,” said OAD in a statement. “We carefully studied the origins and special elements of the local culture and area and chose to build a contemporary hotel bridged with traditional Dai design.”
Guests can choose to stay in golden-coloured holiday villas, suites or detached private villas, each with modern interiors designed by the Wanda Institute of Hotel Design and Research. Each accommodation type comes with a private pool, tropical garden and open terrace.
Xishuangbanna is home to a large area of rainforest – which local legend states to be paradise on earth – and the hotel’s SHUI Spa is has a rainforest theme. It is formed by five detached villas, each featuring a spa treatment room, card room, hot tub and outdoor swimming pool.
The hotel complex also features three themed restaurants, a lobby lounge, a wine and cigar bar, a conference centre, a children's playground and a fully-equipped gym.
The Dalian Wanda Group – China’s largest private property developer – says its
wider US$2.5bn (€2.2bn, £1.6bn) Xishuangbanna International Resort represents the largest-ever investment made in Southwest China.
The complex includes a theme park, an area of recreated rainforest, an adventure park, a commercial centre, a Dai Show Theatre and a hospital. The Wanda Vista is located inside the 29-hectare hotel zone – a space which also contains hotels operated by Hilton and Holiday Inn.
The group has pledged to invest an additional US$15bn (€13.3bn, £9.8bn) for further tourism and business development in the province over the next four years, with the large outlay of funds to “revolutionise Yunnan’s tourism industry”.
Wanda plans to surpass Disney as the world’s largest tourism enterprise by 2020, aiming to welcome more than 200 million people nationwide and earn annual tourism income in excess of US$16.1bn (€14.6bn, £10.3bn) by opening a number of ‘Wanda Cities’.
