Beijing Yihe Hotel, formerly Aman at Summer Palace: a business review

“Beside the imperial Summer Palace gates, 51 rooms in restored century-old-style courtyards. The most cultural luxury address in Beijing, and the least central.”

First, the name change: is this still the Aman?

Physically yes, in brand no. On 4 December 2025 the hotel confirmed that its partnership with Aman would end on 29 December 2025, and that from 30 December 2025 it would operate as the Beijing Yihe Hotel. Reputable trade and news coverage, including Jing Daily and Jiemian News, reported the same: the property keeps its buildings, its gardens and its address, and continues to take reservations, but drops the Aman name and management. We have preserved this page at its original URL for continuity and search history, and we reference the former Aman identity throughout, because most travellers still know it by that name. If you are matching a corporate travel record or an old itinerary, "Aman Summer Palace" and "Beijing Yihe Hotel" are the same building.

Why it matters for a business booking: a brand change of this kind can shift service standards, loyalty recognition and specific guest perks, none of which are guaranteed to carry over from the Aman era. Treat pre-2026 descriptions, including some of ours below that reflect how the hotel operated as an Aman, as historical rather than promised. Confirm current inclusions directly when you book.

What is the hotel itself like?

It is one of the smallest and quietest luxury hotels in Beijing: 51 rooms and suites arranged through low, grey-brick courtyard buildings styled after a traditional Chinese residence, directly beside the east gate of the Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The property opened on 27 September 2008 as Aman's first hotel in China, and its design DNA came from that lineage, restrained, low-rise and hidden behind walls rather than announced with a tower. The mood is the opposite of a glass business hotel. Rooms are generous and restrained, the corridors open onto planted courtyards, and the loudest sound is usually birdsong from the imperial gardens next door. Facilities centre on a large spa with an indoor pool, a fitness area, and dining that spans Chinese and international menus. As an Aman it was known for a discreet, no-lounge service model in which every guest was treated as a suite guest; whether that exact philosophy survives the rebrand is something to verify, but the physical calm of the place does not depend on the brand.

The signature of the Aman era was proximity you cannot buy elsewhere: guests could step almost directly into the Summer Palace grounds through a gate near the hotel, before the day's crowds arrived. That access is the sort of perk a rebrand can alter, so confirm it at booking, but the physical adjacency to one of China's greatest imperial gardens is permanent. For a business traveller, that means the single best pre-breakfast walk in Beijing is on your doorstep, which is a genuine, if unusual, argument for the address.

For a traveller arriving off a long-haul flight, the recovery infrastructure is the real asset. A quiet room, a spa, and a pool do more for the next morning's meeting than a club lounge does, and this property has those in a setting no downtown hotel can match. That is the honest core of its business case: not proximity, but restoration.

Does it actually work for a business trip?

It depends entirely on where your meetings are, and this is where we differ from a generic five-star write-up. The hotel sits in Haidian District in Beijing's northwest, next to the university cluster and a short drive from the Zhongguancun technology zone. If your trip is about tech firms, research institutes or universities in that corridor, the location is an advantage and the calm is a bonus. If your meetings are in the two districts where most of Beijing's finance, law and multinational headquarters sit, Guomao in the east and Financial Street to the west of the centre, you are looking at 45 to 70 minutes each way in traffic. Over a three-day trip that is hours lost in a car, and it is the single most important thing to weigh before booking.

So the recommendation is conditional and specific. Book this for a Haidian-centred schedule, for a trip where you want a decompression base rather than a command post, or for a business visit you intend to extend into a cultural weekend, since you can walk into the Summer Palace essentially next door. Do not book it as an all-purpose Beijing business hotel; the geography will punish you.

Where it ranks against its rivals

Against the central Beijing business hotels, this property trades centrality for serenity, and that is why it lands at #46 rather than higher. The comparison table below frames the choice by trip type.

The list is not filler. For a purely central Beijing schedule, several downtown five-stars near Guomao are the smarter booking, and we would say so. This entry exists for the traveller whose Beijing looks different from the default.

The honest drawbacks

Two things stand out. First, the location: superb for the Summer Palace, poor for the districts where most business actually happens, and there is no fixing that with a good concierge. Second, the uncertainty introduced by the rebrand: the Aman name carried specific service, dining and privacy standards, and while the Beijing Yihe Hotel keeps the building, the operating standards under new management are, as of this update, still to be proven. There is no executive lounge, which suits Aman's old model but can frustrate travellers who rely on one for breakfast and workspace. And a 51-room property has limited meeting and event capacity, so it is a place to stay near business, not to host it. Weigh those honestly and the ranking makes sense: a distinctive, restorative address for a specific kind of Beijing trip, not a default corporate booking.

Getting there and around

Plan for the northwest position, because it shapes the whole trip. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is roughly 38 kilometres away, about 50 to 60 minutes by car in normal traffic and longer at peak; Daxing International (PKX) is considerably further south. The upside for a business traveller is public transport: Beigongmen Station on Beijing Subway Line 4 is a short five-to-ten-minute walk from the hotel, and Line 4 runs south through Haidian toward the city, which is often faster than a car for meetings near the university and tech corridor. For anything in the central business districts, however, budget the 45-to-70-minute road transfer each way and consider timing meetings to avoid the worst of the commute. A driver for the day is worth it on a packed schedule.

Practical details

Address: 1 Gongmenqian Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100091, China, at the east gate of the Summer Palace. Rooms and suites are best booked three to six months ahead in shoulder season and closer to a year out around major event weeks. Because the property has just changed brand, confirm current room inclusions, dining hours, spa access and any loyalty recognition directly at the time of booking rather than relying on Aman-era descriptions. For broader context, use the business occasion guide or the Beijing city guide to see what else is within reach.

Affiliate disclosure: this is an independent editorial review. When you book through links on this page we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We never accept payment for placement or ranking.