This blog is sponsored by the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport.
Your work. Your commute. Cleaning the mess at home. Buying the groceries. Cooking dinner. Readying the kids for school. For busy families the list of every-day tasks goes on and on, and it’s enough to make any parent long for a holiday. But those precious vacation days and official holidays are too few and far between, and boarding a plane with your rambunctious little ones in tow can be more tiring than even the toughest days at the office.
Fortunately the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport hotel has a solution for families that are pressed for time but in need of a reprieve. The hotel’s “Staycation” package provides some of the best luxuries of an extended trip without the hassles of travelling.
Typically, a room at the five-star facility would cost RMB 1,588 along with a 15 percent service charge. On top of that the Sunday brunch buffet would be priced at RMB 368 per adult, costing half as much for each child in the party. But the Hilton’s “Staycation” package covers all this — plus time in the pool, gym, and kids play area — for a much more affordable RMB 1,588 to 1,988 per family of three, depending on the theme (prices for each additional child will vary depending on the event theme), which adds up to savings of around RMB 2,000.
Located just minutes away from Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital Airport (the hotel provides a convenient 24 hour shuttle to and from both terminals), the Hilton’s décor is a chic combination of traditional Chinese and modern minimalism. In addition to an expansive lobby lounge, the on-site venues include the Long Bar lounge with its 50-meter “L”-shaped bar that is very likely the longest in Beijing. On the opposite side of the lobby is the 360º Casual Dining Restaurant serving a wide array of international cuisines.
A “staycationing” family will check in to one the hotel’s deluxe rooms between the third and sixth floors (the Airport Hilton has a total of 322 guest rooms). At 45 square meters, these rooms are some of the biggest in Beijing, each featuring a flatscreen TV, Wi-Fi, full-size bathtub, separate compartments for walk-in rain shower and toilet and floor-to-ceiling soundproof windows to block out the noise when guests take in the magnificent view of airplanes landing and taking flight at the nearby Terminal 3.
Larger families and those looking to splurge can upgrade to the 130-sqm, split-level duplex room. The stylishly spacious suite boasts many special features, including a king bed, two double beds, two bathrooms, a 7m high ceiling, and a large sound-proof window in the living area. The stairs leading up to the second level have a solid oak and rosewood banister, and those steps are lit by a dazzling glass chandelier comprised of glowing, bubbly transparent orbs.
After a relaxing evening in their cozy rooms, staycationing families will wake up to one of the Airport Hilton’s absolute best features: the Sunday brunch buffet offered in the 360º Casual Dining Restaurant.
The staff is led by Executive Sous Chef Ivan Li, who has spent the past 20 years cooking at various five-star hotels across Beijing, including the Kempinski, Kunlun and the Renaissance Chaoyang. Here at the 360º Chef Li and his team serve up a tempting array, ranging from Italian pasta to traditional Chinese baozi and everything in between. Standouts include the organic salads, salmon imported from Norway, and numerous French and Italian cheeses. But the real treat is the dessert selection, with its fresh French crepes and Cantonese sweets, as well as a fountain gushing with dark chocolate and homemade ice cream.
In addition to the weekend buffet, the Airport Hilton also serves classic Sichuan dishes at its My China restaurant, along with savory Cantonese cuisine at Yue Shang restaurant surf and turf at the Compass Grill (note, however, with the exception of certain special event packages, meals at these other restaurants are usually not included in the Staycation package).
Between check in, indulging at the brunch buffet, and check out, families can entertain themselves at the Airport Hilton’s health club, which features a 25-meter long heated pool (open from 6am-11pm) surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows offering a great view of Terminal 3.
Parents can also tone up at the 24-hour fitness center, which features state-of-the-art treadmills, elliptical runners, a host of free weights and various weight machines.
Your kids, of course, will be far more interested in the supervised padded play area with its colorful ball pit, swings, slide, foam toys, coloring books and more.
The kid-friendly offerings aren’t just limited to the play area – the Airport Hilton also organizes children’s theme days, including the recent “Little GM Weekend” which happened over the weekend of May 30-31. During this event families checked in early on Saturday for the “staycation” package and participated in an assortment of activities, including a bed-making contest in which the children raced to straighten sheets and blankets according to a hotel’s strict standards, and a pastry activity where the youngsters coated large cookies with icing like little sous-chefs. On Sunday, after enjoying the brunch and playing in the kids’ area which was fitted with a bouncy castle for the occasion, the children also participated in a table setting competition to round out their “Little GM” experience.
During the pastry activity, a participant named Jerry drew a smiley face on his cookie, telling Hilton marketing manager Crystal Wang that it was meant to look “just like her.” Another participant, 7-year-old “Malinda” Shao Hanxiao, brought one of the activities dispensers to her father, David Caowei, and they laughed while spraying some of the icing into each other’s mouths. “I’m… happy!” Malinda enthused, searching for the English words while jumping up and down, clearly in the midst of a sugar high, before adding: “I’m happy because, I will… play!”
“I like these kinds of activities because they can help the families integrate and bond, it’s a great way to spend time together,” David Caowei, Malinda’s father, explained during the event. “I think this helps kids practice useful skills and become more independent — now that Malinda has learned how to make a bed and set a table here, I will ask her to make her bed at home!”
“I think these kids want to learn something, and they really enjoyed it, you can see it in their smiles” says Hilton F&B Manager Alan Hu, who believes such activities will encourage children to be more helpful to their parents at home. “[When these kids go home] we hope they will ask ‘Mom, can I make the bed? Can I help to cook something?’ We want to plant the seed in their mind.”
Over the Father’s Day weekend (June 20-21) the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport will host a special family Staycation event and brunch, which you can reserve based on the two packages detailed below:
Package A (covers Saturday, June 20 to Sunday, June 21) is priced at RMB 1,588 (for two adults and one child*) and includes:
- A one night stay in a Deluxe room (originally priced at RMB 1,688 + 15% service charge);
- 20% off dinner Saturday night at the 360° buffet restaurant or My China Chinese restaurant;
- One box of Hilton Rice Dumplings (originally priced at RMB 168);
- 360° Breakfast Buffet for two adults and one child (originally priced at RMB 198 + 15% service charge per person);
- 360° Sunday Brunch for two adults and one child (originally priced at RMB 368 + 15% service charge per person);
- A booth at the Hilton Flea Market;
- Father’s Day themed interactive games;
- Complimentary use of the fitness center and pool.
Package B (Sunday, June 21) is priced at RMB 880 (for two adults and one child*) and includes:
- 360° Sunday Brunch for two adults and one child (originally priced at RMB 368 + 15% service charge per person);
- A booth at the Hilton Flea Market;
- Father’s Day themed interactive games;
- Complimentary use of Fitness center and swimming pool for one time.
*For the Father’s Day Staycation event families with more than one child will be charged the original hotel price for each additional child.
For reservations please call 6450 4827 (weekdays) and 156 1197 9131 (weekends).
Photos: Uni You and courtesy of the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport
