As a MUJI fan, chances are you’re still swooning over the first MUJI Hotel which opened its doors in Shenzhen earlier this year. But the retailer that has exported Japanese-style understatement to homes across the planet, has already opened a second property, and this time it’s in Beijing. Again, it’s a place that ticks all our boxes, but in a entirely different way. For one, the location has lot to do with the experience. MUJI Hotel Beijing, a new collab effort of the retailer with Tokyo-based design and hospitality firm UDS, is situated in Dashilan, smack in the middle of the historic heart of the city, amidst a myriad of traditional hutongs. Meanwhile, it’s also firmly anchored in present times as it’s one of the go-to areas during the annual Beijing Design Week. The newly opened MUJI Hotel occupies a modern low-rise structure, featuring just 42 rooms and facilities across four floors. Similar to the first outpost, the property flaunts MUJI‘s signature understated aesthetic, captured by natural materials. The reception space and public areas are largely defined by an infusion of bamboo and repurposed red bricks. An adjacent lounge is stocked with no less than 8,000 curated travel and lifestyle books from across the planet.
It’s furnished with an elongated table which aims to facilitate easy connections among hotel guests and visitors alike. The rooms, designed in a neutral palette, come in six categories, ranging from an 18 sqm. (194 sq.ft.) standard room to a 75 sqm. (807 sq.ft.) suite. Obviously, some of the items in the rooms can be purchased at the MUJI store which is situated in the basement of the building. Do we hear you say food and drinks? Well, there’s plenty of it. Café & Meal MUJI on the ground floor is an all-day meeting place, serving breakfast (hotel guests only), lunch and dinner. The menu lists freshly made simple bites and dishes, and additionally, there’s a bar where to enjoy pre or after dinner drinks. Up on the fourth floor MUJI Diner is situated, an equally informal dining spot, serving tasty and nutritious dishes inspired by home cooking. The restaurant comes with an outdoor terrace with sweeping views of nearby Tiananmen Square. In town for business? The business centre is equipped with five desks where guests can work on computers. Additionally, a small conference room seating six people and a printing service are readily available. If you’re staying at MUJI Hotel simply to explore Beijing, free bikes are available to make the most of your stay.
MUJI Hotel
21-2 Lang Fang Tou Tiao, Meishi Lu (Dashilan)
100051 Beijing
Telephone: +86 10 63169199
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
