Beijing Yihe Hotel (formerly Aman Summer Palace)

Why stay here

A low-rise compound of restored and rebuilt courtyard pavilions immediately outside the east gate of the Summer Palace, originally built as lodgings for visitors awaiting audience with the Empress Dowager Cixi. It opened in 2008 as Aman's first property in mainland China, with 51 rooms and suites arranged around garden courtyards. On 29 December 2025 the owner, Beijing Summer Palace Hotel Co., Ltd., ended its agreement with Aman Group; from 30 December 2025 the property has traded independently as Beijing Yihe Hotel.

Nothing else in Beijing puts you inside the wall of an imperial garden. The building, the staff and the layout are unchanged from the Aman years, and rates have come down now that the brand premium is gone. If you want quiet, trees and an early-morning walk in the Summer Palace rather than a tower in the CBD, this is still the only address that does it.

A private door in the hotel's north wall opens directly into the Summer Palace grounds. Guests used it to walk the grounds before the public gates opened. Guest reports from 2026, after the rebrand, still describe the door being opened for them, but the hotel now handles it case by case rather than as a published entitlement, so confirm it for your dates and room type at booking.

Rooms worth asking for

A Deluxe Suite in the courtyard buildings rather than a Superior Room. The suites open onto their own walled garden and are the part of the property that justifies the price; the entry rooms are comparatively plain.

Note the exact room or suite name before opening the booking provider, along with any connecting-room, step-free access or celebration requests.

Dining & the evening ahead

Four outlets in the Aman era, including a Japanese kitchen serving a French-influenced kaiseki from an open counter, and a Chinese restaurant in the main pavilion. Menus and staffing under the new brand are not confirmed.

Request restaurant availability alongside your stay. Tasting menus, private dining and dietary arrangements should be confirmed separately.

Spa, pool & wellbeing

A large below-ground spa with a 25-metre indoor pool, Pilates studio and traditional treatment rooms. It was one of the better hotel spas in the city and is the reason a lot of guests stayed a third night.

Ask which facilities are included with your room, whether treatments require advance reservations, and whether any seasonal closures affect your stay.

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Before you decide

This is the single biggest risk in Beijing luxury right now. The property lost Aman's brand standards, reservations system, training and global service audits in December 2025, and it has no new operator behind it. Early guest reports say the physical hotel is intact, but there is no track record yet for how an independently run version holds up. The location was always the trade-off too: you are a long drive from the Forbidden City, the hutongs and dinner, and taxis back out here at night are awkward. Treat any description written before 2026 as history, not a promise.

Location. Haidian, on Gongmenqian Street at the Summer Palace's east gate. About 18 km northwest of Tiananmen; 45-70 minutes to the Forbidden City in traffic.

Prices are indicative, not live availability. Confirm the total including taxes, meals, transfers and cancellation terms on the provider’s checkout before committing.