Fresh from a U.S. $34 million renovation, visitors to Hong Kong's famous Peninsula hotel will immediately recognize that the Beijing property shares many of the same excellent features as its sister hotel in Hong the Kong's Kowloon district. A short walk from Beijing's Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, it is also within easy access of Beijing Railway Station. To the east of the hotel is the Chaoyang district of Beijing, a busy commercial area and housing many foreign embassies. North of The Peninsula Palace Beijing is the Lama Temple, which is best known for its 60 foot Maitreya Buddha, carved out of one huge sandalwood tree.

For dining, the Jing (meaning "capital" in Mandarin) features "Asian fusion" cuisine while the Huang Ting offers Cantonese cuisine. The hotel's shopping arcade, modeled after London's Burlington Arcade, is a city tourist destination in its own right.

For guests seeking to make a proper entrance upon arrival, airport transfers can be arranged using the hotel's fleet of two Rolls Royce Silver Spurs.

The Peninsula Academy offers a series of guided tours around Beijing, one led by a professor of architecture at Tsinghua University, another around Beijing's expansive antique markets, another on traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong martial arts and, of course, to the Great Wall of China.

Inside the guestrooms designed by Chhada, Siembieda & Associates of Hong Kong, Chinese and Asian elements are harmonized with traditional Europe interior design elements. Hardwood floors covered with Chinese rugs, a 106 centimeter plasma television, complimentary high speed Internet access, silent fax machines and The Peninsula's signature bedside electronic panel all confirm that Hong Kong is no longer the only Chinese city with such a civilized hotel.

In 2006 Beijing's Second Ring Road (a major perimeter highway, such as the Beltway in Washington D.C.) will open direct access to the Peninsula Palace.

This will allow shorter transit times to many business and tourist destinations throughout the greater Beijing metropolitan area.