The Four Seasons Hotel Beijing Caters to Families

The Four Seasons Hotel Beijing is serious about fun this year with a Family First program that helps parents and kids make the most of their stay in this exotic city. The idea is to mesh cultural experiences with child-friendly activities, curated by the concierge and based on the family’s interests. After all, for most of us, Beijing is a once-in-a-lifetime destination, and offers parents a rare opportunity to expose their children to one of the world’s great, and most ancient, cities.

One outing, for example, takes families to the home of Uncle Qu, known locally as the king of Chinese ceramics and whose collection is said to rival that of the Forbidden City. Children can admire the intricate artwork — but since that only goes so far — they can then try to re-create it on their own with ink and rice paper.

Forbidden City Beijing. Photo: Shanshan533 | Dreamstime

For a dip into the city’s past, families can also visit the Beijing Old Objects Museum, located deep in the narrow, winding lanes called hutongs and featuring the kinds of whacky found objects and cultural relics — some 10,000 in all — you won’t see in the city’s large, state-run museums.

For a more modern take on Beijing, the hotel can organize a customized, private tour to the 7.9.8. Art District, with its galleries, restaurants and bars, accompanied by the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing artist-in-residence. The district, originally the site of state-run military factories, has since become a hipster hot spot and a venue for avant-garde artists and filmgoers.

Families can pre-arrange these tours and excursions with the multilingual concierge beforehand or more spontaneously on arrival, choosing between popular package tours, such as to the Forbidden City, or bespoke outings designed just for them.

Photo: Jianhua Liang | Dreamstime

On property, children are entertained with games and toys pre-stocked in the guestrooms. They can also join mom and dad for a family cooking class with the hotel staff, including executive chef Jackson Wu for a primer on traditional Chinese dishes and Mio chef de cuisine Aniello Turco’s lessons on how to create modern Italian fare.

The concierge will also recommend eateries in Beijing to please parents and kids, as well as other local attractions.

Because kids get just as tired as adults on long flights, the hotel offers a Kids Spa, which goes beyond the usual manicure/pedicure salon offerings — although those are available — to offer young guests full-body, back or scalp massages and body scrubs. Finally, the property also offers a 66-foot long indoor pool and whirlpool, as well as a fitness center for adults and older children.