Shangri-La on the Mongolian grasslands

Zhang Zhao discovers that the famed luxury hotel chain brings top service and amenities to theland of horses, yurts and deer.

Following the publication of James Hilton's popular novel Lost Horizon in 1933, Shangri-La hasbecome synonymous with great natural beauty and serenity.

The hotel chain named after the legendary land has replicated that sense of well-being tobecome renowned worldwide.

And when the modern luxury of the Shangri-La Hotels meets Mongolian grassland culture, theresult shines with ethnic sparkle.

In 2007, two Shangri-La Hotels were opened in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region - one inthe capital city Hohhot and the other in the industrial city Baotou. Combining local features withhigh-quality facilities and services, they are now among the cities' most luxurious and best-equipped hotels.

Both hotels target high-end business travelers, share similar architecture and have primelocations in the center of their respective cities.

The Baotou Shangri-La sits beside a botanical garden that covers 90 hectares and a largesquare called Wanda Plaza.

The plaza and hotel were once a place for deer - the city's name in Mongolian language,Baoktu, literally means "a place where deer live".

After the hotel was built in 2007, the deer were moved to Saihan Tal, the only grassland insidean urban area in China.

All Chinese restaurants in the Shangri-La Hotels across the world are called Shang Palace, butin Hohhot and Baotou, more local features have been added. In Baotou, for example, there arethree Mongolian-style dining rooms named Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan and Baoktu.

The hotels' interiors also carry hints of localcharacteristics with Mongolian paintings in thelobbies, corridors and guestrooms. In Baotou, theShangri-La has statues of deer.

The hotels offer buffet restaurants and cuisinesfrom around the world, including Western-stylesteak, Chinese dishes and Japanese sushi andsashimi, just like Shangri-La Hotels anywhereelse. But there is again a nod to Mongolia, withlocal food such as milk tea, dried beef and friedmillet on offer.

At the Huhhot Shangri-La, guests can try makingnoodles in the traditional way with a local woodenmold.

The hotel also employs a chef from Hong Kongwho is good at innovative cuisine. One of hiscreations is fried rice with soup and seafood. Hecalls it "thunder fried rice" due to the crackingsound the rice makes when soup is poured overit.

Another highlight is a cocktail made of many fruitsand kumiss, a typical Mongolian drink combiningalcohol and horse milk.

The hotel is promoting a grassland-themed tour program that lasts from June to September.Guests are invited to stay in Mongolian yurts in the Gegentala Grasslands, 140 kilometersnorth of Hohhot. There, visitors can enjoy both the best views of the landscape and qualityShangri-La services.

"The program offers a safe and convenient choice for high-end customers and increases thereputation of the city of Hohhot as a tourism destination," says Victor Ng, general manager ofHuhhot Shangri-La. "We provide one-stop service, which is one of our characteristics."

Contact the writer at zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 07/14/2012 page13)

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