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LUXURY TRAVEL
Bear Hugs at China’s
GOLDEN FLOWER In the midst of Asian dust, heat and humidity, the Golden Flower Hotel is an oasis blooming with hospitality. Story and Photography By Dan Christopher
Our late afternoon arrival at the Golden Flower Hotel in Xi'an, China was like receiving homecoming bear hugs from family and friends after a long absence. Though my wife and I were strangers who came from far away Portland, Oregon, to visit the home of the legendary Terracotta Army, and though we could barely utter a word in Chinese, the Golden Flower instantly erased any concerns about cultural barriers. It’s a stately, soothing and polite oasis. One tends to expect service excellence at a Five-Star hotel offering every desirable amenity like broadband
access, fluffy robes and slippers, designer toiletries, complimentary suit pressing and shoe shines. And the classically elegant Golden Flower has plenty of that. Jet-lagged travelers even get a little help from the plush, ever-changing elevator carpets that have the day of the week woven into the nap.
the Golden
FIVE STAR SERVICE
Xi’an, China,
Beyond the upscale niceties that we find at the Golden Flower (a Shangri-La Hotel property), it is the genuine marquis hospitality from an exceptional staff that makes this hotel experience deserving of
welcomes all,
The main lobby of
Flower Hotel in
from royalty to statesmen to the ordinary.