Grand Ji Hotel debuts at Paris Design Week

Promotion: H World has debuted its latest hotel brand, the Grand Ji Hotel, in Hangzhou, China, designed by Chinese studio Vermilion Zhou Design Group, which aims to reinvent hotel design through its dedication to symbolic ritual.

Grand Ji Hotel, a premium brand under H World Group, has made its official debut at Paris Design Week's China Creative Power (CCP) pavilion as an official annual partner, taking place from 10 to 19 September.

The hotel's spatial design was led by Kuang Ming (Ray) Chou, founder and creative director of Vermilion Zhou Design Group and chief designer of H World Group.

According to H World, Grand Ji Hotel draws on the phrase "the formless greatness, a quiet way of seeing" and is informed by the Taoist concept of 大象无形, which suggests that the most powerful forms are often "quiet and insular".

Instead of an overtly luxurious look, the hotel's aesthetic is described as "quiet, yet possessed of presence, unlayered, yet full of depth".

Rather than weaving traditional Chinese imagery throughout the hotel design, Grand Ji Hotel was designed to break the conventional hotel paradigms and instead focus on quietly enhancing visitor experience.

For example, the way guests arrive, dine, rest and depart are treated as part of one integrated system.

When guests arrive, instead of checking in at a large front desk, they are greeted by a tea table where they can first enjoy a tea ceremony and a hot cup of tea.

At Grand Ji Hotels, technology is integrated purposefully into the background to ensure a smooth experience.

Visitors can use their phones as a room key, and rooms are also fitted with innovative control systems, where curtains, televisions, and air conditioning are controlled via voice commands.

H World explained that the "Eastern spirit" is woven into each room's design, with furniture that evokes a sense of sensory calm and hospitality rituals embedded in the structure.

Throughout the creative process, the designers also looked to incorporate cultural and natural motifs into the building's spatial qualities.

Here, the materials, art and how light flows through the building were influenced by five Eastern motifs: water, clouds, mountains, pine and tea.

Water symbolises the hotel's flow and calmness, clouds stand for lightness, tea represents zen, mountains signify depth, and pine embodies resilience.

H World explained that its inclusion in Paris Design Week is the first time a Chinese hotel brand has taken part in the week under its own name, which marks a shift from Chinese hotel brands "leading in scale" to "leading in design."

H World added that Grand Ji Hotel's participation also spotlights the Chinese hotel industry's growing force within the international design space.

With over 13,000 hotels and more than one million rooms across 21 countries, H World Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups.

The company is headquartered in Shanghai, China, and also offers a portfolio spanning diverse brands, including HanTing Hotel, JI Hotel, Orange Hotel, IntercityHotel, Zleep Hotel, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts and Steigenberger Icons.

To learn more about H World Group, visit its website here.

Partnership content

This article was written for H World as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.

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Grand Ji Hotel was designed to break with the conventional hotel paradigms and instead focus on enhancing the visitor experience

The bricks within the hotel entrance wall were made from compressed tea leaves, introducing scent before guests enter the lobby

H World Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups

Guests are greeted with a tea ceremony upon arrival

The technology woven into the design ensures the guest experience is seamless

H World debuted its Grand Ji Hotel during Paris Design Week