Alvaro Rautenberg, general manager of Kempinski Hotel Suzhou. Provided to China Daily

The hotel is located in the center of the picturesque Suzhou Industrial Park. Provided to China Daily

Hotel Profile | Suzhou

Kempinski Hotel embodies Suzhou's charm in every aspect, Yang Yijun reports.

The city of Suzhou in Jiangsu province has long been reputed as the "Venice of the Orient" for its rivers, lakes and unique architecture. Kempinski Hotel Suzhou, with its prime location in the center of the picturesque Suzhou Industrial Park, embodies what the city's reputation is all about.

"One of the first things I said when I came to this place was 'I must be in paradise'," says Alvaro Rautenberg, the hotel's general manager.

Surrounded by Jinji Lake, Dushu Lake and a 27-hole golf course, the hotel offers refreshing views in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

"Regardless of which hotel room you choose, you always have a very good view," he says, "You cannot choose a wrong room in our hotel."

Rautenberg is especially proud of the ample space that the hotel provides. The 458-room hotel offers guest rooms from 48 square meters in size and suites from 80 sq m. It also boasts a luxurious grand ballroom of 1,850 sq m that can accommodate 1,200 people for a banquet, making it one of the largest ballrooms in the Yangtze River Delta.

"I think one of the most luxurious things in China, besides time and money, is space. Space really makes a difference," Rautenberg says.

"If you were in the middle of Shanghai, nobody would be able to afford this space," he says.

The hotel's location provides easy access to neighboring cities like Shanghai, Wuxi and Nanjing. It takes only 21 minutes by high-speed train to arrive in Shanghai and is a short eight-minute drive to the center of Suzhou.

Rautenberg's advice to people in the neighboring cities is, Don't take a flight to find a resort. "You have one right in front of your door and the surrounding and climate is wonderful."

"We have the advantage of being a business hotel during weekdays, and on the weekends we are a full resort hotel," he says.

The hotel is located in the center of the picturesque Suzhou Industrial Park. Provided to China Daily

Another wow factor for the hotel is the various sports facilities. Spread across two floors, the hotel's 4,000 sq m health club features a 50-meter-long indoor heated swimming pool, luxurious Jacuzzi with garden view, indoor tennis and squash courts and recreation rooms for billiards, snooker and mahjong.

Guests can also rent bikes at the hotel and cycle in the park or along the lakeside without worrying about too much traffic. Even children are not left out. They can choose to take swimming lessons or play on the lawn in the hotel's garden.

"If you want to stay fit, I think you will face no challenge here," Rautenberg says.

Originally founded by a German named Kempinski, the European luxury hotel brand has a German touch, which probably is most noticeable in its food and beverage options.

The hotel, which has four restaurants and bars, provides all kinds of delicacies from traditional Chinese cuisines, like Cantonese and Huaiyang, to international specialties.

Among them, one of the most exciting one may be the Paulaner Brauhaus, which is popular for its fresh brewed German beer and authentic German cuisine. The two-floor outlet boasts the view of Dushu Lake and the lush garden.

But Rautenberg believes the greatest German influence in this hotel is reliability.

"If you come here to hold a function of 1,000 guests, you definitely want to be sure that you get what you ordered and expected. We definitely have built up our reputation in this regard," he says. "If we say we do, we do!"