Yanqi Island sets scene for leaders roundtable
The picturesque setting of Yanqi Lake provided the scenic backdrop for the Leaders Roundtable of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Monday, at which the heads of state and government leaders from 29 countries, along with other distinguished guests such as the head of the United Nations, gathered on Yanqi Island, managed by Europe’s oldest hospitality group Kempinski, to explore ways to enhance connectivity and promote cooperation.
“We were highly valued and appreciated by all the international dignitaries and the leaders from all over the world for the high quality of service that our Kempinski team demonstrated,” said Brice Pean, general manager of Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing & Yanqi Island.
The hard work didn’t just come from the hoteliers of Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing & Yanqi Island; about 200 members of staff from 18 other Kempinski Hotels in China and 200 students from the Beijing Hospitality Institute volunteered their services and were deployed as a supporting task force to ensure the event went off without a hitch.
The successful hosting of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at Yanqi Island marked another milestone in Kempinski’s 24 years in China, as this was the fifth time the hospitality group successfully hosted a global forum at Yanqi Lake after the APEC Leaders Meeting in 2014, “Understanding China” Conference in 2015, China’s G20 Science, Technology and Innovation Ministers Meeting, and G20 Energy Ministerial Meeting in 2016.
Owned by State-owned Beijing Enterprises Group and managed by Kempinski, Yanqi Lake comprises 594 guestrooms and suites housed across Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing & Yanqi Island, located on the lakeside, and Yanqi Hotel and 12 Boutique Hotels, located on Yanqi Island. Leisure facilities include 11 restaurants and bars, two Kempinski The Spa centers, a private marina, the Yanqi Pagoda, recreational and fitness facilities, the Kids Club and beautifully landscaped gardens.
With 14,069 square meters of meeting space spread throughout the facilities, which include Beijing Yanqi Lake International Conference Center, four ballrooms and 23 meeting rooms, the destination is already becoming the location of choice for global summits and large-scale international meetings in China.
The forum was the highest-level conference on the Belt and Road Initiative since the concept was first proposed by Xi Jinping in 2013. More than 1,500 delegates from over 130 nations attended.
The Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center was also one of the officially designated hotels for the Belt and Road Forum delegations, hosting Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and the Austrian delegation. The Italian prime minister hosted his news conference there during his stay on May 14.
In all, a total of 37 hotels were officially designated for the Belt and Road forum delegations, including The St. Regis Beijing; Nuo Hotel Beijing; The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street; Shangri-la Hotel Beijing; China World Summit Wing Hotel and China World Hotel, Beijing.