Artyzen Habitat Suzhou

The elevator doors are round, and so is the mirror in your room, and the light fixture above it, and that's not a coincidence: the moon gate, Suzhou's classical-garden signature, quietly shapes the whole hotel. This 160-room property in Gusu district reads more like a residential building than a conventional hotel, with some suites adding kitchenettes and balconies over garden greenery. The lobby lounge doubles as a cocktail bar after dark, its concept borrowed from an old literati custom of airing books outdoors.

One honor, in evidence: