Bringing his and Marriott’s luxury lifestyle EDITION brand to Sanya, China—an oceanfront destination on Hainan Island—was a no-brainer for Ian Schrager. “It was a spectacular site on a little more than 50 acres, with a supportive owner who wanted to do something really special and distinctive because every major brand is in Sanya—it has become the vacation spot for all of China,” explains the venerable hotelier.
A collaboration between Schrager’s in-house team and CAP Atelier of Hong Kong for interiors, Singapore-based architectural firm SCDA, and New York’s landscape experts Madison Cox Associates, EDITION’s (and Schrager’s) first entry into China seamlessly blends the brand’s ethos (stylish yet intimate, sophisticated yet welcoming) and the culture of the rapidly growing country.
The quiet drama starts at the entry of the horseshoe-shaped hotel: tropical rain trees flank the entrance driveway, which leads to a porte cochère where a water-lily pond lined in polished black granite is surrounded by bamboo trees. A series of contemporary rectangular pavilions dressed in slatted teak that unfold like living rooms separately house the reception lobby, lobby lounge and retail shop, drop-off waiting lounge, and spa reception. Not only do they seem to float on reflecting pools, but they are also set on an architectural podium to offer heady resort and South China Sea views. Inside, a sense of place is achieved through a silk tapestry screen featuring a Chinese plum tree and sculptures made by Chinese artists, while a dynamic reception desk is crafted from stacked oil rubbed African tea wood logs.
In true Schrager form, the resort is filled with a variety of restaurants and bars. There’s the food station-filled Market, which honors the area’s role as a trading port on the Silk Road. The private dining rooms—one surrounded by shelves filled with more than 200 plant varieties in terracotta pots, another showcases a collection of seashells, and the third is lined with more than 700 handmade white ceramic bowls and vases—offer intimate options, whereas the larger main dining room is defined by high solid teak ceilings; columns wrapped in horizontal oak planks done in an antique finish; custom oversized pendants boasting moon-like bulbs housed in bronze shades; gray limestone floors featuring colonial architectural-informed patterns; and more shelves showcasing ingredients and utensils.
Meanwhile, the rooftop Sky Bar, complete with an outdoor infinity pool, is dressed in maroon velvet banquettes, dark oak and light gray upholstered lounge chairs, and a massive 42-foot-long bar counter made of two pieces of elm, all set beneath a glowing sky-inspired ceiling installation made of more than 2,000 pieces of crystal drops set on a black stainless steel mirror. “I thought if we did something that was sophisticated and entertaining that we would attract this new emerging class of Chinese people,” he explains. “It’s truly reflective of modern day Asia.”
In contrast, the 512 guestrooms and suites are a lesson in restraint. Nodding to the resort’s beachside location, limestone floors reflect a light color palette and oak finishes. “The rooms are supposed to be calming, peaceful, and restful—it’s not Feng Shui, but it’s the same goals,” Schrager says. “They are an anecdote to a tasteful and elegant lobby that’s meant to be a beehive of activity.”
Besides three art galleries curated by Beijing’s Ullens Center of Contemporary Art (UCCA), a serene spa, multiple pools, lush landscaping for which Schrager took inspiration from Beijing’s Summer Palace, and an extensive kids’ club, the centerpiece of the resort is the iridescent glass mosaic tile-clad private manmade ocean. The one-of-a-kind five-acre body of water, says Schrager, was a solution to the fact that swimming is prohibited in the rough South China Sea (saltwater is pumped in from the sea and treated). There’s even a boating area for water activities (at night, guests can dine on a wooden floating barge amid floating candles and lanterns), a vegetation-lined boardwalk, an outdoor screening room, relaxation areas with firepits and hammocks, and paths leading to the white sand beach.
“When you have the right amount of energy and alchemy sets in, everybody realized they’re involved in something special,” he says of the successful collaboration.
