Qianmen is currently more a tourist destination than a hot spot for Beijing's on-trend set, but it may just change soon, especially with the opening of the Emperor Hotel.

This member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World joins other illustrious neighbors in Qianmen, including Capital M restaurant. Qianmen also hosts Beijing Design Week, another factor that will attract the young, hip crowd.

"The age of the cheap group tours is coming to an end, and the era of individual visitors who appreciate original design and experience is rising. We are here to embrace that," says Liu Shaojun, founder and chairman of the Emperor Hotel.

With less than 10 boutique hotels among the total of more than 800 major hotels, the potential is huge, Liu says.

"Boutique hotels, rather than five-star ones, will be the trend as in the West," he says, adding that he plans to open another 14 boutique hotels in the next five years.

At the Qianmen hotel, the US architect Adam Sokol handled the overall retrofitting and interior design while Canadian designer Dan Euse, best known for the 9/11 Memorial waterfall in New York, designed for the water features.

"I want to find a way to connect to Chinese culture that's more than superficial," says Sokol, 34. His previous works include the St. Albans School in Washington, DC and the Birdhouse in Buffalo in New York.

The answer is water, in all forms and dimensions.

Built upon the original site of a public bath surrounded by teahouses, the hotel tries to connect with its past by infusing the idea of baths and water throughout its design.

"Water was the key concept. Beijing is like a desert and it's very dry. So rain is a very special thing in Beijing," Sokol says.

The water flows down from the rooftop swimming pool, which is very rare in Beijing. The pool has a glass edge so that people can still see Qianmen gate while swimming and the water drizzles down through and falls a spectacular 15 meters before reaching an underground spa.

The access to the reception lobby is through an alley with rain. Guests are sheltered with umbrellas, and the whole experience revives the classic scenario from the poem Rainy Alley by modern Chinese poet Dai Wangshu.

Rooms are themed around different characteristics of water, like desire, serenity and mystery. The theme continues through to the in-house museum, which has the world's largest splash-ink painting by Chinese artist Huang Bingyi.

Qianmen, on the south of Tiananmen Square, was once a prosperous commercial hub selling everything from roast duck to silk.

For the boutique hotel Emperor, the majority of clients are expected to be foreigners, and Liu says their stay is a chance for them to experience Chinese culture and lifestyle.

"We want to tell the story of water. Water is paramount in Chinese culture, symbolizing impartiality and tolerance. It is never aggressive, but influences you in a subtle manner," he says.

The Emperor Hotel Qianmen opens this weekend.

sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn