Swire Hotels
A Swire Group hotel business operating design-led luxury and lifestyle hotels in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the United States.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Swire Hotels is the hospitality division of Swire Properties Limited, a property company within the wider Swire Pacific group. Established in 2008, it was created to develop and manage small luxury hotels with strong architectural, artistic and local-cultural identities, initially concentrating on Hong Kong and Mainland China. Rather than operating as a large standardized international chain, Swire Hotels has built its portfolio around individually characterized properties and two principal brands: The House Collective and EAST. The House Collective is the group's luxury collection. Its hotels are conceived as distinctive urban destinations, with each property given its own name, design language and relationship to its surrounding neighborhood. The first was The Opposite House in Beijing's Sanlitun district, which opened in March 2008 as part of Sanlitun Village, a mixed-use development also associated with Swire Properties. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the property combined a relatively compact room inventory with contemporary art, restaurants and bars. The Opposite House closed in 2024. Other House Collective properties include The Upper House in Hong Kong, The Temple House in Chengdu and other individually branded hotels represented in the collection. The Upper House opened above Pacific Place in Hong Kong in 2009. Designed by Hong Kong architect Andre Fu, it emphasizes residential scale, calm interiors, art and highly personalized service. The hotel includes guest rooms, suites and penthouses, as well as Café Gray Deluxe. The Temple House opened in Chengdu in 2015 within Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu. Its design incorporates restored historic fabric, including the Bitieshi courtyard, alongside contemporary rooms, residences, dining and wellness facilities. EAST is Swire Hotels' lifestyle and business-hotel brand. Its name reflects the locations of its original properties in eastern parts of Hong Kong and Beijing. EAST, Hong Kong opened in Island East in early 2010 and combines a substantial room inventory with restaurants, a rooftop bar and contemporary art. EAST, Beijing opened in 2012 within the INDIGO mixed-use development in Jiangtai, Chaoyang. The brand later expanded outside Greater China with EAST, Miami, the first EAST hotel in the United States. Located within Swire Properties' Brickell City Centre, the Miami property includes hotel rooms, residence suites, restaurants, a rooftop bar and a café-bar. The portfolio is closely connected to Swire Properties' mixed-use developments. This gives Swire Hotels access to prominent urban locations while allowing the hotels to contribute hospitality, dining, design and cultural programming to larger commercial districts. The business also established Swire Restaurants in 2013 to manage standalone restaurants, including The Continental, Plat du Jour, PUBLIC and Mr & Mrs Fox, and operates a centralized kitchen known as S.H.A.R.K. Swire Hotels' positioning is therefore based on differentiated design, service, food and beverage, art and neighborhood integration rather than scale alone. Its properties are generally aimed at affluent leisure travelers, design-conscious guests, business travelers and residents seeking premium dining and lifestyle experiences. Publicly available reference material identifies the business as active, although individual properties may open, close or change status over time.
History
Swire Hotels was formed in 2008 as the hospitality arm of Swire Properties Limited, itself part of Swire Pacific. Its initial purpose was to create and manage a small portfolio of luxury hotels in Hong Kong and Mainland China, with an emphasis on original architecture, individualized service and strong connections to mixed-use urban developments. This approach differed from the standardized room formats and broad geographic scale associated with many international hotel groups. The first property was The Opposite House, which opened in March 2008 in Beijing's Sanlitun district. The hotel was integrated into Sanlitun Village, a Swire Properties development, and was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Its 99-room format, contemporary art displays, restaurants and bars established several themes that became associated with Swire Hotels: design as a central part of the guest experience, public areas used for cultural presentation, and close integration with a major urban retail and dining district. The property closed in 2024. Swire Hotels expanded its luxury offering in Hong Kong with The Upper House, which opened in 2009 above Pacific Place in Admiralty. Designed by Andre Fu, the hotel used a residentially scaled interior and extensive artwork to distinguish itself from conventional high-rise business hotels. Its accommodation included rooms, suites and penthouses, with Café Gray Deluxe providing a prominent dining component. In early 2010, the company introduced EAST, Hong Kong in Island East. EAST was developed as a separate brand with a more contemporary lifestyle and business orientation. It offered a larger room inventory than the House Collective's early properties, together with restaurants, a rooftop bar and an art program. The brand expanded to Beijing in September 2012, when EAST, Beijing opened in the INDIGO mixed-use development in Chaoyang. The Beijing property reinforced the relationship between Swire Hotels and Swire Properties' commercial developments and was designed for business and urban lifestyle travelers. Swire Hotels broadened its independent luxury collection with The Temple House in Chengdu in 2015. Located in Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu, the property combined contemporary hotel and residential accommodation with the restored Bitieshi Qing-dynasty courtyard. Its facilities included dining, a gallery and library, a day spa and a teahouse. The project illustrated the House Collective model of pairing modern hospitality with local historical and architectural context. The EAST brand subsequently moved beyond Greater China with EAST, Miami, the group's first hotel in the United States. The hotel forms part of Swire Properties' Brickell City Centre and combines hotel rooms with residence suites, restaurants, a rooftop bar and a café-bar. Its architecture and interiors were developed by firms based in Miami and New York, reflecting the brand's practice of using contemporary design to adapt the concept to each city. Beyond accommodation, Swire Hotels established Swire Restaurants in 2013 to manage standalone restaurants. The portfolio has included The Continental, Plat du Jour, PUBLIC and Mr & Mrs Fox, while the group also operates a centralized kitchen called S.H.A.R.K. This expansion positioned the business as a broader hospitality operator rather than only a hotel manager. Across its development, Swire Hotels has organized its activities around The House Collective and EAST. The House Collective emphasizes highly individualized luxury hotels, while EAST focuses on design-conscious urban business and lifestyle hospitality. Both brands are supported by premium food and beverage, art, architecture and location strategy. Public reference material confirms the existence and historical development of these properties, but does not provide enough information here to document current executive leadership, detailed financial performance or a complete present-day property roster.
- 2024
The Opposite House closes
[1]The group's inaugural hotel in Beijing closed after sixteen years of operation.
- 2015
The Temple House opens
[1]The Temple House opened in Chengdu's Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li development.
- 2013
Swire Restaurants is established
[1]The group created a standalone-restaurant business covering venues outside its hotel properties.
- 2012
EAST, Beijing opens
[1]EAST, Beijing opened within the INDIGO mixed-use development in Chaoyang.
- 2010
EAST, Hong Kong opens
[1]The first EAST hotel opened in Island East, Hong Kong.
- 2009
The Upper House opens
[1]The Upper House opened above Pacific Place in Hong Kong's Admiralty district.
- 2008
Swire Hotels is formed
[1]Swire Hotels was established to create and manage small luxury hotels in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
- 2008
The Opposite House opens
[1]The first Swire Hotels property opened in Beijing's Sanlitun district as part of Sanlitun Village.
EAST expands to Miami
[1]EAST, Miami became the first EAST property in the United States and opened within Brickell City Centre.
Products and positioning
Design-led, culturally distinctive urban hospitality combining premium accommodation, personalized service, architecture, art, dining and neighborhood integration.
Luxury hotel collection · 2008
The House Collective
The House Collective is Swire Hotels' luxury collection of individually named urban hotels. Rather than applying one uniform visual template, the collection gives each property a distinct architectural identity, interior concept and relationship with its city. Properties are characterized by premium accommodation, personalized service, art, restaurants and carefully integrated public spaces. The collection includes The Opposite House in Beijing, The Upper House in Hong Kong and The Temple House in Chengdu.
Lifestyle and business hotel brand · 2010
EAST
EAST is Swire Hotels' contemporary lifestyle and business-hotel brand. It combines modern accommodation with restaurants, bars, social spaces, wellness or fitness facilities and art. The brand was designed for urban travelers who value functionality and design without the formal positioning of a traditional luxury hotel. Its documented properties include EAST, Hong Kong; EAST, Beijing; and EAST, Miami.
Luxury hotel · 2008
The Opposite House
The Opposite House was Swire Hotels' first hotel, opening in Beijing's Sanlitun district in March 2008. Designed by Kengo Kuma, it contained 99 rooms, including a two-floor penthouse, as well as two restaurants and two bars. Contemporary art was displayed in the lobby and public areas. The hotel was part of Sanlitun Village and closed in 2024.
Luxury hotel · 2009
The Upper House
The Upper House is a Hong Kong luxury hotel located above Pacific Place in Admiralty. Opened in 2009 and designed by Andre Fu, it has 117 rooms, including 21 suites and two penthouses. Its interiors incorporate a substantial collection of original artworks, including a prominent steel sculpture, and the property includes Café Gray Deluxe.
Luxury hotel and residences · 2015
The Temple House
The Temple House opened in Chengdu in 2015 within Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu. It includes 100 hotel rooms and 42 residences, alongside the restored Bitieshi Qing-dynasty courtyard, dining, a library and gallery, the MI XUN day spa and TEAHOUSE. The project combines historic local architecture with contemporary hotel and residential design.
Lifestyle hotel · 2010
EAST, Hong Kong
EAST, Hong Kong was the first property in the EAST brand. Located in Island East, it has 346 rooms and suites, a restaurant and a rooftop bar. The property was designed by Wong Tung & Partners with interiors by CL3 Architects and includes works by local and international artists.
Business and lifestyle hotel · 2012
EAST, Beijing
EAST, Beijing opened in September 2012 within INDIGO in the Jiangtai area of Chaoyang. Designed by Benoy, the hotel has 369 rooms and operates as a contemporary business-oriented property. It is associated with the wider mixed-use development created by Swire Properties and Sino-Ocean Land Holdings.
Lifestyle hotel and residences
EAST, Miami
EAST, Miami is the EAST brand's first United States property and forms part of Brickell City Centre in downtown Miami. It includes 263 guest rooms and 89 residence suites, together with restaurants and bars including Quinto, Sugar and Domain. Arquitectonica designed the building and Clodagh Design created the interiors.
Standalone restaurant business · 2013
Swire Restaurants
Swire Restaurants was established in 2013 to operate standalone dining venues in addition to restaurants located within Swire Hotels. Its documented portfolio has included The Continental, Plat du Jour, PUBLIC and Mr & Mrs Fox. The group also operates a centralized kitchen called S.H.A.R.K.
Brand decisions
2024
Close The Opposite HouseOtherBackground
The Opposite House had operated as Swire Hotels' inaugural property in Beijing since 2008.
Action taken
The hotel was closed in 2024.
Aftermath
The closure ended the operation of the group's first hotel, while the broader Swire Hotels portfolio continued to be represented by other properties and brands.
2013
Expand into standalone restaurantsStrategyBackground
Swire Hotels' hospitality activities extended beyond hotel-operated dining outlets.
Action taken
Swire Restaurants was established to manage standalone restaurants, supported by a centralized kitchen operation.
Aftermath
The move broadened the group's hospitality scope into independent restaurant operations.
2008
Create a small luxury hotel platformStrategyBackground
Swire Hotels was formed to develop and manage distinctive small luxury hotels in Hong Kong and Mainland China rather than pursue a standardized mass-market chain model.
Action taken
The business established two brand directions: an individually characterized luxury collection, later known as The House Collective, and the lifestyle-oriented EAST concept.
Aftermath
The strategy produced a portfolio centered on urban mixed-use developments, design, art, food and beverage, and localized guest experiences.
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