The Silk Lakehouse, Shangri La Hangzhou Named Among Prix Versailles’ The World’s Most Beautiful Hotels 2026

Shangri La Group (“Shangri La” or “the Group”) is proud to announce that The Silk Lakehouse, Shangri La Hangzhou has been selected as one of the Prix Versailles – The World’s Most Beautiful Hotels 2026. This year, 16 newly opened hotels worldwide were selected, with only two properties in China receiving the honour.

Widely regarded as a leading international award for architecture and design, Prix Versailles was established in 2015 and unveils its annual selections at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, celebrating projects that demonstrate outstanding architectural beauty, champion cultural heritage, and advance sustainability in design.

The inaugural property of the Group’s ultra luxury brand, Shangri La Signatures, The Silk Lakehouse sits on the tranquil shores of West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape. Featuring 68 elegantly appointed rooms and suites, the hotel evokes the refined elegance of a Jiangnan silk merchant’s home. Designed by Belgian designer Gert Voorjans and Spanish designer Lázaro Rosa Violán, it blends Eastern aesthetics with an expressive, contemporary maximalist spirit. Inspired by West Lake’s natural scenery, the design draws on water, mountains, flora, and seasonal hues, enriched by silk textiles, hand painted screens, lacquer artworks, and a thoughtfully curated art collection.

The property’s architectural transformation was led by Kokaistudios, in partnership with Shangri La. To protect the integrity of the UNESCO World Heritage landscape and preserve West Lake’s iconic skyline, the project removed the building’s original top two floors and refined the façade to reduce visual mass and improve sightlines, while reintroducing layered natural greenery to better integrate the building into its surroundings.

Rooted in the idea of “home,” The Silk Lakehouse invites guests to connect more deeply with Hangzhou through personalised cultural experiences, including its signature Personal Host Programme and hands on activities inspired by local intangible heritage—from tea culture and incense-making to cloisonné, seal carving, clay sculpting, and Hangzhou fan crafting.

For more details about The Silk Lakehouse, please visit the hotel’s website.