In Conversation: HUALUXE Zhongshan City Center

A Chinese brand within the IHG portfolio tailored specifically for the China market, HUALUXE occupies a distinct position among luxury hotel brands. Instead of a literal translating Western notions of five-star hospitality for a Chinese audience, Chinese cultural values formed its very foundation. This informs the brand’s philosophy of “One Locale, One Story” where each property tells its own place-based story – a modern showcase of time-honored rituals, a love letter to its destination. 

Wimberly Interiors was engaged to bring HUALUXE’s brand philosophy to life within the cultural context of Zhongshan. As the first property to embody the HUALUXE 2.0 concept of the “Five Beauties”, HUALUXE Zhongshan City Center represents an important milestone in the brand’s evolution. We spoke with Ivan Tang, General Manager of HUALUXE Zhongshan City Center, Liu Haoyang, Associate Principal & Senior Director of Client Services at Wimberly Interiors, and Paolo De Simone, Creative Director of Wimberly Interiors, about the collaboration, including the challenges of an adaptive reuse transformation from an existing office tower into a luxury hotel for the modern-day traveler.  

Ivan Tang, General Manager 

“Wimberly Interiors has masterfully translated the HUALUXE 2.0 brand philosophy into a refined design language that blends international hospitality standards with Chinese elegance. What I appreciate most is how the design seamlessly integrates HUALUXE’s Chinese aesthetic principles with Lingnan regional characteristics and the cultural heritage of Xiangshan. This integration not only reinforces the identity of HUALUXE but also gives the hotel a distinct sense of place. It is this synthesis of brand and locality that stands out as my favorite design element.”

How was the richness and depth of Zhongshan’s identity translated into the hotel’s design?

Paolo De Simone: Zhongshan is a place of cultural synthesis and a true maritime crossroad where people and ideas flow through for centuries. This exchange is widely reflected in the city’s architectural dialogue, where local Lingnan courtyards blend naturally with Western facades. Our vision for HUALUXE Zhongshan City Center is to capture this dynamic, cosmopolitan energy and translate its open-minded character into a modern day, elegant hospitality experience. 

Above all, we were not interested in presenting Zhongshan’s heritage like a museum of old artefacts. Instead, we observed the craft of lantern making, wood carving and embroidery, to translate these artisanal gestures into a contemporary palette of materials, textures and lighting. Guests can feel the rhythm of the craftsmen’s hands in the atmosphere of the hotel, and appreciate the beauty of the city’s heritage in a refreshed way.

HUALUXE is a brand with a very distinct philosophy. How was that philosophy expressed?

Ivan Tang: The HUALUXE brand is founded on the philosophy of “One Locale, One Story,” deeply rooted in the everyday expression of Chinese aesthetics. It is defined by five core pillars, or “Five Beauties”: the artistry of craftsmanship, the refinement of cuisine, the joy of nature, the serenity of architecture, and the elegance of social connection. These form the foundation of its differentiation from other international luxury hotel brands. 

HUALUXE’s notions of luxury is grounded in Chinese cultural values and tailored to the needs of Chinese business and leisure travelers, allowing traditional aesthetics to be meaningfully integrated into contemporary living. 

Wimberly Interiors responded to this brand ethos with precision, embedding the “Five Beauties” into the spatial narrative. Their design transforms Chinese aesthetics into immersive, experiential environments that balances spatial order and poetic expression, while bringing our philosophy of the locale to life. 

Paolo De Simone: HUALUXE Zhongshan is the first built manifestation of the new HUALUXE 2.0 brand identity which is anchored in “The Five Beauties”. These pillars have been integrated into our design concepts. For example, the energy of the local dragon dance is translated into sophisticated modern forms, while F&B spaces celebrate local culinary rituals. HUALUXE 2.0 is about a brand realization to a level of luxury that is soulful, meaningful, and atmospheric. 

Liu Haoyang: Understanding the brand essence of HUALUXE and translating for the place through our time-honed hospitality lens to craft a luxury product has been Wimberly Interior’s unique formula. Our “With Care” ethos allows us to design empathetically across the three realms of brand, place and guests’ evolving expectations. Each project is a bespoke product; place-driven storytelling is our agenda. The widespread “copy and paste” approach across different cities has never been part of our process and vocabulary. By anchoring the design in local culture and crafting a strong narrative, the hotel achieves a clear identity that is both globally relevant and locally specific. 

Describe the collaboration between HUALUXE Zhongshan City Center and Wimberly Interiors.

Ivan Tang: During the development of HUALUXE Zhongshan City Center, we established a highly collaborative and well-aligned working relationship with Wimberly Interiors. As an internationally renowned hospitality interior design firm, Wimberly Interiors brings a strong global perspective and proven execution capabilities. 

Our team, guided by the HUALUXE brand values of “Ceremony, Respect, Harmony, and Attainment,” worked closely with them to integrate Zhongshan’s local cultural heritage with the functional needs of a modern business hotel. From overall spatial positioning and design direction to material selection and guest journey planning, both teams maintained efficient communication and a high level of coordination throughout the process. 

We clearly articulated the brand’s core identity and the expectations of our target business travelers, while Wimberly Interiors translated these into a refined design language—seamlessly blending international hospitality standards with Chinese elegance and local cultural characteristics. 

The collaboration was both smooth and highly effective, contributing to the successful delivery of a high-quality project, while also providing valuable experience in working with international design teams and integrating brand culture with spatial design.

Can you walk us through the guest journey designed for the hotel?

Paolo De Simone: We designed the flow of the hotel like a continuous choreography, inspired by the traditional festive parade of Zhongshan. As you walk through the spaces, the energy naturally changes. 

It starts at the Entrance and Lobby—this is the Preparation phase. We want to build anticipation, with design details that suggest lanterns being crafted and stages being set. 

Then, as you move to the Luxe Tea and the Lounge, the feeling shifts to Gathering. The atmosphere here is about community, warmth, and refined details. 

The climax of this promenade is the Event Space. This represents the parade in full motion where it is dynamic, rhythmic, and full of energy. 

After the celebration, you find the All-Day Dining, which we designed as the Flowing Banquet, a space for sharing food and stories. 

And finally, the Guestrooms. This is the moment of Rest and Renewal. We designed the rooms to be absolute sanctuaries, transforming the intense energy of the day into pure calm. 

As an adaptive reuse project, what were the biggest design challenges faced?

Paolo De Simone: The biggest challenge was to transform a sterile office building into a luxury hotel of warmth and welcome. Our design concept may articulate a vision, but as an adaptive reuse project, it must always be calibrated with the building reality. 

Firstly, the architectural grid. Office floors are made for open spaces, so the columns and windows never align perfectly with the hotel rooms. We had to be incredibly precise with our space planning to guarantee that every guestroom feels perfectly proportioned and meets the HUALUXE 2.0 luxury standards. 

Then, the technical part—the MEP and plumbing. An office has centralized bathrooms, but a hotel needs complex plumbing in every single room. To hide all these pipes and ducts without losing the necessary ceiling heights, we used layered ceiling designs to integrate technical needs out of sight. 

Finally, the ground floor. An office lobby is usually very cold and transactional. To create our “Festive Parade” feeling, we had to completely rethink the volume and flow, carving out intimate and immersive spaces from a very sterile concrete box.

What stood out to you most about the finished design?

Ivan Tang: What I appreciate most is how the design seamlessly integrates HUALUXE’s Chinese aesthetic principles with Lingnan regional characteristics and the cultural heritage of Xiangshan. 

This integration not only reinforces the identity of HUALUXE but also gives the hotel a unique sense of place, one that is distinctly Zhongshan. It is this synthesis of brand and locality that stands out as my favorite design element. 

Liu Haoyang: Our F&B design for HUALUXE in particular builds on the culture of cuisine as a powerful narrative layer, to further immerse guests in the spirit of place in a way that is both unforgettable and sensorial. This aligns with our latest Wimberly F&B offering, where we expand into a holistic offering, prioritizing memorability across touchpoints.  

Paolo De Simone: The depth and emotion we managed to create through the festive parade procession stood out. To do that, we think of hospitality interiors like a city, where they become richer through the accumulation of layers. For HUALUXE, the foundational layer is a very pure and timeless Chinese aesthetic. Then, refinement is added to the canvas: the bespoke furniture, sophisticated lighting, and the precise details. The final layering is the dynamic accents, the moments of high energy that give the space its cultural soul. This layering allows a form of luxury to slowly reveal itself; the longer you stay, the more you discover.