Hotels join hands to uncover charm of Beijing's hutongs

Participants riding in the sidecar of an antique motorcycle set off to discover the capital's hutongs. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Although five-star hotels are not usually associated with hutongs, the Hilton Worldwide Beijing Cluster hotels recently hosted the "Hutong to Hutong" Scavenger Hunt, a client appreciation activity to help participants enjoy the charm of the capital's hutongs.

During the game, 40 participants, or "hunters" were divided into 20 groups to race around the hutongs and find answers to the questions on the informational papers they received before setting off.

To answer all the questions, such as the name of the bicycle shop in Wudaoying hutong, and the emperor who passed away in Jingshan Park, participants had to pass by six iconic attractions of the city – the Lama Temple, Wanning Bridge, Zhihua Temple, Wild Duck Island, Wudaoying hutong and Jingshan Park.

All 20 groups were taken around by a unique vehicle, an antique motorcycle with a sidecar, which was easy to maneuver in the hutongs. Participants were also asked to take photos of certain places en route.

By holding the event, the hotel cluster wanted to express its passion for local Chinese culture and history, and for delivering inspiring and exceptional guest experiences.

The participating hotels were the Waldorf Astoria Beijing, Conrad Beijing, Hilton Beijing, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing and DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing.