The Property
Banyan Group has opened Banyan Tree Mount Emei in Emeishan, Sichuan Province — a 130-room mountainside resort positioned at the entrance to the Mount Emei Scenic Area, one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The property marks a continued push by the Singapore-listed hospitality group to deepen its footprint in mainland China under its flagship Banyan Tree brand.
Designed by contemporary Chinese architect Zhuang Ziyu, the resort draws from traditional western Sichuan courtyard architecture while following the natural contours of a forested valley. Seven century-old camphor trees and all existing trees measuring more than 10 centimetres in trunk diameter were preserved in place during construction — a detail that reflects the group's stated commitment to responsible development in ecologically sensitive destinations.
Dining and Culinary Identity
Food and beverage operators will find the resort's culinary programming closely tied to regional identity. Jiayao Chinese Restaurant leads with locally sourced Sichuan specialities alongside Cantonese dishes and contemporary interpretations. Mingyue All-Day Dining spans Chinese and international flavors with a seasonal, health-forward emphasis framed by lake and mountain views. A Lobby Lounge transitions from afternoon tea service to evening cocktails as daylight shifts across the landscape.
For more intimate dining, Banyan Tree's Destination Dining concept creates private settings within the bamboo grove and beside the lake. Guests can take afternoon tea aboard a traditional black-canopy boat, dine in the Mid-Lake Pavilion, or gather in the Study Room — a purpose-built cultural space named after the original designation of nearby Baoguo Temple — for tea ceremonies and private dining. This layered approach to F&B experience design, integrating venue, setting, and local culinary heritage, mirrors a broader trend in luxury hospitality toward experiential restaurant programming that goes well beyond conventional hotel dining.
Scale and Operator Implications
Banyan Group's portfolio now spans more than 100 hotels and resorts and over 140 spas across more than 20 countries. The Mount Emei opening signals how global operators are positioning luxury properties within heritage tourism corridors — a strategy that generates sustained demand from both cultural travelers and meetings business. The resort offers more than 1,200 square metres of flexible indoor and outdoor event space, including the 500-square-metre pillarless Xiangzhang Ballroom, the Forest Platform set within the bamboo groves, and the Study Room's six multifunctional rooms.
All 130 rooms and villas — spanning Mountain View Rooms, Garden Villas, and one- and two-bedroom Lakeside Villas — include private outdoor hot spring pools. The 320-square-metre Presidential Villa is paired with a private garden of similar size and a terrace overlooking the forest and stream.
For hospitality professionals tracking wellness-integrated resort development trends, the Banyan Tree Spa at Mount Emei features five couples' treatment rooms, a rainforest-inspired hydrothermal circuit, and a spa café. Experiential programming extends to Emei martial arts, traditional tie-dyeing, bamboo weaving, and a Terra Kids Club, reflecting how high-end operators are building cultural immersion directly into the guest journey rather than treating it as an optional add-on.
As covered by Food & Beverage Magazine, regional culinary identity has become a differentiator for luxury hospitality brands competing for a discerning, experience-driven traveler. Banyan Tree Mount Emei is a five-minute drive from Emeishan High-Speed Railway Station, roughly two hours from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, and approximately 40 minutes from Leshan Airport, which is expected to begin operations later in 2026.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
