Suzhou - a popular day trip from Shanghai, as the journey takes about half an hour on the zippy Shanghai-Nanjing bullet train - is feted for its Ming dynasty gardens, well-preserved temples and canals framed by ancient stone bridges.
Described by Marco Polo as one of the most beautiful places in China, it was the world's biggest producer of silk in the 14th century, and 600 years on, Suzhou is still proving its economic prowess as the world's leading maker of laptops.
This 2,500-year-old city is an important business centre - the Suzhou Industrial Park on the city's outskirts is one of China's 14 Special Economic Zones - and now it is into the boutique hotel business.
The Hotel Soul opened in May as a property of Hong Kong's GR8 Leisure Concept, which also manages the Dada-esque Luxe Manor in Tsim Sha Tsui. The Soul's decor fits in with that of the city's multinational accommodation.
A strong geometric motif echoes throughout the hotel. (Check out the mirrors.) Sculptures and paintings - the hotel has a permanent collection from the Suzhou Art & Design Technology Institute - add to the ambience, as do the three themed lifts, best of which is the spaceship elevator displaying footage of spacemen and the moon.
The hotel pays homage to the city's history with its rooftop garden, but elsewhere modernity reigns, with designer chairs and contemporary artwork in all 272 rooms.
Oversized lotus lamps - the flower is the hotel's symbol - add visual wow. Even the toiletries are in lotus-shaped bottles.
