The 171-room Raffles Beijing is a historic hotel only a five-minute walk from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Begun in the early 1900s as the Grand Hôtel de Pékin and later the Beijing Hotel, it has housed the A-list of international dignitaries and was the International Olympic Committee headquarters in 2009. Under Raffles management since 2006, it offers French-Orient architecture and charm, Oriental rugs in the guest rooms and jazz in the Writer's Bar. Wangfujing shopping area is nearby.