When Rubin moved to China in 1994, he was surprised to find a dearth of resources for discerning travelers in a country so rich in cultural heritage and natural beauty. He and his wife and partner, Nancy Kim, set out to change that, and now lead China’s most ambitious luxury tour operator. To keep up with the country’s rapid transformation, Rubin is constantly inspecting new hotels—Beijing has seen the  arrival of a Waldorf Astoria;  » Read more »

Rubin is one of the most sought-after tour operators in China for luxury travel, a field that has changed dramatically in the 16 years that he’s been in the industry. He exhaustively researches new openings—the Banyan Tree Shanghai; the Mandarin Orientals in Guangzhou and Shanghai—and cultivates local contacts that lead to insider experiences: a helicopter ride from Beijing to the Great Wall, instruction in the game of weiqi, or a private calligraphy lesson.  » Read more »

  This past June, Guy and I were fortunate enough to be invited by Shangri-la Hotel to their new hotel in Lhasa as a part of their Advisory Board meeting (Guy is on the board).  I hadn’t been to Lhasa in almost ten years and the last time we were there, the Lhasa Hotel was the best on offer.  Since then, both the Shangri-la and St. Regis hotels have opened,  » Read more »

Guy – Why was Beijing Tourism Administration (BTA) changed into Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development (BTD)? Vice-Director Gao – Thanks Guy for inviting me to do this interview. It is my pleasure to introduce Beijing to the travel community. To answer your question – in the Beijing government structure a “Commission” ranks higher than an “Administration” and a “ Commission” has yet more coordination power and a bigger budget than an  “Administration ”.  » Read more »

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