China's first "seven-star" hotel, Wuhan's Wanda Reign

Located on Wuhan's famous East Lake and with 413 luxurious rooms and suites, the Wanda Reign Wuhan has been billed (in some quarters, at least) as China's first "seven-star" hotel.

No, Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. It's about a 90-minute flight from Hong Kong and situated slap-bang in the middle of China's north-south trading and travel routes, which date back some 3,500 years. The first thing you'll notice during the 30-minute drive in from the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is that the whole place seems to be being torn down and rebuilt at the same time.

No, bright lights, second-tier city - but one that is dreaming big. China's fourth-richest man, Wang Jianlin, and his Dalian Wanda Group have leapt on President Xi Jinping's "cultural development" bandwagon and are pouring billions into helping give the city a makeover while developing attractions that will encourage "internal consumption" (i.e. don't go overseas, people!).

Wanda Reign Wuhan is the jewel in the Wanda Group's crown, with a façade designed to sparkle like a diamond at night. The word to remember here is "opulence". It'll take you a while to get your head around the lobby alone (top). It's immense and features a marble and jade relief fresco of East Lake, measuring in at 10 metres high and 60 metres long.

The feeling at first is a little like being trapped inside a jewellery box. All that glitters is indeed gold - or gold-plated, or painted. Tech-heads will be happy with "smart" everything - from the television to the lighting to the toilet - while there are expansive views out over the city or East Lake. The custom-made Bed of Reign just might offer the best night's sleep you've ever. It combines pure woollen felt from New Zealand with American latex, boasts a Dream Catcher collection of pillows and, rumours have it, the mattresses alone set the place back 200,000 yuan (HK$250,000) a pop. Each room also contains a massage chair, to get you in the mood for slumber.