Lonely Planet Review

The brainchild of a Chinese supermarket baron, Tibet's first five-star hotel occupies a well-lit space somewhere between boutique hotel and ethnographic museum. Cosy it's not, but it's hard not to be impressed.

From the moment you are greeted by traditional Tibetan music and staff dressed in sheepskin robes it's clear that the Brahmaputra is no ordinary hotel. Hundreds of spot-lit alcoves display antiques from opera masks to armour, to create a mood that is at once grand and intimate. And these are just the hallways! You could easily spend an hour wandering the hotel exhibits. The stroll to the lobby takes you past a full-sized mandala and the cosy bar is decked out in traditional Tibetan furniture. The accommodation seems strangely incidental after all this hallway eye candy. The rooms are comfortable and well designed but are considerably less remarkable than the public areas. Ask for an upper floor room with a view over the city (north) or the holy mountain Bumpa Ri (south). The cheapest singles are a false economy and worth avoiding.