Beijing International (Beijing Guójì fàndiàn)

Beijing International (Beijing Guójì fàndiàn) Review

Located on Beijing's main east-west central axis and close to Beijing's train station, this white monolith—spectacularly curved like Miami's Fontainebleau hotel—symbolised the rebirth of China's tourism industry in 1987. Happily, the hotel is undergoing a big renovation, so that even many of the worn guest rooms now match the glitz of the lobby, big enough to be on the Las Vegas strip. A big plus here is the reliable service, which draws lots of tour groups and business travellers. Make sure you ask for a renovated room as some of the older ones still suffer from the odd problem here and there (especially in the bathrooms). What with the endless hallways and gigantic ballrooms, you need to look hard for special, quiet places, but there are delightful garden nooks and smaller salons with Chinese antiques to escape to. The pool and gym are top-notch, but the hotel's dining options are overpriced and breakfast can be repetitive. The hotel is only a couple of stops away from Tiananmen Square on the subway.