Beijing,Lee Garden Serviced Apartments
 

Has any one stayed at the St.Regis, Lee Garden Serviced Apartments?

The St. Regis was the best hotel in Beijing a few years ago, but these days seems content to rest on its laurels without taking account of just how many newer, more interesting, yet equally luxurious choices there are. It's a fine hotel, but staying at that level there are other hotels I'd put first: The Peninsula for service and really solid furnishings; the new Shangri-La Valley Wing for service, room size, and general comfort; the Grand Hyatt for location; the Raffles for an old-world feel, very individual rooms, location, and good service; the Sofitel Wanda for style (although service needs work). If your trip is post-Olympic then the yet-to-open Park Hyatt should be considered.

Peter N-H

Thank you Peter N_H,
I have reservations for the St Regis but find we may be put into the Lee Garden Serviced Apartments. By the pictures I've seen the Lee Garden looks like a 2 star apartment and I'm paying for a 6 star room. Think I should change and not take a chance that the renovations won't be done by the time we arrive?

Couldn't quite make sense of the last question, but if I understand that the St. Regis is renovating but is proposing to put you in the Lee Garden if the renovation isn't finished on time, then yes, I'd look elsewhere. Even if the rooms are finished on time, there's always the risk of paint smell, and so on. If you're going to pay serious money, you should be sure of getting a serious hotel. Not that there's any such thing as a six-star hotel, but the days of the St. Regis' pre-eminence are very long past now, and though I stayed there during that period, I didn't think it was anything exceptional then: pleasant enough, but certainly exceeded by many an arrival from the last few years (although obviously I haven't seen the refitted rooms). And do beware that until recently 'very good' in Beijing merely meant 'very good by Beijing standards'. If you're used to very high end accommodation you might not be that impressed. Nice though the St. Regis is, there are nicer.

Peter N-H

I stayed at the Lee Garden Serviced apartments in March 2005 for three weeks. Accommodation was spacious and comfortable. Not comparable to a six star hotel but much more than a three star one.

CanadaKate