Confused over Beijing hotel
 

We are planning 5 days in beijing and are confused by inconsistent info in all guide books re: quality of beijing hotels. Example, fodor loves Beijing hotel, another guide book says it's really a 3 star and carpets are dirty; a tour outfitter-which caters to museums and universities exclusively uses Prime hotel--not even listed in fodors. Palace hotel is a safe, best choice for our taste but too expensive I think. Peace hotel recommended by our tour planner, sounds comfortable yet non descript; have been considering Jinghuao and Jinglun but tour person tells us they are older hotels, and he prefers more modern. Know hotel not that important, but love hotels;nice places give great sense of well being away from home. Can someone help.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Beijing, and liked it very much. I don't know the exact price we payed (it was part of a package), but it was an upscale hotel, which may not be what you're looking for (judging by the tone of your posting). However, it never hurts to call the hotel and check for specials. <BR>Hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi, <BR> <BR>I sent you an e-mail regarding hotels in Beijing. If you received it and would like some help please e-mail me.

I meant to reply to your questions, but somehow my response got posted under Beinjing Hotel. Please review it. <BR>

We stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing. Since the Shangri-La hotel chain is quite famous in Asia, it certainly lived up to our expectations. <BR> <BR>I think another famous hotel in Beijing is the Palace Hotel which is being managed by the Peninsula Group if I am not mistaken. <BR>

My husband and I were in Beijing last September. We generally prefer moderately priced hotels because we don't spend much time in the hotel when we travel. However, we stayed at a more top end hotel in Beijing -- the Kempinksi Hotel (which was wonderful). We had lunch at the Beijing Hotel and, though some tour guides give it multiple stars, it is not a top hotel. The location is good, though. I loved Beijing and China, but it is very tiring. If you can splurge a bit on hotel, I think it will be worthwhile.

The China World Shangri-La (not the older Shangri-La Hotel in western Beijing) and the Palace are about the two best in Beijing. (not withstanding a 6 star hotel (Hilton?) that recently opened)The Kempinski is another good 5 star place as are the Sheraton Great Wall and Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza. The Kempinski is good because the staff is excellent, the hotel is located in the Lufthanse Shopping complex which boasts several good restaurants as well as the largest department store in the city. Also,there are several good restaurants nearby as well as the proverbial Hard Rock Cafe. <BR> <BR>True, the Beijing Hotel is no longer a 4-5 star place, however it is still frequented by top Chinese officials and is in an excellent location. <BR> <BR>For the best value I would recommend the Kempinski for a 5 star hotel. Just as good a value can be found at the Gloria Plaza and Sci-Tech Hotels. Both are centrally located, near the Friendship Store, Silk Market, embassies, Ritan Park (and it's famous Russian Market) <BR> <BR>FYI, I have stayed in all the above mentioned hotels, (most of them several times) as well as other hotels in Beijing.

I stayed at the Bejing Hotel (two blocks from Tiannamen Square) for four nights, Jan. 12-16, 2000, in room 1414, with an excellent view of the Forbidden City covered with snow. This was the day after the snowstorm had cleansed the air of pollution particles; the next two days, I could not see the large Beijing Department Store or the new indoor shopping mall (with Starbucks!) across the street from it, both just a block behind the hotel. I booked the hotel through Mr. Ren Ming, manager of the Golden Bridge Travel Agency in the Bell Tower Hotel in Xi'an, to whom I paid US $100 cash per night, including taxes and service. (See Lonely Planet China book.) The hotel has several advantages: location, large, modern rooms, several excellent restaurants, especially the Japanese, and a small post office. I did not see worn out carpets. My only criticism of the hotel is that the service on the floors was lackadasical, the chief function of the personnel, it seemed, being to push the elevator button before you arrived. The people at the desk were very helpful, writing out in Chinese for me the places I wanted to go. There is some confusion in hotel names in guidebooks, however. The Beijing Hotel and the Grand Hotel Beijing, which are next to each other and share the same grounds, were managed together until about six years ago. The Grand Hotel Beijing seems to be the much nicer of the two---and more expensive---but agents, such as Mr. Ren, will exclaim over the luxury of the one when they are really booking you into the lesser. I don't hold this against Mr. Ren, who may simply be making an honest mistake from his distant location in Xi'an. If you do stay at the Beijing Hotel, I recommend that you not take a taxi from the front door of the hotel because it is many times more expensive than taking one of the little red taxis that you can hail as they leave either of these hotels or on the street out front. P

Beijing Hotel is an old building and the rooms are spacious. And though it is still 5-star rated, it charges much cheaper than Palace and Kempinski. <BR> <BR>Try www.sinohotel.com for a reasonable rate. The site offer great discount for on-line bookings in China nationwide.

I amm also looking for information on these hotels Regal Shanghai, Grand New World Xiang, and Jinglin Hotel Beijing. <BR>Thank you for any information.