hotel in Xian
 

My initial plan was to stay at Shangri-la. But some thought Hyatt is better located. Any thoughts on this? I understand that Sheraton is a bit out of the way.

I stayed at the Hyatt and really enjoyed it. I also found it to be in a great location, central to everything. The Hyatt must be a very good hotel because in the lobby are pictures of all the dignitaries who have stayed there, including Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl, and Daddy Bush. You will find Pringles potato chips and chocolate-chip cookies in your room, not to mention HBO, and at breakfast they have an assembly of chefs at the buffet who will make almost anything you want.

There's little difference between the location of the Hyatt and Shangri-La. As a matter of fact, the Shangri-La is closer to the waterfront so one may even argue that it has the better location. I don't like the location of the Sheraton - it's too far out of the way for sightseeing but may be convenient for an overnight if you're flying in and out of Hong Qiao airport. Of the 3 hotels, I have only stayed at the Hyatt which is very nice - accomodations, service, food, everything. It's a very popular hotel and has a lot of non-hotel guests patronizing its restaurants, bars, and nightclub so can seem a little crowded, hectic at times - although some people actually like it that way.

Oops... sorry! I saw Shangri-La and Hyatt and immediately thought "Shanghai". Didn't even bother to read your heading. In answer to your actual question, yes the Hyatt is the best located of the 3 for sightseeing.

To anyone else reading this... any comments I made regarding the Shangri-La, Hyatt, and Sheraton hotels in my first post obviously refer to the ones in Shanghai NOT Xian. Sorry for the confusion.