AAnonymous UserA trainee checked us in and assigned #1005. Upon entering, we noticed a strong cigarette odor. The front desk was courteous and offered two alternative rooms, but both had similar lingering smells. Housekeeping provided an air purifier, which helped somewhat. We also observed guests smoking in the hallway, so the odor seems to be an ongoing issue. As non-smokers who are sensitive to smoke, this was a significant drawback and not something we typically encounter with international hotel brands.
There was also some confusion during payment. After showing us the rooms, the trainee realized we had not been charged and brought a POS machine to the room, which did not have a signal. We eventually had to go downstairs and complete three separate transactions via Alipay. Note that Alipay charges a ~3% service fee on transactions over ¥200 when using international cards, which may be inconvenient for some travelers. I have been using my Visa at global hotel brands for over a month and encountered no issues.
One frustrating moment was when housekeeping insisted there was no cigarette odor. We understand that perceptions may differ, but it’s important to acknowledge guest feedback, especially for those sensitive to smoke.
The bed was comfortable, and sound insulation was average. Despite being on the 10th floor, we could hear traffic noise as well as our neighbors talking and moving furniture. Wi-Fi was also quite slow (2.4 GHz only), with speeds in the teens for both upload and download. Light switches were complicated with options like London, Paris. New York, etc. The hotel isn't a new built and used to be another hotel as you can see from their mugs, towels, etc. Note to myself to book for newly built, not newly opened.
The hotel offered us a complimentary breakfast on the 12th floor. The selection was primarily Chinese (about 95%), with minimal Western options. None of the items were labeled, which could be challenging for international guests and those with dietary restrictions.
Laundry service is available, either self-service or through staff. However, communication was difficult and the interaction felt unnecessarily complicated. The staff who collected our clothes was talking so loudly that my husband thought we were arguing. In hindsight, we should have done the laundry ourselves
The hotel is within a 10 minute walking distance to a food street that has tons of eateries that locals go. It will be difficult to order in non Chinese.
Overall, the hotel does not appear to cater well to non-Chinese-speaking guests. Per my husband, despite using the translation app, basic requests (asking for an umbrella) were difficult without Mandarin, which made the experience more tiring.
During check out, the front desk offered some dried fruit as a gift and reminded us to give a 5 star rating on everything. This is a common request as we experienced it at a previous hotel. This is our 4th local hotel throughout the 6 weeks visit in China.
In summary, while the stay was acceptable, the persistent cigarette odor and communication challenges would prevent us from choosing a similar local hotel again.
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