Annie’s employer put her team up at the Holiday Inn Beijing Haidian, so we didn’t choose to stay at this hotel. The nightly rate was less than $70 per night, so we weren’t sure what to expect. What we found was a clean, contemporary hotel that pleasantly surprised us in several ways.
The first surprising aspect was how nice the hotel was. It’s far superior than the American versions of Holiday Inns, as this felt much more like a 4-star or 5-star hotel. It was built in 2011, so it’s clean and contemporary. The service was also very good, even though the language barrier presented some challenges. The concierge helped with dinner reservations and calling taxis. And there were several bellmen who always opened the door for us when we arrived.
Location
The hotel is located in the business district of Beijing, so it’s not really close to many of the popular tourist attractions. What you will find nearby are seven high profile universities, including Peking University, the #1 university in China. The hotel is also close to the a few subway stations, which makes it fairly easy to get around to other parts of the city.
Lobby
The lobby is fresh, clean and welcoming. There was a small wait during check-in only because all of us from the U.S. arrived at the same time. We got our room assignment and keys in ten minutes or so. And because Annie is an IHG® Rewards Club member, we received two free drink vouchers for use at the bar.
Beyond the lobby, is a comfortable lounge area. We sat there a couple nights while enjoying a beer from the nearby bar.
The Room
With keys in hand, we took the elevators up to our floor. Even the hallways and elevator areas are tastefully decorated with dark wood and chandeliers.
Our room was located on the 8th floor. Continuing with the overall theme, the room was clean and comfortable. It’s a good setup for a business traveler with a desk, and plenty of outlets that accommodate western plugs.
While there was a 27-inch LCD TV with satellite channels, I think there were maybe four channels in English. So be prepared to see the same stories each day on the BBC channel. The king bed had premium bedding and pillow menus.
The room sported standard amenities including a refrigerator, a minibar, and a coffee maker. They also stocked the room with two free water bottles daily, which was appreciated since you can’t drink water out of the tap.
The Bathroom
The bathroom is on the small side, but it’s clean and has everything one would need.
Dining
The hotel has three restaurants onsite, specializing in Cantonese, Indian and American cuisine, respectively.
Jade Garden
Jade Garden provides guests with Cantonese cuisine in a comfortable ambiance. The night we arrived in China, a few of us stopped in to get a bite to eat before bed. Since every table in China has a lazy susan, it’s perfect for sharing. We ordered a bunch of soups, noodle dishes and veggies and everything was outstanding. It was a good way to end our first night in China.
Ramayana
Ramayana is an Indian restaurant that offers authentic northern Indian flavors. We didn’t eat here during our stay, but if you like Indian food, the menu looked like it had plenty of good options.
Fusion Flavors
Fusion Flavors restaurant serves a wide range of continental food. For the American who is longing for a piece of home, this restaurant has choices like burgers, sandwiches, pizza and pasta.
Breakfast Buffet
The other really surprising aspect of this hotel was the outstanding breakfast buffet. First it was included in the room rate. And even though they said it was only free for one person per room, they didn’t charge us for the second person.
The buffet had everything you’d want including both western and Chinese dishes. It was the perfect way to start each day, whether people were going to work or going off to tour the city.
There were two chef-manned stations. One made eggs, omelets, waffles and other western goodies. The other prepared Chinese noodle dishes were you could choose the type of noodles and other items to go in the dish.
After the first day, our entire group so looked forward to breakfast each day.
Miscellaneous
Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to use most hotel amenities. However, it has a modern fitness center with imported equipment, an indoor pool, a spa and sauna.
There is an ATM on site, which came in handy towards the end of the trip when I needed to exchange currency.
Bottom Line
Beijing is a massive, sprawling city and with the traffic, it can take a while to get anywhere. If I were to go back to Beijing, I would probably stay in another area or somewhere more centrally located within the city. However, I loved our stay at the Holiday Inn Beijing Haidian, and if I needed to be in that part of the city, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again.
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