About 2 weeks ago I returned from a trip to China with my family. We stayed at the 5* Shangri La hotel in Beijing, and it was absolutely incredible.
Upon arrival (to a large glass fronting with revolving doors and more than 5 doormen), car doors were opened, bags were taken from us, and we were given a slip that would enable our luggage to be taken up once we had checked in. The staff were SO polite and friendly, giving their best at english (which made me feel rather ashamed and ignorant i had not bothered to learn chinese).
Upon checkin, the staff (2 young girls and a man), were curteous and polite, and even went to the point of joking when a family member said he wouldnt take the lift because he had a phobia. All good humoured and friendly people.
Once checked in, the ever helping staff actually escorted that family member all the way up the 11 flights of stairs to our room, before checking he had made his way to our room, before promptly returning to the desk. They simply cannot do enough for you.
The room: Was huge, 2 double beds, with a TV encased in a rather nice cabinet. There was a large unit for luggage to sit on, as well as ample cabinet space underneath it should you have had more than usual. Wardrobe space was more than adequate (3 individuals in my room), and the room was very clean, neat, and modern. Hair-dryers were included, as well as a safe, iron and board, and complimentary water was placed on the sides of the bed (a godsend unless you want high bills from raiding the mini bar). This water was replaced daily...
A sofa stood in the far corner, with a coffee/tea machine, and a few arm chairs. The bathroom was good sized, with all modcons including bath/shower, large mirror for what i can only assume is for womens makeup (it makes everything huge, you can see the smallest details on the face), and even included complimentary toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, soap and bathrobes.
The whole room was incredible, considering the price, which worked out to roughly £200 per night (i dread to think the quality of their suites!!)
There were various signs in our room posting to the discounted massages you could get during the day at the right time, and these were taken full advantage of!! In the evenings in your room, there was a lady with a tray of ice, and water, who went round all rooms on the floor asking if you had run low, or needed/wanted more. Absolute service at its best here.
The hotel itself including a GYM (well sized, excellent equipment), pool (small, around 15X5m), sauna, various shops, jewelers, sculpters, and a nifty little touristy shop (which i didnt think acquired much business during our stay). All the staff were helpful and friendly, and only to happy to please you should you have been interested in looking through their window.
The restaurants: The hotel had 3 main eateries. The main area was for the buffet breakfast and dinner, and was heavenly. Food quality was extraordinary. There were different dishes to cater to different tastes, and each stall held a different type of food. On our stay there was indian, japanese, chinese, and thai. It did work out extremely expensively though at around £45 per person. That was the only time we ate at that restaurant!!
Breakfast however, was included complimentary as part of our tickets, and so we were downstairs everyday for that. Food was excellent, and included all the usual..the fry-up, the health conscious, the fruit fanatics, and the added bonus of a traditional chinese breakfast if that was your thing.
The hotel itself wasnt in a bad location, but Beijings main strip in which it was located was still heavily in development. The roads were all very modern, sidewalks were clean, and the shops that had managed to establish themselves were good, not tacky or touristy.
In Beijing you HAVE to get taxis if you want to get anywhere other than on bike, and in the soaring heat, its probably the best idea. A standard 40/50min trip will cost around 40RMB...sounds a lot doesnt it...it works out to about £3.50!! Taxis are the cheapest thing in the world compared to london, and this was our main method of transport. If you wanted one at the hotel, you simply told the concierge, and he would get you one straight away, as well as writing the place name in chinese and conversing with the driver before you got in, to make sure everything was ok.
During the evening, there was night entertainment with a pianist and singer, playing either jazz or classical, and was very professional and enjoyable to listen to (although being a pianist myself was rather distressed to learn the pianos were not available to the guests, only to the performers who had been hired to play them:P). It would have made a great evening to have just gone down and played quietly to myself, or anyone who would have cared to listen.
The other restaurants in the hotel included a Japanese style area, which I did not visit during my stay, and a rather upmarket style restaurant, in which my relatives visited. It was called the Shang Palace, and served authentic cantonese cuisine by hong kong chefs.
The only nightlife i found was in the hotel, and was called Cloud Nine, a bar. Exciting stuff in the evenings, with entertainment, and with everyone in a jolly attitude!
The hotel itself was decorated in a modern, but quaint style, with large golden chandeliers, and cremey golden walls. Excellently continued throughout the hotel as well. The garden of the hotel included outside decking with tables at which you could sit for your evening meal, or drinks, and a large stream with Koi everywhere in it.
If you wanted more privacy however, the gardens had a walkway in which you could stroll in the evening. There were gentle backlights, and benches right out of sight in the far corner on the dead of night.
Being a primarily business orientated hotel, there were not as many tourists as such there, and so the hotel had not quite got to the stage of accomodating children (but this is profoundly excused, given chinas recent history and only relatively recent introduction into the western holiday market). It still, however, managed to be family orientated enough to accomodate ourselves, but facilities were not really in sight.
Overall, it was the best hotel i've ever had the privilege of visiting, and would not be beyond myself to return very soon. The 1 and only downside of the hotel was the cost of meals, but its to be expected at a 5* to be honest.
10/10
More details
Quality of Food & Drink
Excellent
Cleanliness
Excellent
Family Friendly
Average
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