Description: The Grand Skylight Catic Hotel (yes, the name is a mouthful) is a business hotel situated next to the Olympic village of 2008 and is within walking distance to the International Conference Center and the China National Convention Center. This is an ideal location for visitors attending conferences that are held in these 2 centers or for those who are merely contented to visit the Olympic village next door. The nearest attractions via taxi are the Summer palace and the Temple of Heaven (20 minutes in less traffic). For shopping, do head for the Beijing Zoo area which is about 15 minutes by taxi for some serious outlet shopping. Be prepared to be stuck in traffic for up to an hour if you intend to travel to Sanlitun area by taxi.
I stayed in a superior king size room for 5 nights to attend a conference at the China National Convention Center as this was the most affordable (in comparison to the other hotels next to the convention center). I made my reservations through a local website and paid about USD$400 for room only. I had requested for a room with a view of the Bird's nest but was given a room with a view of the main road instead. The room was spacious and clean enough with complimentary wireless access. The staff was mostly polite but not really helpful. E.g., I was told on more than a few occasions to walk to the main road outside the hotel to flag down a taxi (not very pleasant when the weather turned cold and heavy with pollution). However, I had no trouble flagging down a taxi most times (probably due to the proximity to the Bird's nest stadium) although I need to direct or show the taxi driver the address of the hotel when returning. For a panoramic view of the Olympic village, do take the elevator to the executive lounge for a bird's eye view.
I did not try the inhouse restaurants which included TGIF as my friend was eager to introduce various popular restaurants in and around Sanlitun area. The China National Convention Center was approximately 15 minutes walk through the Olympic park, 20 to 25 minutes if you chose to follow the main road. It was pleasant exercise to and fro via the Olympic village with only one inconvenience of having my bag scanned every time I entered.
I would recommend this hotel only if you need to attend conferences at the conference venues nearby. If you intend to do a lot of sightseeing, I would suggests you look elsewhere.
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