- Sakura
- First Reviewer
- 3 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 8
- Reviews
-
4
- Photos
Stay Anywhere Else But This Place!
I have now stayed at this hotel 4 times, and never again.
Twice this place has messed up my reservation, and the latest time the air conditioning did not work for two days. The service manager at the hotel claims I did not tell them when I did twice.
I would rather sleep in a tent at Tiennemen Square than this dump. Go anywhere else, and save yourself some heartache!
And the shame of it is, it has a great location!
Excellent Location
- June 7, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We stayed here for 4 nights and really enjoyed the clean, large rooms and great location within Beijing. My husband and I took a 10 minute walk to the Forbidden City --it was nice to be that close. The hotel is one block away from a really nice shopping area and western fast food, as well as many local restaurants. The hotel's concierge was very helpful, and the lobby is beautiful. The breakfast was amazing, so if you can book your room to include breakfast, that would be great. Be sure to buy bottled water since the hotel only provides 2 free bottles per day, and bottled water from the local stores is very cheap, less than 1 US dollar each. The hotel has a very very nice indoor pool, large exercise facility, sauna, and steam room. They provide down feather pillows, so if you're allergic, request one of the other 4 types of pillows they offer! Great comfy bed with nice linens.
pick another hotel
- January 6, 2009
- Rated 1 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
I stayed at the Crowne in January 2009. I expect certain things from a supposed four or five star hotel - such as water. Every traveler to china knows you cannot drink the tap water and in fact the Crowne has a sign in every bathroom that the tap water is not to be consumed. All nice hotels in China provide complimentary bottled water in the room, typically a couple one or one and a half liter bottles, with more provided on request. The Crowne provides a 10 ounce bottle that has to last you a day, with no refills. Try brushing your teeth three times and washing your hands to put in and take out your contact lenses on ten ounces. and god forbid you want a drink - one swig and your daily allotment is shot! Your only option if you arrive thirsty late at night as I did is to buy water from the mini bar at an outrageous 32 yuan ($5 or $6) per bottle - the same bottle the local stores sell for 4 yuan. Whats next - limit you to one toilet flush or a one minute shower or 4 hours sleep - or you get charged extra? My complaint to the front desk resulted only in a sudden lack of their understanding english. You can't be a 4 or 5 star hotel on ten ounces of water a day. Stay at the grand hyatt, keep hydrated and have a way better breakfast.
Western Splendor
- February 8, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
This hotel was excellent. They make sure you are extreamly comfortable and taken care of. Lots of shopping and food nearby. It is difficult to understand directions in English but we never got lost
Editor Pick
Crowne Plaza Beijing
- August 19, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Seaotter71 from Monterey, California
The best thing about the Crowne Plaza Beijing is its Wangfujing location in the heart of Beijing. The Wangfujing area has lots of shopping and serious nighttime street-food action, and is a 20-minute walk from the Forbidden City. Except during rush-hour traffic, most attractions are a short cab ride away. And at about $92 per night (after taxes), it is a pretty darn good deal.
The rooms are a bit small but comfortable. They were decorated in the currently popular dark wood brushed metal and glass look for a modern sleek look. The beds were comfortable, if very firm. The one afternoon we stayed in we got a visit to confirm that our room had been cleaned to our satisfaction.
The concierges are all proficient English speakers and very helpful in making recommendations, writing instructions for cab drivers, and making dinner reservations and arrangements for shows. We paid the same that we would have at the box office, and when there, we were met by someone employed by the hotel (not uniformed, so I was a bit leery at first) who arranged for us to get seated before everyone else in our seat type. “Michael” was especially helpful and friendly.
Unfortunately, the English proficiency did not extend to the front-desk staff. Upon check in, I could not get them to understand that I had already paid for the entire stay ahead of time through Orbitz, and they insisted I needed to pay for the first night and would settle up the remaining nights at check-out. After such a long flight, I decided to take it up with them at check-out or with American Express back home. While the person checking us out noticed the error before I had a chance to mention it, I have not seen the promised credit hit my card. I’ve taken the matter up with American Express. So no harm, no foul.
Other amenities included a business center where you can access the Internet ($0.33 per minute) and money exchange.
The spa is rather aggressive in recruiting customers. On our first night we pressed the wrong button and wound up with two masseuses helping us with our bags and leaving us at our room with their cards. I found a better deal half a block away.
Overall, a great value for the money, centrally located, and well appointed. Just double-check the bill. I would stay there again.
From journal Father/Son Trip to China