Hotels in Beijing, China

We were greeted by the staffs immediately after we arrived at Raffles, the hotel was better that expected, the staffs were very helpful, and its location is right next to Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, shopping, restaurants, etc. We enjoyed our stay in Beijing, expecially at Raffles. We will stay at this hotel again in the future, and we will recommend it to everyone.

Immediately upon arrival at the Grand Millennium Beijing, you will be treated--and feel--like royalty. I have stayed in some nice places before, both in the States and abroad, and this hotel is among the best. The staff at the hotel in Beijing are pros at making the customer feel welcome and going above and beyond to ensure everything is as perfect as possible. The rooms (my fellow travelers and I were in "executive club" rooms) were spotless and the bathroom had both a tub and shower (separate). The desk (free wireless in room) also contained power converters, and the TV and (free) mini-bar area were nice as well. There is an in-room safe, free slippers, robes, and information on laundry as well. The bed was very large and comfortable, and there was a nice couch/lounger as well. The views of the city from the large windows in the bathroom and bedroom were superb. Particular staff members who were helpful included Abbie and Mark in the executive lounge, and Sam (concierge/baggage). A complaint is that every transaction seemed to take a long time, compared to the US. Although there was not much of a language barrier, it took nearly 45 minutes to check out on our final day (we actually stayed at the hotel on two separate occasions during our week-long trip to China) since I was playing cash for several rooms and trying to sort out expenses charged to the room. It was not entirely their fault, but considering they knew we had a car reserved (via the hotel) for our trip to the airport, it should have taken 15 minutes... A small quibble to be sure. Another one is that there is no free wireless in the lobby, which was ridiculous as there is a lobby lounge with tons of seating. It was fairly inconvenient for me while waiting for my party to arrive. But otherwise, a painless stay at a wonderful hotel.

I reall think this is one of the best hotels. It has a great central location and is within walking distance of Tiannenmen square as well as Temple of Heaven and other attractions. There is subway access across the street (and it is so easy and cheap to get all around Bejing on the subway system). There are many reasonably priced places to eat around the hotel and in the mall which is 5 minutes away walking. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The one thing that I did not like is smelling cigarette smoke on a nonsmoking floor. Unfortunately, it is probably like that in other hotels, too. The other drawback is that the internet is slow. Great bonus and tip - there is a fantastic tailor shop on the ground floor (Jenny Tailor). They are reasonably priced and have made me some of the best suits and shirts that I have ever had custom made. They make clothes for both men and women.