北京颐和安缦酒店 — Attraction in Beijing

I booked this Aman expecting world-class service and basic respect for confirmed reservations. Instead, I experienced one of the most frustrating and unprofessional hotel stays of my life. From the first interaction, it was clear they could not (or would not) provide the room I had booked, and their proposed “solutions” were insulting.

Their first offer? Pay more for the room that matched my confirmed specs, or have one of us sleep on the sofa because “we don’t provide rollaway beds.” That was their starting point. Hours later, after pushing back, a rollaway bed suddenly appeared — proof it was never really unavailable.

We picked this property for its location inside the Summer Palace, expecting the level of service the Aman brand is supposed to stand for. Instead, we arrived at 7 p.m. and spent nearly four hours negotiating, being told conflicting stories, and watching room availability and pricing change at their convenience.

Just a few low points:

A manager told us the sofa was “more comfortable than the bed” and that it’s what they choose when staying in the same room, as if their personal choice should dictate what paying guests accept. We are both Asian American, fluent in English and Mandarin, and could not shake the feeling that this kind of comment would not be made to a European-presenting guest.

When we offered to pay the difference for an upgrade, we were told no suitable rooms existed — yet their own website and third-party sites showed them available for the full length of our stay. Instead of honoring that, they suggested we spend thousands more on a second suite we didn’t ask for.

Our Amex Platinum booking benefits meant nothing here. The perks were completely overshadowed by the disrespect and hassle.

The most troubling part was the staff’s detached, almost apathetic attitude, as though misleading guests and creating obstacles is just how things are done. Even when we showed them proof of availability, they ignored it or produced new excuses that contradicted earlier ones.

And for business travelers: avoid this property. The bathroom in our room had a frosted glass door, which meant almost no privacy. I accidentally walked in on my business partner while she was using the toilet because it wasn’t clear it was occupied. This is an absurd and embarrassing design flaw in a hotel charging thousands per night.

The atmosphere throughout the property feels cold and unwelcoming. By the end of this exhausting ordeal, I was sleeping on a rollaway bed after paying luxury rates. This Aman was a complete failure in service, transparency, and basic...

A very beautiful Aman right next to the Summer Palace. I came here only for lunch at the Chinese Restaurant.

The restaurant set in a courtyard house style overlooking a private courtyard. The restaurant are quite small so better make advance reservations. The foods are delicious. One minor complaint would be lack of English speaking staff, only the supervisor can speak English (1 staff in the restaurant).

The hotel grounds are beautiful and the lobby is...

Best hotel I ever stayed. Love the period theme, amazingly curated rooms, with ultra well appointed interiors. Brings me back in time, feeling like I was staying in the ancient times. Palatial feel.

Breakfast at the imperial kitchen was awesome. If you like Asian breakfast, and traditional Beijing food, this is it!

I will definitely come back here again, if I do...