北京中安宾馆 — Hotel in Beijing

zhong an hotel can be considered a good hotel but it has got its positives and negatives, so to sum up things:||positives:||1- check in and check out went very promptly and smoothly||2- reception staff have got a couple of them that speak helpful English and they can help you by suggesting some sightseeing places in Beijing and how to get there with a good free subway map in English, they are ready to answer your questions as much as their simple English words and phrases can do and of course this is very rare in China||3- although their rooms are rather small they are nice and clean, with simple furniture, good bed, nice amenities in the bathroom like a tooth brush, tooth paste and a comb that are changed daily with very good housekeeping ||4- their restaurant is very nice, the breakfast is very good if you want to try the Chinese food and there is some western food as well, nice chopsticks or a fork and a knife you choose, and I have tried also some Chinese specialties in lunch and dinner that turned out to be very good with reasonable prices||5- good free wifi in your room but of course sites like facebook and google are barred in China||negatives:||1- although they always mention they are near to Beijing railway station and subway station yet you should bare in mind that this is considerd near according to the Chinese standards and very large distances and huge areas, so actually you have to walk about 700 meters or so from the station to the hotel||2- the hotel itself is situated in a very old, filthy, ugly, smelly hutong full of very low standard locals, and you can imagine how it becomes really really so scary and frightening and so dark at night, something like a real horror film, yet I have to admit that it is safe to walk there as the hotel is just next to a big police station||3- there is no lift in the hotel, so you have to struggle with your luggage when you arrive or leave the hotel||4- rooms have no mini bar to have a cold drink or water,and there is no safe for your valuables !!!!!||5- the TV in the room has got only Chinese channels so if you are a tourist you will have no benefit of it||6- bathrooms although in a good state but yet look very old||7- no international phone calls at this hotel||||so, finally, it is a budget hotel, it is cheap so it...

Basic hotel close to metro and city centre, great for launch pad into the adventures of Beijing. Has the air of once opulent hotel, nostalgic remnants of the past, including marble surfaces, garden courtyard and wood carved staircases. Sadly not been maintained or renovated for decades and despite the staffs best efforts to keep clean, it has a very tired feeling.|An interesting addition to the hotel is that it houses many pieces of memorabilia and photos of Edgar Snow and his wife Helen. He lived here and wrote|Red Star Over China which is a culmination of interviews and experiences of the late 1930s Communist Party of China while it was still obscure to Westerners.|Our room was spacious for Chinese standards, which included a bath and shower. Daily bottled water and clean towels were brought while we were out exploring. A note for westerners, beds in China are very very hard. Expect thin pillows, a mattress sheet and either a thin blanket or cover.|Breakfast was fresh and healthy but expect no western foods. Enjoy the noodles, dumplings, pickled vegetables, boiled eggs and rice as a point of difference. You can request toast, a fork or spoon and a version of coffee you wished you hadn’t. My point being, while in China, revel in all the wonderful differences. |The staff were efficient and open to using google translate to assist with any questions.|The hotel is located down some dark and at times ‘fragrant’ alleys but my kids and I never felt unsafe, even...

We were tourist, walking all day long viewing the different palaces/temples/etc. We came back in the evening to a terrible mattress. It was on top of a wooden platform, with a 4cm mattress, and a mattress pad. Asked front desk after first night if they could make it softer, the maid added 2 more mattress pads. However she took away the extra comforter that we had found in the closet and used as padding. It made it only a bit softer. The price was good for the time we were there, no other hotels could be found for the 3 of us to be in 1 room that were a reasonable price. The breakfast offered in the morning was inexpensive and authentic. It was a quiet courtyard to sit and have a drink in the evening. The alley/street it is located on is also quiet. There is a small shop across the street that sells bottled water, beer, soda, snacks, etc.|The only way I would stay here again would be if we were 3 in a room again. Otherwise if we are 2 in a room I would opt for a more western hotel.|There was an air conditioner in the room, however we did not use it. The nights were cool. The bathroom is a bit small, but everything was clean. |The reception on the TV was terrible. Only 1 English speaking channel.|The front desk Staff are great. Spoke enough English for our...