Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen — Hotel in Beijing

As the saying goes - give credit when credit is due. And I will do just this on my recent stay at the Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen on 12-16 January 2019.

First, let me compliment on the great customer service provided by the Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen's Reservation Department. As I was taking the 6 hour plus overnight flight getting into Beijing at the early morning hours of 6.30am, hence I dropped the Reservation Department a special note to request for an early check-in BASE ON A ROOM AVAILABLE basis. Reservations Department was very polite and courteous to reply me that they took note of my request and will do their best and accord me an early check-in if there is a room available. A courteous and positive response like this is enough to exemplify the great customer service culture of the Reservations Department.

On the day of arrival, I had Reception Sui attended to my check-in. Not only was reception Sui extremely polite and courteous, he was also most helpful, enlightening me with very good information about the Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen and its surrounding, as it was my first stay at the hotel although I am a regular with the HIE Group of hotels. Bosh also started off my morning very well, after a long 6-hour plus overnight flight, telling me that he does have a room available for my early check-in so that I could have a good rest. It is indeed a joy been attended to by Bosh. My compliments to him.

My impression about the hotel is that it is very clean, generally most staff at the reception were all very friendly, courteous and polite. And also very helpful in ensuring that guests will have a great stay and experience with the hotel. Such great customer service do make guests most willing to come back.

Location of the hotel is great, with enough of local eateries nearby and easy access to transportation. The room is clean and housekeeping did a great job with their cleaning services.

Breakfast was generally good. No cause for any complaints.

Overall I had a great stay, and will definitely make the Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen my hotel of choice in all my future visits to Beijing. As a matter of fact, immediately after my stay, I had my son and daughter-in-law stayed at the hotel one week after me.

However, there is one negative aspect which I would like to highlight to the hotel management. And this is pertaining to a couple of 'PRIVATE HIRE CAR" parked outside the hotel entrance. To me, these are "pirate taxis" or "touts". Out of curiousity I asked for the fare from the hotel to Hongqiao. They told me CNY100, when the taxi metre fare would be around CNY30. This is certainly a rip-off and will bring a bad name to the hotel. Hence, I would suggest that the hotel management removes these "pirate taxis" or "touts" from your hotel entrance.

It is acceptable to charge 10% or 20% higher in fare since it is a private hire car. But CNY100 for a CNY30 fare is certainly atrocious. Above all, safe and security of hotel guests with these couple of pirate taxi or touts have to be serious addressed.

J Goh Singapore

IHG Platinum Ambassador...

I arrived earlier than the usual check-in time. The staff at the reception was very friendly and accommodating. She told me I need to wait at most 30 minutes for my room to be ready. It was fine since I saw on the lobby that they have Mac Computers available for public use. I was about to turn my back but she told me, she just got the info from housekeeping that my room was ready. That was quick. She gave me my room key and the morning newspaper.

The lobby was spotlessly clean. Elevator functioned properly. The corridor was impressively well-lit and decorated. And my room was exactly as I expected.. exactly what was on the website. TV with foreign English channels worked. Aircondition was quiet and warm. The window was wide and had an excellent view. The curtains were really sun-proof so it was dark when you close it to sleep. Toilet and bath had a smell of bleach but I was impressed with the lighting and fixtures. There's a choice of comfy pillows on the firm bed. Room lighting was well appointed.

Breakfast was included in the room rate. Western and Chinese food selection was OK. Restaurant staff greeted and smiled at me. They spoke and understood English. Restaurant windows were wide and had a considerable amount of morning sunshine.

A huge western supermarket called April Gourmet is just a minute away on foot. Sanlitun Village is 10 to 15 minutes away on foot or by cab. The bars at the Worker's Stadium is on the next block. Two subway stations are nearby - Dongsishitiao or Dongzhimen Station. Kenny Roger's and other western restaurants are in the vicinity. It's close to the embassy area and some shopping areas too.

Only thing negative was I could hear the baby crying from my next door neighbor's room at 5am. But I couldn't fault them on that.

I would definitely recommend this hotel for it's location, efficient and friendly-staff, cleanliness and good-value for money. So, Thank you Beijing Dongzhimen HI Express. I'll keep...

Having recently spent 3 nights at this location, I would unfortunately not recommend it to others. The hotel itself is in good condition, rooms are clean and breakfast selection was better than I would have anticipated, although the buffet food was obviously not as fresh as higher-end hotels. My major complaint was temperature of the guest room. Apparently, like certain other hotels in China, they had turned off the air conditioning given the season. By the second night, my room was over 26 degrees in the evening. I contacted the hotel staff to seek resolution (as the thermostat was set much lower and showing to be on air conditioning while the vents were producing hot air, and the room was significantly hotter than common areas including the hallway on my floor). The staff sent a portable fan, which did nothing to reduce the temperature. They then sent a hotel engineer who played with the thermostat for a while and left the room, having made no modifications or difference. At 2:30 a.m., with temperature above 27 degrees in my room and being unable to sleep, I visited the front desk and requested a room change, which the overnight manager at first refused. The lack of customer service was remarkable. Even more concerning, during all three discussions with hotel staff, the recommended solution they presented was to open the window. This occurred during the period that the Beijing municipal government issued its first ever Red Alert for air pollution, and recommended inhabitants stay indoors and wear a pollution mask when outdoors. In short, an absolutely incredible lack of customer service and common sense displayed by the hotel's staff in the circumstances. The hotel employees' attitude will affect not only my choice to stay at this location again, but to consider any Holiday Inn branded property...