InterContinental BEIJING SANLITUN — Hotel in Beijing

We were disappointed with the Intercontinental Hotel or we should say we have higher expectations for an international 5-star hotel. Check in was very disappointing. Our check in time was 3 pm. We arrived at 3:40 pm and was told our rooms are not ready yet and recommended that we go have a walk around the area and come back in an hour! Honestly, after a flight, we just want to get rested and then have dinner. With no choice, we went for a walk. We came back after more than an hour and our rooms were still not ready! Front desk told us to sit in the lobby and wait for another half an hour. No one came to ask us if we need anything while we waited. After more than half an hour, we were so tired that everyone asked to go inquire when will the rooms be ready. STILL NOT READY! But they said we can go to the rooms and if we needed adjustments, they can look after it later. The room has NO PRIVACY! The shower and toilet are separated but only has one sliding glass door that encloses one or the other at a time and you can see through. The bathtub is in the open. The hand sinks and counter design is so bad that every time you do anything with the water, you get drips on the floor. The shower faucet is the worst design I’ve seen in any hotel, so hard to adjust the temperature cuz you cannot figure out how much you’ve turned. And they all leak! Housekeeping was not professional enough. We found amenities that were not there the second day which means they didn’t give them to us the first day. Our mini bar was not refilled on the second day and I have to call front desk to refill it. There were still soap scums on the shower door handles and behind the wash basin. And interestingly, we found spelling mistake on the room service reminder card. That’s not acceptable for an international 5-star hotel. Breakfast has lots of choices but taste was just ok. We’ve had better at 4-star hotels. Location is very convenient to the adjacent mall with tons of restaurants and choices. However, the amount of people smoking in front of the hotel was not acceptable. Maybe they were too busy on check in day that they cannot have someone outside the hotel to inform people they cannot smoke there or it was some prominent guest smoking there and they didn’t dare to stop him but that one thing I noticed when I got out of the car upon arrival: SMOKING! Was glad there wasn’t much cigars smell after moving away from the front door. And people do not respect personal space. They stand so close to me and talked loudly. It was too uneasy. And they budge! My friend told me I have to be demanding and “bitchy” in China if I want things done but it’s hard being a Canadian for 40 year. Overall, I was not getting...

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Beijing Sanlitun

Stay Dates: 27th – 29th March 2025

During my travels through Asia, my stay at the Intercontinental Beijing Sanlitun was a standout experience, showcasing world-class hospitality right in the heart of Beijing’s dynamic Sanlitun district. Perfectly located with easy access to the city’s cultural, culinary, and commercial highlights, this hotel is an ideal base for both business and leisure travellers.

From the moment we arrived at the airport, the service was seamless — we were met at the gate, smoothly transferred to the hotel, and guided effortlessly through check-in straight to our room. Every part of the arrival experience was professional, warm, and incredibly well-organised.

We stayed in one of the hotel’s spacious suites, which offered a blend of understated luxury and homely comfort. The city views from the suite were stunning, and the room was designed with thoughtful attention to detail — from the bedding and lighting to the stylish decor and generous bathroom amenities.

The hotel amenities were exceptional, particularly the spa and gym, which are among the best I’ve experienced in Beijing. Whether you’re looking to unwind or stay active, these facilities provide everything you could ask for in a luxury setting.

Dining was another highlight. We tried two of the hotel’s restaurants, and both impressed with excellent cuisine and service. The club lounge also deserves special mention — elegant, quiet, and offering exquisite food throughout the day in a beautifully styled environment. Breakfast, served both in the main area and the lounge, was extensive and of outstanding quality.

The staff throughout the hotel were attentive, reliable, and always happy to help, consistently delivering a level of service that made us feel genuinely valued. It truly felt like they went out of their way to ensure our comfort and satisfaction.

A special thank you to Mark Sun and Jeff Zhang, whose professionalism and warm hospitality made a lasting impression on us.

For the overall quality of experience, comfort, and impeccable service, the Intercontinental Beijing Sanlitun offers superb value and a memorable stay. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Beijing who wants to enjoy the city in style...

This is my first review for a hotel and this Forbes Travel Guide 5 Stars Hotel deserves it. One of the happiest thing that you can do in life is to make your parent so happy that he can’t hide and control his smile. My father is someone with a lot of patience and like things low key, but this time, he just couldn’t wait to share a.k.a showing off to his friends and family about his stay. The check in process was a bit long due to our weird passports, but it was fine, because my dad was entertained by the luxurious designing of the reception area. Now to the room, the old man is a big fan of the designing, he will be there educating me about it. I ain’t in school anymore, ain’t wanna be lecture, haha, just happy to see him this happy. He will say stuff like, “五星级的须刨就是不一样.”（我无语）What made him even more happy is the Club Intercontinental Exclusive Privileges which I didn’t expect, I paid the extra money only expecting to get a higher floor for my father and get the room ASAP, because I was in a rush to meet a friend. With this exclusive privilege, I was able to take my friend to the Club Intercontinental which according to her, is a place that a lot of people would like to have access to. The atmosphere is quite nice, more importantly, I learned how to learn how to make fresh orange juice.Special thanks to:- Pearl, Leia, Devin for having patience with our “weird” passports, unsuccessful QR code results, and the early check in around 12pm. It made it easy for me to meet my friend on time at 2pm.- Mark from Concierge, this fella is hella smooth with any guest, he just got that swag. - Mark from F&B, thank you for the fresh orange juice, really needed that. - 孙师傅 the chef at the breakfast area and 刘哥 from HSKP were friendly and attentive.- Crystal and Ella from Char for the excellent service, my friend seems to enjoy it.- Thomas for the on-time taxi arrangement, the taxi was much more better than the one we had before. - 杨浩卓, this little brother was so down to Earth, was willing to talk to my awkward father who likes speaking Mandarin but not really that good at it. Good luck with becoming a 空少.- Last but not least, Thank you Christy for taking her time and extra step to provide a world class service, even...