Jade Garden Hotel Beijing — Hotel in Beijing

Location was great. 10 minutes walk to the Forbidden City and a bit more to Tianmen Square. Lots of little shops and restaurants along the road and 10 minutes walk to the main shopping area with all the usual luxury brands interspersed with tacky souvenir and sweet shops. Taxi fares are dirt cheap in Beijing although traffic is a nightmare. ||The hotel is old and tired. When we ckecked in they said that although we were booked into a double would we accept a twin room. I refused so they gave us a free upgrade to what they said was a better room. it was on the second floor. There was a lift to the first floor and then two flights of stairs up the the second floor. A porter carried our luggage up but after that we took our chances. When we checked out we struggled down the stairs with heavy suitcases and helped another lady with hers.||The room would have been the height of luxury thirty years ago. A large lounge area and wardrobes as a sort of divider between that and the bedroom area, again very roomy. The aircon didn't work and we struggled to get the windows to open partially. The fridge made a noise but didn't chill our drinks.||A huge bathroom provided a large glass shower enclosure with a rainfall style shower head. Would have been impressive if the shower tray had been kept clean, which it hadn't. My wife ventured into the shower each day, using the non-slip mat provided for the bath to stand on but I didn't venture into it. There was a huge sink which made weird and wonderful noises when you pulled the plug. There was also a huge pink corner spa bath. We would have loved to use that but knowing how fastidious you have to be cleaning the jets out we daren't venture in. The permanent strong smell of drains was also an unpleaseant feature of the bathroom. Similarly, although all the rooms are non-smoking, ours reeked of cigarette smoke. ||The staff were freindly enough, as far as their limited English allowed. Communication was just about adequate but given the number of UK guests staying I would have expected better from some of the reception staff.||We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant one morning. It serves breakfast until 10.00 am and we went in around 9.30 to find very little on offer. We were told there were no free tables so we would have to get our food and go through to the bar across the corridor to eat it. There was nobody else in there and there were no lights on. There were many empty tables in the restaurant but they all had reserved signs on them. Eventually they decided they could spare us one of their "reserved" tables and we could sit down. The food was dire, to say the least. The bacon was cold there was little choice in terms of what was supposed to be an "English" or "Continental" breakfast. There was a toaster but no bread, which I had to ask for. They do cook fried eggs and omelettes on request but other than that there was very little to justify the 58 Yuan charge (about £7.50 each).||To sum up? I couldn't recomment this hotel, other than for it's location. I'd be looking for something a bit...

We stayed at the Jade Garden Hotel for a week, using it as a base for exploring the local area. ||||The location is incredibly central, within easy walking distance of some of the BIG sights (Forbidden City, Tieranam Square, Hutongs etc). It is about 1 to 1.5 km from 3 different metro stations, allowing you options depending on the metro line you want. (MetroMan App is brilliant for working out metro options). There was a number of local restaurants in front of the hotel and on the street towards the Forbidden City, with Wanfing Shopping Centre down the road for even more options, including ‘Western” options.||||The Standard Twin room itself was great. It was well furnished and spacious. Had a bath and shower over the bath with plenty of hot water. Bathroom toiletries were also available and topped up each day. Beds were comfortable and I think they were King Singles as they were quite big. The rooms was well equipped with TV (a couple of English Movie Channels), kettle with teas and coffees replenished daily, Fridge and a safety deposit box. The room was very quiet. It was dated but didn't bother us.||||Wifi was fab and we were able to get it in our room which was brilliant.||The have a restaurant which provides lunch and have a full breakfast option for 69 Yuan. It was actually pretty great with a chef making eggs as you like, cereals, Chinese and full breakfast options.||||The front desk staff spoke little English but were keen to help and made us feel welcome. Google Translator is always a winner.||||The history behind the place is pretty amazing too.||||While this is not a flash hotel, it had everything we needed and we were very happy during the week...

Jade Garden has many fantastic attributes, and some things that may be off-putting for a bougie guest. The hotel's central location withing walking distance of the forbidden city is an ideal base for any trip to Beijing. I have stayed at this hotel twice now, and have not been disappointed. One of the coolest aspects of the property is its history. Upon entering the Jade Garden hotel, one will not be wowed by a grand reception area or anything of the sort. However, the staff is courteous and efficient. Check-in is typically seamless from my own experiences. I will state that the rooms are a bit dated, but they are comfortable enough for a good night's rest, and I would hope that you are not spending too much time in the room anyways. Don't expect anything above basic amenities, and you will find yourself in the perfect spot. The hotel is affordable, centrally located, and the staff are efficient. Who could ask for more? For those of you with ridiculous expectations, please don't stay here, as you will only leave a bad review and deter others from enjoying this little gem in Beijing....