National Hotel — Hotel in Beijing

I'd stayed here for 12 night. In parts, the hotel actually looks a bit dated and a tad worn out. The staff are helpful, courteous and while they do speak English, it's not very fluent but good enough for you to get your message through. However, most of them seem very keen to improve their English and do their best at speaking - A for effort!||The room was of pretty standard layout. The TV had multiple channels, enough to watch the news and catch a movie or 2 daily. There is a hot water jug, hairdryer, mini bar but you'll need to ring up for an iron & ironing board to be sent over. Laundry service is also available but I don't if it's just me, but I though that it was a bit on the high side.The bed was comfortable and I had good nights of sleep. The only thing that irked me a bit was these cards for "room service of the female variety" that were slipped under the door every night! After day 3, I'd actually decided to do a stake out of sorts by the door and in that 1 minute that I went off to use the loo, a card was slipped in - amazing!||I had most of my meals in the hotel and I'd actually enjoyed the daily spread. The crowd at breakfast was OK, dinner time was quite empty but chock-a-block at lunchtime! Apart from a Peking duck restaurant, there aren't any other food places available, especially in the evening/night. However, a short walk to the back of the hotel and there is a 24-hour convenience store (kinda like a 7-11) and a noodle place that's open during the day.||The location is actually pretty good too as it's just a short walk to the subway station (Xidan) and shopping malls at Xidan Street. If you want to, you can also walk to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the National Canter for the Performing Arts and for food and a bit of shopping at Meishi Street. If walking's not your thing, you can opt to catch the subway from Xidan to Tiananmen West station. As mentioned, there's also the convenience store at the back.||My overall experience was pleasant. I was here on business and actually had this hotel picked out for me. It's good if you're on business as it's a decent business hotel but, honestly, had I visited Beijing on my own, I probably wouldn't have opted...

I booked this hotel mainly for its proximity to my meeting location and its low price. It's in the same price range as the Shangri-la Zizuyuan buy about 1/2 the price of Westin or Intercontinental nearby.||Of the rooms (except suites) are standard rooms or executive floor rooms. Don't bother with the latter: they are 1/3 more expensive but identical to standard rooms except you get the use of the executive lounge which puts out a poor quality afternoon tea - bulk-buy biscuits thrown into a glass jar and tea/coffee from a glass juice tank dispenser. You also get a banana and an apple on check in day. No not on a fruit plate, just placed unceremoniously directly on the desk.||There is no hotel bar, no room service. There's a minibar (in the form of a fridge that's not cold) filled with some soft drinks and 2 bottles of water-like local beer. The coffee shop (where a buffet is put out for breakfast) is weirdly decorated, has no windows, and offer little in terms of a la carte choices. There are 2 other Chinese restaurants mainly targeting non-hotel-guests.||The room is clean overall, but it smells upon entry - a heavy, nauseating drainage pipe smell fills the room that my turning on all the taps doesn't help alleviate. There is rust on all taps and drainage covers, and toiletries provided are of s poor quality.||The furniture and fittings look like the hotel rooms were last renovated 20 years ago. The room is too hot even with the heating turned off (there's no cool air conditioning), and the windows of rooms facing the front of the hotel are sealed. I noticed the lock on the window in my room was hacked half off which allowed me to open the window - the lovely polluted air of Beijing breezes in, along with the sound of endless cars on the Main Street outside.||It's a 4-star hotel, I suppose inside the room it is, and the attitude of the staff also great, but the lack of amenities, the tired and worn decor, the smell, make it seem more like a 3-star one.||I think I would rather book another more expensive hotel and pay for the difference myself next time I come.||Sorry Minzu Hotel, your staff are nice but your hotel needs to have a...

This hotel is only worth booking if you want a central location and can get a good price. I liked the fact that it was near the Forbidden City etc and Olympic stadium and also good shopping.||The hotel itself was once grand but has various defects in its old age. My bathroom had black mould and a leaking sink drainage pipe. Only a few of the receptionists speak English. The main cafe restaurant food is patchy and they serve the same thing in the buffet almost every day. It is crowded and the service is a bit slow. ||On the plus side the hotel has a bank machine and a shop or two. The conference facilities were good.||There is nowhere to sit and have a meeting in the lobby after the restaurants close at 9pm. The lobby seats are all firmly meant to sit against the wall preventing any...