The Peninsula Beijing — Hotel in Beijing

My family and I travelled to Beijing for our Christmas break, but the experience we had with the front office at the Peninsula Beijing was by far the worst. We stayed there twice, and on neither occasion did the front office staff have the courtesy or knowledge to inform us that our $100 credit was not applicable to room service or the minibar. At check-out, I prepared a list of items we had used from the minibar (as a courtesy to save the staff effort), but we were told the credit could not be used and were asked to either return the items or be charged for them. I explained that if we had been informed beforehand, we would not have used the credit in this way. At that point, our suitcases were already packed, and my family and two kids were waiting for our taxi at the concierge. Despite this, the staff repeatedly insisted on their request without acknowledging their mistake or the inconvenience this caused. They also failed to provide any suggestions on where I could open my suitcase privately. I felt extremely pressured as three staff members engaged with me about this matter with the same demand. I assumed it must be a significant issue for them, so I retrieved my suitcase from the concierge and brought it to the front office to return the minibar items. The worst part was that I had to open my suitcase on the floor at the front desk, exposing my privacy in front of cameras, staff, and other guests. No staff member offered any assistance or advice, even after I asked if there was a private area or an office where this could be handled. What shocked me the most was that once I began finding the minibar items in my suitcase and handing them to the staff, Joanna Su (who appeared to be the duty manager I think) approached me and said, "No need, as I have the ability to move the funds around." Yet, she was one of the staff members who had insisted I do this in the first place! Afterward, I went to the pastry station with her to select cakes to redeem my $100 credit, and she mentioned, "I can give a bottle of complimentary wine." This was especially confusing since I had just been told the funds could not be "moved around." I am not pointing finger at her at all as she genuinely tried to rectify the issue and felt guilty about my experience. She took great responsibility on this matter, and I appreciate her efforts and inputs 100%. However, it was evident that she lacked a supportive team. For instance, the gentleman who checked me in on my second stay (a round-faced, bulky-built with short hair) failed to inform me about the terms and conditions of the credit. During check-out, when a junior staff member sought his assistance, he simply deflected responsibility. He also didn't bother to check a reported cigarette smell in the bathroom when I brought it to his attention. When Joanna asked him who had checked me in, he merely said, "Me," without taking accountability or offering an apology but just trying to step away. As a premium hotel at the Peninsula level, I cannot understand how such staff behavior is acceptable. The front office team needs to improve significantly in understanding terms and conditions, admitting their mistakes, and prioritizing guest satisfaction over their convenience and working as a cohesive time and supporting each other. On another note, during our stay, we also noticed a heavy cigarette smell in the bathroom next to the reception, along with cigarette ash in one of the sinks. While taking my 4-year-old to use that bathroom during breakfast, I saw a man with a name badge who appeared to be a hotel staff member and seemed to be the person who was smoking there (I could be wrong). I reported the issue to the front office, but gentleman merely apologized without even bothering to check, even though the bathroom was only a couple of steps away. This was the first time we encountered smoking in a hotel bathroom, and it was...

Peninsular Hotel Beijing||An imposing building and one entered a spacious initial||lobby which held the Concierge and Bell Desks.||Then into the hotel proper to face an enormous staircase||leading up to the second floor ,very austere and not at all||welcoming…reminded me of a municipal building/bank.||( Interestingly on the in-room TV there is a presentation by||the designer who raves about this staircase and harkens||back to a Chinese Golden Age….he’s missed the plot||entirely, the Peninsular is a Hotel not a Museum, one's first||impression needs to be “welcoming” not “foreboding”.)||||Then where do we go ,right or left, luckily we followed our||Guide who led us to the far right corner of the lobby to||reach a pokey little recess where there was a small 2||meter desk with a “Cashier” sign ,no indication of||“Reception" (i.e.Welcome)||We stood in line and eventually reached the front.||( What ever happened to the 5 Star Welcome where you||were guided to a seat at a desk ,given a cleansing towel||and a welcome drink?….not a this Peninsular!)||I handed the girl my Credit Card for incidentals and we||collected our keys and made our way to the lifts.The Lobby itself is “barren” no armchairs ,tables, NOTHING,and this is both sides of the austere||staircase ,void of any waiting comfort. ( the breakfast cafe||is wrapped behind the staircase ,but not suitable for||relaxing.)||Luckily there was a Grand Piano in the lobby and for each||of the 3 mornings while I was waiting for our guide, I pulled||the stool from under the piano and used that and waited||there ,otherwise it was sitting on the stairs or the airconditioning||shelf..as many people actually used... or sitting on the floor!!||||The Suite was very well appointed with all the amenities||including an office set-up with a printer.The bathroom had||a wonderful large bath which we appreciated.The Twin||Beds where rather small in width, more suitable for||children and I often found myself nearly sliding over the||edge (Luckily the other 2 Hotels we stayed at in China had||more appropriate width beds for adults )||I am not a great fan of “dimming “ light press pads and||these ones meant pressing the pad for at least 5 seconds||to switch on or off….annoying. Also they didn’t have a||“night light” feature so you had to grope along the wall in||the dark to find the light pad.||On checking my Credit Card activity I saw that the Hotel||had charged me RMB6000 (nearly USD900.00 ) for||incidentals ,on check-in ,being rather jet-lagged I thought||she said RMB 600. This is a ridiculous amount for||Incidentals and their policy is RMB2000 a day ,so If you||stayed the a week your credit-card would be hit with over||USD2,000.00 which is exorbitant etc.etc.||Being familiar with thePeninsular in Hong||Kong ,London,Beverly Hills and Bangkok it doesn’t seem||to me that the Beijing Property is...

The Peninsula Beijing is arguably one of the best hotels I have experienced in a while!||The service by the restaurant staffs were phenomenal – in particular Lucas, Elaine and Cayne. Lucas – in particular – went above and beyond every morning asking us whether we enjoyed our breakfast, where we planned on visiting and recommended some sights when our ideas ran dry. Lucas made us feel like family and we were glad to see him every morning. Elaine and Cayne were also most helpful accommodating our requests and tried to make our breakfast experience most enjoyable. The spread of breakfast was also vast enough and the dishes on the a-la-carte breakfast menu were some of the best I’ve seen in breakfast buffets. ||The housekeeping staff’s attention to details were also unfathomably good – even for a hotel this caliber. The housekeeping staff somehow managed to ensure that our room looked exactly like what it looked like on the first day when we checked-in and made sure that our stay was a comfortable one. The rooms were also extremely clean and we it’s honestly unthinkable how we couldn’t even find a speck of dust in a city known for its air pollution! I would also like to commend, in particular, whoever was on the general hotline on 3rd July 10pm – who somehow managed to find my Airpods that I have lost somewhere in the hotel that morning. I was very surprised that they somehow managed to deliver my Airpods to my room 15 minutes after I called – I’m sure I would’ve lost it for good had it been other hotels!||The pool – must I say – is also worth a mention! The pool’s water quality was amazing and extremely soft on my skin. I’ve swam in many 5 star hotel pools, and, honestly, this is one of the best I’ve swam in. The lifeguards and pool support staff were also very attentive and made sure everyone had a safe and pleasant experience. ||What really surprised me though was that the 5 star service continued after checkout. After checkout, Ludi came over to help us with our carry-ons and even got us water when we’re waiting outside for the taxi! That’s amazing service that you no longer see in most hotels nowadays.||If there’s one thing the Peninsula Beijing can improve on, it’s the check-in experience and concierge. We were, unfortunately, not led to our rooms or shown where the lifts are … The concierge also didn’t have spare maps! While these slight issues didn’t impede our experience significantly, it surely wasn’t a good first impression and didn’t match the caliber of service they provided later during the stay. ||Having stayed in other Peninsula hotels and other 5 star hotels, Peninsula Beijing definitely stands out among the pile. While there’s still very small details they can improve on, the entire experience was very enjoyable, extremely relaxing and pleasant. Hats off to...