Aloft Guangzhou University Park — Hotel in Guangzhou City

Maybe I shouldn’t be so tough on this hotel….it’s fine, but visiting on a recent July Friday night - it didn’t quite feel like the somewhat-livelier concept Aloft was originally intended to be was happening here. The Aloft University Park is located in University Park - convenient to a ton of local colleges, and without traffic 20-something minutes into the central Guangzhou city-center Tianhe district - but otherwise a bit sterile as you’d expect for an outer-lying Chinese campus complex and mostly residential immediately around the hotel itself. Now for me this hotel met my needs - I was specifically looking to skip driving into the city that night as coming in quite late, and I’m sure for the more common situation of having commitments in University Park (or a diehard history fan wanting to see the Whampoa military academy remains?). The room was standard Aloft design and clean-enough….though the shower/bathroom definitely seemed like it wasn’t getting the most rigorous cleaning as you could tell on the grout things weren’t spic and span. The lobby itself seemed like the lights were only half-turned on, the self-serve breakfast and snack area seemed practically closed with notes of a very specific schedule alternating days of wontons, noodles, etc for breakfast. I didn’t actually check the restaurant itself (second floor? I’m not sure) given the limited time I was here. Parking is convenient right under the hotel, with electric charging as well - though for the first time I think I’ve ever seen the parking complex cameras couldn’t detect my car, leading to a hassle to get in and out. All in all, this Aloft was fine-ish….but having stayed at a number of Alofts across the US and India in particular….it just doesn’t seem like the concept translates itself to China in this sort of location all that well. Would have liked to see a bit more effort put into the rest of the features of the hotel -though this may just be a function of low business and a developer...

so reason why we were here was they are doing a science center staycation package that 799CNY per night for 2 adults and kids, one king size bed room, breakfast and dinner (buffet) and science center tickets! (which later we found out normal booking is only 500CNY include breakfast and dinner, which means we kind of spend more on this package "deal") well first we saw the pictures and saw the Marriott sign of approvals. figure this should be pretty good…. so we booked for 2 nights…. let me tell you. it was SO bad that we decide to ditch the 2nd night and leave in the afternoon! the room itself was look pretty decent…a business hotel room with some kids deco for the package! great~ well guess what. while we were all taking shower … all of sudden there is no cold water! only hot water coming out! now. outside the room… well first look at lobby. what on earth does the karaoke box booth and the doll crane machine doing in a hotel lobby !! the restaurant… well there were pretty much no AC throughout… food was rather un appealing as you can see in the pics, noodle booth told us they ran out of hot water…(should have get some from our shower then?!) now… swimming pools… staff were all on cellphone and didn't even try to give you towels. the water was merky(and ice cold)… and the changing room reek urine smell on the floor! overall. it was a horrible experience. I guess if you are just staying here for business or conferences …and just need clean room and food. that was an alright choice (the room was...

The cleaning staff was thorough and friendly, especially the woman who cleaned our room very often (5 out of 7 days it seemed). Our room was well taken care of and I knew my belongings were always safe. The Nook was very nice, and the service was really excellent. They have more than just a buffet. There dining options are quite extensive. The buffet however consists of many different dishes, including bbq, fish, soup, seafood, etc. The staff their is hard working and dedicated to their job. Seven is very approachable and greets the guests politely and with a smile, his English is also very good. While going to the local store, I actually ran into Seven and he was very polite even outside of work! Reallyt a sincere man. Kevin is a dedicated employee that really improves the overall service of the dining room. Sissi is always very professional and her English is excellent. I always felt comfortable and taken care of at the restaurant, whether it be breakfast or dinner. The Nook has many guests not just from the hotel, but from around the city. Really an ambient place to eat. It is managed very...