Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou — Hotel in Guangzhou City

I have previously stayed at the Four Seasons Guangzhou back in March of 2025, the experience there was meh, so I thought I try something different this time. Unfortunately it turned out to be pretty poor overall with Mandarin Oriental, this is not at all like the other locations I have experienced. ||First of all, as a Western traveler, some of the most basic stuff will be very frustrating. When I stayed at the Four Seasons, the internet speed was decent, averaging around 20m most days. At the Mandarin Oriental, the speed was so spotty, there were plenty of times it was simply at a snails pace. This is very very unacceptable if you are hoping to entertain your kids with streaming or even doing basic conference calls. The worst part is the hyper aggressive firewall they have placed at this hotel. We all know there is the China firewall that blocks you from most western apps and websites, it is virtually impossible to work around at this hotel. I have multiple VPNs, some private, some commercial, on some nights it took me hours to get through just so I can access my emails! In Four Seasons it was the far milder version, your typical NordVPN, ExpressVPN can bypass the firewall easily. I am now writing this review at the Ritz Carlton in Guangzhou (I got so frustrated with Mandarin I had to switch), I am not even using VPNs at all, the internet works like I am back in the States. The speed at the Ritz is around 10-20m on average.||The second part that will frustrate people is that fact most of the staff can speak English but not great, the overall proficiency seems to be lacking. A lot of times they seem to not understand what you are talking about, I don't know if this is due to the fact the brand is owned by a Hong Kong company instead of your typical American or European chain. ||But the worst part my experience came as a result of a room service order went horribly wrong. We went out for the day and came back late, so ordered room service around 9;40pm, we were told it would be ready in about 30-35 minutes. Then an hour went by, hour and half later still saw nothing. I called the room service desk, front desk, I got no responses. No one bothered to call us and let us know what happened either. I got frustrated and called the concierge desk and told the folks there of the situation. Not a single word of apology and simply wanted to transfer me back to a non-responding room service line! I understand it isn't their issue, but the obvious "I don't give a damn" attitude tells me the lack of training on basic customer service. When the food finally showed up 2 hours after we ordered, most of the food was cold, and to add insult to injury, the kitchen staff put the fish on top of the chips and it turned into a soggy mess. The chicken wings I ordered must have been the world's smallest, the lamb chop barely had any meat on the bone. What is also hilarious was the fact the lamb chop came with what I thought was some kind of sauce on the side, it turned out to be meshed potatoes! One tea spoon full at that. The level of stinginess from the food served will make your fellow cost cutting profit maximizing capitalist blush! ||By then I was furious, so I called and demanded to speak to the duty manager. The poor fellow showed up later not knowing what to do but attempted to fix the situation. By then it was well past midnight and whatever appetite was completely gone. ||I will wrap up with something positive. The Michelin starred Jiang by Chef Fei restaurant was pretty decent, which was pretty much the only positive experience I had. The Executive Club Suite I stayed in was so so. ||Bottom line, the hotel is in a great location, decent hardware, but software is sorely lacking. The subpar service and lack of basic empathy tells me the management is the...

Excellent Service from Eaton||My husband and I had the pleasure of staying at Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou this past May, and our experience was made truly memorable thanks to the outstanding care and professionalism of Eaton, the Assistant Front Office Manager.||Our trip coincided with continuous rain, which put a damper on our plans to explore the city. The hotel was incredibly busy, with long lines at the front desk and concierge, but Eaton noticed us—two older travelers—and went out of his way to step away from the counter and ask if we needed assistance.||We had booked two rooms via American Express, which included a complimentary late checkout until 4:00 PM. During check-in, one receptionist already kindly extended this to 6:00 PM for one room, knowing our flight was in the early hours of the next morning. However, our flight was later delayed to 2:00 AM due to the rain, and we hoped to keep one room until 11:00 PM (for a quiet workspace) by paying a half-day rate. Eaton checked the room availability and explained, with genuine regret, that a full day’s rate would be required for an 11:00 PM checkout because the hotel was nearly fully booked the next day. Instead of leaving it at that, he offered a thoughtful alternative: one room would still enjoy the free 6:00 PM checkout, and my husband and I could pay for two accesses to the Executive Lounge. This allowed us to enjoy the evening cocktail there after 6:00 PM and continue working in the lounge until it closed at 11:00 PM. We happily accepted. Eaton personally showed us around the lounge, introduced us to lounge manager, and ensured all arrangements were smoothly handled.||Though we still felt disappointed about missing out on exploring the city, Eaton went above and beyond to turn things around. Learning we were from Germany, he knew Europeans often enjoy museums, squares, and historic sites. He asked if we’d like to visit the Guangdong Museum and, upon realizing we didn’t know how to book tickets, kindly used our passports to reserve slots via the museum’s app. He even sent the confirmation details to my husband via Airdrop, ensuring we had everything we needed.||Our visit to the museum was extraordinary. We were captivated by the exhibits, including rare Qing Dynasty clocks and imperial artifacts specially transported from Beijing’s Forbidden City—many of which were crafted in Britain, offering a fascinating glimpse into 18th-century China’s connections with the world. We also gained a deep appreciation for Guangdong’s history and culture. It was the perfect ending to a trip that had started with regrets.||A heartfelt thank you to Eaton—a warm, composed, and attentive young man—for going out of his way to make our stay exceptional. Thanks to him, we’ll always remember Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou for its impeccable service and unforgettable...

For a hotel, being cool is generally the antonym of being classy or Chinese (e.g., Hard Rock Hotel). Meanwhile, being stylish is typically incompatible with being relaxing and comfortable (e.g., YOTEL). The more extreme a hotel goes on one of these aspects, the more intolerable it would be on the opposite aspect. Magically, this general claim does not apply to MO Guangzhou. MO Guangzhou is an extremely cool while classy hotel; it is truly stylish but still overwhelmingly relaxing and comfortable. I would abstain from describing the physical environment of MO Guangzhou further - I am afraid that my words cannot even depict 1% of how exciting and refreshing this piece of architectural art is. Therefore, I would leave the pictures to do the description job. But what I can confidently say is that the design of this MO hotel, from the lobby to the room, is astonishing and inherits the MO tradition to pay great attention to arts and even the most minor details. Perhaps if we imagine the most tranquil garden in the Old Summer Palace (before being burned down) and modernize it a bit, we may be able to imagine how special MO Guangzhou is like.Beyond its architecture, the people are another huge asset of MO Guangzhou. Just like MO Macau, the ladies and gentlemen at MO Guangzhou are super warm, friendly, and professional - really, which hotel brand can compete with MO in this regard? MO Guangzhou convinces me further that MO hotels are where the best hotel professionals would go to. There are several ladies and gentlemen that I am particularly grateful to. Thank you so much, Natalie! Thanks for your really warm welcoming, guiding me around this beautiful hotel, and introducing each room facility to me (and, of course, telling me where I can buy the fan!). It is my pleasure to meet you. Your beyond-professional hospitality is the best reminder to me that MO is the best hotel brand on earth! Also, thanks, Susanna and Stin! I am really honored to meet you two at the end of the stay, and I truly enjoy the conservation with you two. You two made the check-out no longer dry or standardized. Instead, it is more like a farewell by two old friends when I am about to leave their home. Thanks for inviting me back to MO Guangzhou for my special day, Stin! I would love to, given how amazing you guys are. Additionally, I cannot be more grateful to the entire concierge team. I long heard that MO people uphold the tradition to exhaust whatever means possible to help their guests with whatever they want. You guys prove that this rumor is not an incorrect one! I have never encountered a concierge team that would rush around to help me to check where I can do a body check at midnight! You guys are so committed. Respect!MO Guangzhou has made me even more addicted to...