辽宁宾馆 — Hotel in Shenyang City

Of all the hotels I've stayed in in China, this is, by and far, one of my favorites. The Liaoning Hotel is a little bit like the Raffles in Beijing. Though nowhere near as well maintained as the Raffles, the Liaoning has the same kind of historical charm and presence that make a hotel "special". (For those interested, the Dalian Hotel on Zhongshan Square in Dalian is practically a carbon copy of the Liaoning and, along with the Liaoning, is one of only two remaining Yamato Hotel in former Manchuria. Anyways, if you stay at the Dalian Hotel, be sure to take the guided tour (50 RMB). You'll be able to visit the room where Emepror Puyi and his wife stayed. Also, at the front desk, you can pick up a set of old, color photographs of 1930's Dalian 大連都市の旧影.) It's a lot of fun, also, hunting for the rooms where Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai stayed, as well as getting to see what other famous Chinese celebrities once called the Liaoning "home". But, the Liaoning isn't just history. It's also a great hotel. The rooms are spacious, the ceilings tall, and the bathrooms big. The beds, too, are soft, which isn't always the case in China, where the rule of thumb seems to be the harder the bed is the better. The free breakfast buffet's also not bad, though it's worth noting there are very few "western-style" offerings to choose from, which might be a problem for picky eaters. Having said that, the staff are all incredibly nice, so, I'm sure that they would probably be willing to whip you up something extra if you can't handle the buffet. In any case, when you consider that you're getting all this - spacious, comfortable rooms, top-notch service, and oodles of history - for just around 50 USD (My friends and I booked two standard twin rooms for 636 RMB; ~ 100 USD), it's hard not to be happy. Throw in the fact that the hotel is centrally located, just in front of one of the largest Mao statues in all of China and a little less than a kilometer from the train station, and you'll be hard pressed to make a case not to stay at...

Of all the hotels I've stayed in in China, this is, by and far, one of my favorites. The Liaoning Hotel is a little bit like the Raffles in Beijing. Though nowhere near as well maintained as the Raffles, the Liaoning has the same kind of historical charm and presence that make a hotel "special". (For those interested, the Dalian Hotel on Zhongshan Square in Dalian is practically a carbon copy of the Liaoning and, along with the Liaoning, is one of only two remaining Yamato Hotel in former Manchuria. Anyways, if you stay at the Dalian Hotel, be sure to take the guided tour (50 RMB). You'll be able to visit the room where Emepror Puyi and his wife stayed. Also, at the front desk, you can pick up a set of old, color photographs of 1930's Dalian 大連都市の旧影.) It's a lot of fun, also, hunting for the rooms where Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai stayed, as well as getting to see what other famous Chinese celebrities once called the Liaoning "home". But, the Liaoning isn't just history. It's also a great hotel. The rooms are spacious, the ceilings tall, and the bathrooms big. The beds, too, are soft, which isn't always the case in China, where the rule of thumb seems to be the harder the bed is the better. The free breakfast buffet's also not bad, though it's worth noting there are very few "western-style" offerings to choose from, which might be a problem for picky eaters. Having said that, the staff are all incredibly nice, so, I'm sure that they would probably be willing to whip you up something extra if you can't handle the buffet. In any case, when you consider that you're getting all this - spacious, comfortable rooms, top-notch service, and oodles of history - for just around 50 USD (My friends and I booked two standard twin rooms for 636 RMB; ~ 100 USD), it's hard not to be happy. Throw in the fact that the hotel is centrally located, just in front of one of the largest Mao statues in all of China and a little less than a kilometer from the train station, and you'll be hard pressed to make a case not to stay at...

Rare historic hotel in bustling Shenyang in Manchuria (Liaoning Province). Low-rise remnant of Japanese rule. European Edwardian touches; lobby of marble floors and antique bronze lights. Atmospheric and comfortable. Impressive bar and function room (occupied by a wedding while we were there).||No advance booking. Walked in and given unprompted discount of 350RMB for massive, clean and recently-refurbished room. Room featured a PC with working broadband, water and a complementary bowl of cherry tomatos(!). Unfortunately didn't face the massive Mao Ze Dong in Zhongshan Square, though he did stay here in his visits to the the Dong Bei.||Hotel very quiet, staff perhaps not very knowledgable and little English spoken. Very...