Indigo Suzhou Grand Canal, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Suzhou City

The hotel is located connected to a mall which makes for easy shopping and dining without having to go outside in overly hot or rainy weather. It is also about a 15 minute walk from the Suzhou museum, designed by IM Pei. On the other hand, it is a good 40 minutes drive from the Gusu district (with traffic) so not well situated for touring.

Rooms were nice with comfortable furnishings. It was hot during our visit (about 40 degrees each day) and even with an east facing room and keeping the curtains closed all day the best the a/c could do was get the room down to 24 degrees, which was too warm.

The gym and pool areas are really nice. As is the bar, with lovely views. Front desk staff and housekeeping were all excellent. ice is only available by calling and asking to have it delivered (the website indicates they have ice machines, they do not)

It is a bit of a pain going in and out as you must first take an elevator up to reception, then transfer to a different elevator to go back down to your room.

DO NOT use the onsite spa!!! I decided to splurge in spite of prices being higher than in European hotels (so really outrageous for China). We had been travelling a month at that point and I thought it was worth the cost for a spa IN the hotel which i could therefore know would be good. Ha! They've converted a few hotels rooms on a lower floor by just removing the best and putting in a massage table. No heated towels, etc. The massage itself was very painful (I regularly have Thai massage and have had treatments in many countries, never experienced anything like this). Mostly I tried to assume she was a professional and knew what she was doing with pressure points, etc...but a few times it was so very painful I had to move/say something. The worst was on my forearm where was left with three deep purple fingertip sized bruises where she was squeezing so hard (I do not bruise easily). I also had several lighter bruises on my back. It was horrible and i was sore for the next several...

The hotel is quite new and is well located next to a major shopping center in Suzhou's "new"er district. Check in was quite smooth and staff at front desk is very helpful. The room was well appointed but slightly disappointed at the slightly small-ish living space due to the large bathroom, a smaller than expected walk-in closet with little room for suitcase and lack of larger/second sofa in the room which made lounging a bit more difficult in the room. The room was otherwise comfortable with curtain wall glazing allowing good light penetration, the bedding is good with most IHG products, and the bathroom is comfortable with a large egg-shell type bathtub with excellent view outside. I am slightly disappointed with the breakfast, which although had most of what is on offer at most 5 star hotel, is a very self service affair even with coffee. I found the breakfast selection slightly below average and the western offering is slightly below par (The hotel is mainly forcused for domestic visitors and without international TV offerings) but I have a higher expectation for a five star hotel. The breakfast feels more like a canteen than a five star hotel breakfast, and although quite relaxing it is a bit under serviced iimho. Overall it is a good hotel and well connected with conveinent access to metro. Staff are friendly and helpful and the hotel is well appointed. I didn't have a chance to use the amenities of the hotel but from what I gather they are quite well appointed as well. I would say the F&B at the hotel is a bit of a let-down and the room can benefit with larger...

Liked - This is a very brand new hotel, just opening on June 2021. It's the tallest building around in that area with an amazing city view from your room.|Personally, I really like this hotel's design, it really shows the unique design of Indigo style with local culture vibes. The staff is super friendly and has been very helpful for guests who first time visit this city. Especially, thank you to Yolanda from reception and Lobby manager Peter. The location is very convenient and connects to a big shopping mall. After all, I will fully recommend it to every traveler who made it to Suzhou city.||Disliked - It's a very new hotel, and there have a few things that need to improve.|1. Restaurant & Bar area the AC too strong. During the winter season, it will better control the suitable temperature for guests.|2. Sauna isn't running well. During my visit, the steam room is out of service, a kind of disappointment. The dry sauna room door got a gap, cold air keep into the sauna room and the temperature isn't going high inside, so they should fix the door.|3. Swimming pool there got the hot Jacuzzi pool area, it's too small and not deep enough, and not working well.|4. This is an international hotel and can't use the Visa or Master card for your payment, very...