Pace Hotel (Suzhou Guanqian Branch） — Hotel in Suzhou City

I was originally here for a business, with a trade show to go to at the Suzhou trade and exhibition center at the Industrial park||I came here via high speed rail from Shanghai, saw that PACE hotel had great reviews, and since it was enroute from the train station to the exhibition center, decided to give it a try||The hotel is closer to the Guanqian Pedestrian St and the famous gardens and museums than originally thought. The hotel sits right on top of the main metro lines 1 & 4, making public transportation extremely convenient||because the hotel was so central located, and because they had a great cartoon map and concierge that gave me the low-down on all the attractions nearby, I was able to turn this business trip into a leisurely trip, making great use of a spare day to see the historic city||There are lots of local delicacies situated within walking distance, I tried the famed Suzhou pastries and Plum + Begonia cakes. The front desk also recommended that I try the braised pork belly noodle from the “Yu Xing Ji” noodle store located just 3 mins away by foot, a shop with history dating back to the Qing dynasty||the hotel is a good mix of the old & the new, the eastern and the western. The rooms are well appointed, the fixtures are all brushed, matte black with branded with the logo “PACE”. Very nice touch. Had a great sleep, the bed and linens were clean and very comfortable, so a great shower, much better than the one I had in Shanghai (not naming names). I think it’s incredibly value at this price point, especially considering their warm service, the buffet breakfast and complimentary all-you-can-drink lattes and coffees||Maybe the hotel will read this and consider opening into the nearby cities: Shanghai, Kunshan. At this price point and this level of service, they also add a level of fun factor to the staying experience that I think is missing at hotels I stay at in China (mostly boutique, mid-priced...

I was originally here for a business, with a trade show to go to at the Suzhou trade and exhibition center at the Industrial park||I came here via high speed rail from Shanghai, saw that PACE hotel had great reviews, and since it was enroute from the train station to the exhibition center, decided to give it a try||The hotel is closer to the Guanqian Pedestrian St and the famous gardens and museums than originally thought. The hotel sits right on top of the main metro lines 1 & 4, making public transportation extremely convenient||because the hotel was so central located, and because they had a great cartoon map and concierge that gave me the low-down on all the attractions nearby, I was able to turn this business trip into a leisurely trip, making great use of a spare day to see the historic city||There are lots of local delicacies situated within walking distance, I tried the famed Suzhou pastries and Plum + Begonia cakes. The front desk also recommended that I try the braised pork belly noodle from the “Yu Xing Ji” noodle store located just 3 mins away by foot, a shop with history dating back to the Qing dynasty||the hotel is a good mix of the old & the new, the eastern and the western. The rooms are well appointed, the fixtures are all brushed, matte black with branded with the logo “PACE”. Very nice touch. Had a great sleep, the bed and linens were clean and very comfortable, so a great shower, much better than the one I had in Shanghai (not naming names). I think it’s incredibly value at this price point, especially considering their warm service, the buffet breakfast and complimentary all-you-can-drink lattes and coffees||Maybe the hotel will read this and consider opening into the nearby cities: Shanghai, Kunshan. At this price point and this level of service, they also add a level of fun factor to the staying experience that I think is missing at hotels I stay at in China (mostly boutique, mid-priced...

What a surreal experience to be in China during this Coronavirus outbreak. Here I am celebrating Chinese New Year with friend's family, and then suddenly faced with a viral outbreak and pretty much all attractions and malls, shops & restaurants closed throughout the city. So bummed. I was really looking forward to touring the historic city, the gardens, and the moat. Thank goodness I managed to check out the Suzhou Museum and Lion Grove Museum before they shut (look here architecture lovers: one is designed by IM Pei, and the other used to belong to his family).||||Anyways, faced with the stress of having to fly back amidst all this, and the prospect of self quarantine for 14 days, my friend recommended I stay over at this Pace Hotel, which is newly opened and has great reviews. The design of the hotel is very refreshing, I really like the mix of the east and the west, with antique 1920s furniture (I asked, real antiques) sprinkled through the lobby. Very chic, very authentic. The receptionists were very friendly, went out of their way to help me with cancelling tickets and getting new ones, helping with order-ins. I was given facemasks, hands were disinfected, felt very safe. The staff was literally scrubbing down and disinfecting every corner, every piece of furniture etc...Special shoutout to Cici at the front desk and Kyle, who I think manages the place, they made sure I got taken care of and always asking me what else I needed.||||Thanks a lot for taking care of me, see you guys...