Scholar Shantang Hotel — Hotel in Suzhou City

The location of this hotel is very cool, it's right on a pedestrian street. If you tell the taxi driver the address above, he'll drop you off at one of the street ends and you'll have to walk to the hotel. They do have a back entrance that is accessible by car, but you'll have to contact them for that information. ||||This part of town is pretty old and as a bit grunge. There are scooters try to speed...smells of fried stinky tofu fill some parts of the street. It's long but doable walk to the Suzhou Museum and Humble Administrator. ||||We did a two bedroom villa suite because we were a group of four. Instead of one large sitting area, it ended up being two separate ones, one upstairs and one downstairs. The bed was extremely comfortable and the room was pretty spotless. The one sofa had a few stains, not great but not the end of the world for me. The stairwell, some of the molding was getting a little beaten up. In the sitting area, there was a very nice tea set with good leaves. Also surprised that they had L'Occitan bath products. The bathtub and sink could drain a little bit better.||||Hotel staff was very courteous. For English only customers, there was a staff member when I visited that had excellent English. I don't know if that is the standard or a special case.||||Breakfast spread was a bit understandably more limited compared to other massive hotels but what they had was quite good.||||Stay here if you want some...

Make sure you get the right Scholar’s hotel as there are several with that name. |The one reviewed here is along Shantang Street. A famous ‘old street’ in Suzhou’s old town that inspired the emperor Qianlong to build his Suzhou Street in the Beijing Summer Palace. |This is an emerging Chinese hotel brand under the ‘schotel’ name. It has branches across Jiang Nan area. |It is charming and built around an old Suzhou garden with the rooms in newly built double storey ‘villas’. |The rooms are large and comfortable and come with sofas and amenities such as tea, drinks, TV and best of all in winter heating in the bathrooms. |Take time to snap pictures in the well kept traditional gardens as these are reminiscent of the classic Dream of the Red Chamber mansion. |Service staff are attentive and try their best. The hotel opens right onto the main Shantang commercial street. |It is however a short drive from the main sights such as 拙政園 獅子林 and the IM Pei designed Suzhou Museum. |There are boat tours along the canals and also guided tours that can be arranged. |The hotel has a buffet breakfast that is quite extensive and do try the local Zhejiang dishes. As these were praised by the ancient poets and were famous all...

General: ||1) the cruise tour available for room guests to join is not recommended. The ferry packed with many tourists and they were noisy. ||2) no view in the room; but it is acceptable because the room is big||3) it't not convenient the hot pot heater located in the living room while I have to go far to get water; ||4) The lights of the air-conditioner control is on all night long and it affects our sleeping condition.||5) when the occupancy is low, the hotel should arrange guests staying in different houses instead of in the same building. The noise of the other family upstairs affect us.||6) convenient location||Like: ||1) Hotel arranges car transfer to major tourist attractions||2) The room is comfortable and large||3) The boys at front office (one of them surname is Jin) are helpful before my arrival and during our stay while a lady at the phone was not helpful. I was asking them the route to the hotels but I received different service from the above staff. ||4) the concierge gentleman...