Zhangjiagang Marriott Hotel — Hotel in Suzhou City

Everything you would expect from a five star hotel. I stayed for 5 nights on the 28th floor in July 2024. The huge rooms are well appointed and mostly very quiet- thanks to good double glazing and double thick, rebated doors with seals. It also looks like there are no rooms opposite each other which minimises any hallway noise. The king bed was firm but softer than most that I've had in decades of visiting China. I didn't like that there was only one type of flat pillow in my room. I liked the walls that slide out to separate the bathroom from the bedroom. The shower had excellent water pressure and constant temperature with hot water arriving quickly. Really dark blockout curtains. Fast wifi. breakfast buffet on the 39th floor with mostly western and Asian choices. The machine coffee was average. The extensive view was limited on most of the mornings due to rain and fog. The hotel is directly linked to the Wanda shopping mall, which has Uniqlo, KFC, pizza hut and many restaurants- if you don't feel like paying the exorbitant Marriott food prices. Unfortunately there is no supermarket nearby. Only some mini markets...

Pros: ||This hotel is definitly on the toplist in Zhangjiagang area with nice decor and it should be a good choice for Marriott members for either short or longer stays if service quality was not a major concern.||||Cons:||Poor service in Zhangjiagang Kitchen. ||We had a buffet dinner which was promoted with hairy crab theme last week. Each person was served with a pair of hairy crabs and the quantities are limited to people number on the table. ||Crabs were served in a bad time, when we were almost full! We had to ask for a box to pack the crabs, not the other self-serviced food. However, the staff refused with a bad excuse ( they can only guaratee food quality on the premises, no food leaves the diner ) ||It was a very disappointing and awkward moment. They could at least have had the courtesy to honor the recent government campaign "clean the plate", but they don't!||Talked to Marriott 400 hotline, filed a ticket and asked for escalation. No reply at all. This is unexpected and...

I was hoping this would be a nice stay and I wasn't disappointed. As it's the tallest building in the area, the views are spectacular. As it's new, there wasn't the same musty cigarette smoke smell that many hotels have in China, and I hope that guests will respect that going forward as I'm due back at this hotel in just 6 weeks time! ||||I was especially pleased with the room upgrade (given the Elite loyalty status I hold with Marriott). Aside from language challenges here and there, the intentions and efforts for good service were there in abundance by the staff. The breakfast was also fairly exceptional for this part of China. ||||In short, this was my favorite stay in any Marriott in China yet - and other than my stays at the Ritz and some other higher level brands, this may be my favorite Marriott hotel overall. I look forward to my return and reconnecting with...