Lishunde Hotel Tianjin — Hotel in Tianjin

Date of stay: November/December 2018|Accommodation Type: Deluxe Room|Traveller type: Business||Overall Rating: 8.8/10|Cleanliness: 10/10|Amenities/Facilities: 9/10 |Location: 10/10|Room comfort and quality: 7/10 |Service: 8/10|||8.8 Luxury Hotel on the decline||After my stay at The Astor Hotel in Tianjin sometime back in November-December 2017, I looked forward to another comfortable stay in 2018. But unfortunately, I was disappointed when I revisited the hotel in November 2018. |||PROS |- Both rooms I’ve stayed in are generally clean and tidy. One is a corner unit which explains why it’s so spacious, but the 2nd room I was moved to, the one next to the elevator on level 6 was definitely more inferior in its sound-proofing and smaller. |- Apart from the ballroom staff, the staff at the hotel reception and the ground level restaurant are actually friendly and helpful. |- The hotel lobby still look as grand as before, with a air of festivity welcoming Christmas with a tastefully decorated tree with other fine touches. |- If you’re staying in a room facing the river and pier, the view is beautiful and romantic. |- The beds in general are comfortable, and sleep quality would have been way better if they fixed the issue with the air conditioner. |- Breakfast? Impeccable. The spread caters to western tastebuds but also offers the local delicacies. ||CONS |- Since we were there for an event, the ballroom staff were exceptionally non-responsive and slow-moving. In fact, they didn’t seem to appreciate or value the fact that the event was actually bringing them income. Or maybe upper management does but the people running the grounds are just disillusioned employees clocking hours. |- As a foreigner, I don’t get why the air conditioner in the rooms are kept at 25 degrees celsius? Even though it may be freezing outside, it doesn’t mean that the cold is going to keep us cool in the rooms. I was practically perspiring during my sleep and woken up by the stuffiness and heat. |- The bathrooms and the carpet are definitely looking more worn out than a year ago. |- The bathroom: the wooden legs holding up the basins look like they are rotting, in definite need for replacement. Perhaps the reason why the bathroom also had this unpleasant musky smell? |||The hotel’s heritage, the historical value of the hotel gave it its charm but unfortunately it seems like age is catching up from the inside. ||The hotel facade, lobby, restaurants didn’t give away the fact that the hotel was supposedly started in 1863. But the interior furnishings of the 2 rooms I’ve stayed in are beginning to reveal its deterioration. Or maybe the hotel only takes care of the more expensive rooms? ||While I reminisce my stay in The Astor Hotel in 2017, I certainly hope it wouldn’t stay only as reminiscence but that rejuvenation works for The Astor Hotel are in the pipeline and would happen soon enough. Please bring back the majesty and splendour to...

Date of stay: November/December 2018|Accommodation Type: Deluxe Room|Traveller type: Business||Overall Rating: 8.8/10|Cleanliness: 10/10|Amenities/Facilities: 9/10 |Location: 10/10|Room comfort and quality: 7/10 |Service: 8/10|||8.8 Luxury Hotel on the decline||After my stay at The Astor Hotel in Tianjin sometime back in November-December 2017, I looked forward to another comfortable stay in 2018. But unfortunately, I was disappointed when I revisited the hotel in November 2018. |||PROS |- Both rooms I’ve stayed in are generally clean and tidy. One is a corner unit which explains why it’s so spacious, but the 2nd room I was moved to, the one next to the elevator on level 6 was definitely more inferior in its sound-proofing and smaller. |- Apart from the ballroom staff, the staff at the hotel reception and the ground level restaurant are actually friendly and helpful. |- The hotel lobby still look as grand as before, with a air of festivity welcoming Christmas with a tastefully decorated tree with other fine touches. |- If you’re staying in a room facing the river and pier, the view is beautiful and romantic. |- The beds in general are comfortable, and sleep quality would have been way better if they fixed the issue with the air conditioner. |- Breakfast? Impeccable. The spread caters to western tastebuds but also offers the local delicacies. ||CONS |- Since we were there for an event, the ballroom staff were exceptionally non-responsive and slow-moving. In fact, they didn’t seem to appreciate or value the fact that the event was actually bringing them income. Or maybe upper management does but the people running the grounds are just disillusioned employees clocking hours. |- As a foreigner, I don’t get why the air conditioner in the rooms are kept at 25 degrees celsius? Even though it may be freezing outside, it doesn’t mean that the cold is going to keep us cool in the rooms. I was practically perspiring during my sleep and woken up by the stuffiness and heat. |- The bathrooms and the carpet are definitely looking more worn out than a year ago. |- The bathroom: the wooden legs holding up the basins look like they are rotting, in definite need for replacement. Perhaps the reason why the bathroom also had this unpleasant musky smell? |||The hotel’s heritage, the historical value of the hotel gave it its charm but unfortunately it seems like age is catching up from the inside. ||The hotel facade, lobby, restaurants didn’t give away the fact that the hotel was supposedly started in 1863. But the interior furnishings of the 2 rooms I’ve stayed in are beginning to reveal its deterioration. Or maybe the hotel only takes care of the more expensive rooms? ||While I reminisce my stay in The Astor Hotel in 2017, I certainly hope it wouldn’t stay only as reminiscence but that rejuvenation works for The Astor Hotel are in the pipeline and would happen soon enough. Please bring back the majesty and splendour to...

Like many, we stayed here recently for the overall historic experience - there aren't a lot of 150+ year old hotels in China (15 years is considered "old"). And it was a good overall experience - you got to see the space more and "live" in the room, getting a bit more of the atmosphere. But don't expect over-the-top service or tremendous luxury - this is a state-owned hotel operation primarily marketing to tourists taking selfies...||||- Our room in the old wing was solid - clean, good linens, spacious. Lots of marble in the batrhoom; room a good mix of old "Victorian" style but clean and well kept overall. Minor complaints would be the inconsistently flushing toliet (my wife called to have someone look at it, and was just told it was old and that's how it was) and the lack of the view - we looked out directly at the roof of the courtyared atrium - barely any light in the end. ||- Limited hours on the bar and western restaurant - Bar is officially open only Friday and Saturday (but on our Saturday stay was closed due to post-holiday workday swap); didn't look into restaurant hours specifically but seemed to be closed most of the time....courtyard cafe though seemed to be open for tea, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks etc fairly wide hours. ||- Hotel service was mixed - did seem proactive to great me as a foreigner in English which isn't always a given in China...but also some hassle like our 4 pm checkin was greeted with a request to wait "just a few minutes" to confirm the room; we finally pressed 15 min later for it to be solved and somehow was instantaneously resolved. ||- The hotel also has a museum in the basement about the property's history and role in Tianjin overall. Unlike many museums in China, it does acknowledge foreigners by name and their contributions so that was a solid plus. Of course it's not the deepest history, but fun to see some of the artifacts - old menus, room equipment, etc. That said - can also get much of the context from searching on YouTube for an old 3-part CGTN/CCTV Intl. series on the hotel's renovation. ||- Breakfast was fine - it's not a big space so can get somwhat crowded; food quality and service seemed average-ish.||||Overall, I'd recommend staying here once - it's a unique experience. But - given the prices aren't that much different from the major branded newer hotels (the St. Regis 2 km away was practically the same price, let alone Westin, Shangrila, etc) - it's hard to recommend the Astor House for a second stay or beyond. The "character" in the end is somewhat obscured by the tourism feel; the Taj Palace this is not (in terms of really distinctive luxury...