Tianjin Saixiang Hotel — Hotel in Tianjin

I paid 869 RMB per night to stay in a Queen Exec room. That's about $170 US incl buffet breakfast. The last time I was in Tianjin I stayed in a Marriott downtown. The facilities at this hotel are much better than the Marriott. The staff are friendly and the younger ones speak English well. I found a lot of pushy locals at the Marriott, making it uncomfortable for foreigners, but not so at SaiXiang. ||||The hotel is 10 minutes walk from HuaYuan metro station, on Line 3. Its an easy flat walk, but a bit hot in July to be walking outside. We came by taxi from High Speed Train station. We used the subway to travel about Tianjin, because road traffic is never fun. The metro is airconditioned, very clean, and very cheap. ||||The room was huge, clean, with a big and very comfortable bed. With robe and slippers, ironing board and iron, hair dryer, plush towels, safe, night light, separate tub and shower, tea and coffee in room, and a mini frig. The tourist book advised not to drink tap water. We were supplied with 2 x 550ml bottles each day. There is an evening turndown service.|||| Our room came with access to the exec lounge, which incl alcoholic drinks, and snacks in the afternoon and evenings. This included cake and desserts, rice and soup, but not really enough for dinner. Beer wine and spirits included. ||||Free internet, but it was a bit slow- like everywhere in China, in my experience. ||||The breakfast buffet is lavish and apart from the American style coffee, there is an espresso machine which makes very good coffee. Chinese, Japanese, Western, Indian items on offer. ||||There are a lot of restaurants in the streets around the hotel, but if you cant read Chinese you may not realise they are there. Not much English at the restaurants, but everyone is helpful and pleasant and they have menus with pictures. We went to an Ecological Restaurant and a Fishy Hotpot restaurant, within 5 minutes walk and both really good. There are also a Chinese Restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, and the buffet restaurant in the hotel. The Japanese one seemed v poplar with locals, but we didn't try it. |||| The hotel has a very big indoor pool and a gym, table tennis room and a...

The rooms are sizeable and everything is working. Pleasant interior, minibar, kettle, and a well-designed bathroom layout. Breakfast is great, good selection. The swimming pool is excellent and opening hours are splendid (6 am - 10.30 pm). The Japanese restaurant offers good food. The business centre and the little shop are not much use, but there are several shopping centres within walking distance. Also several really nice restaurants nearby. ||There are a few annoying things, such as the permanent music playing in front of the hotel that can be heard all the way up to high floors. Also the spa is quite forgettable. Massages are pathetic and there is a lack of hygiene (observed that towels weren't changed after use or that gowns were hung back instead of put in the washing).||When opening the windows in the room, the cobwebs...

Honestly I’m surprised by people who give this hotel 5* reviews. Perhaps they haven’t experienced truly good hotels in China (for a mere pittance by US and European price standards). The hotel is adequate- just. They advertise to be non-smoking but in my room there is a “no smoking” sign next to an ashtray. The entire hotel reeks of cigarette smoke. The beds are definitely very comfortable but my room is dusty and definitely outdated. The bathroom is small and there is mildew in the shower. The WiFi is slow and often goes out. HOWEVER, the food in the restaurants is excellent, and the staff are very friendly and professional. It’s a mixed bag, all things considered- I wouldn’t advise anyone not to stay here by any means, but they should be prepared for what they...