Swissotel Beijing - Beijing, China 

Almost there
Posted: Wed, Nov 14 2007
I stayed at this hotel with a group of friends. It's interesting that we had a mixed view of the experience. Half the group had the executive rooms; half did not. Of those who had the executive rooms, half had problems with the airconditioning. When the head of the group rang up the reception, he was told to open the window. Uh oh. The executive room I had came with a small sitting area near the door. There was a larger TV there and a smaller TV at the foot of the bed. I think it is a nice idea but impractical because the bathroom opens into the sitting area. I was alone and never used that space. Otherwise the room was fine, no complaints whatsoever. The bathroom and bathroom accessories were good, all boxed and neatly tied with a ribbon. They even had a ribbon around the plastic slip-proof bathmat. The wastebasket was not lined--a sign of an upscale hotel. Service quality at the executive lounge and the cafe could be better. Overall, apart from the airconditioning that seemed to have afflicted some of my friends, this was a decent hotel.

Absolutely Loved the Swissotel Beijing
Posted: Fri, Nov 02 2007
I enjoyed a wonderful stay at this Swissotel! The location of the hotel is very favourable. The subway is just outside the main entrance, and there are cabs waiting at another entrance. In addition, there are ATMs within a 2 min walk. The front desk and the restaurant staff are very friendly and helpful. They were very quick and courteous to act upon my non-functioning key-card. The front desk is large and manned by several employees, which minimizes waiting. The staff are relatively well versed in English, and there is a variety of local and European staff working at the front desk. The restaurant service is prompt, friendly and courteous. One restaurant staff member even helped my friend translate something into Mandarin and wrote it out for her in Chinese characters to ensure smoother communication. There are also friendly staff members at another entrance to help with cabs. The interior of the hotel is great. The hotel lobby was just renovated, and the facilities were spectacular. The decor of the hotel is very nice, modern and very clean. The rooms are excellent. The sheets are new and clean, as are the towels and bathrobes. The furniture is comfortable, much like their beds. The room is well organized, and there is enough space to put away suitcases without any obstruction of walking. The furnishings are comfortable and there is much storage space. The in-suite amenities provided are better than average, including additional toothbrushes, slippers, q-tips and cotton, and nicer lotion, shampoo and conditioner, bathing cap, soap, shower gel and so forth. Moreover, since tap water in Beijing is undrinkable, the hotel provided two complimentary water bottles, located by the sink in the bathroom. The noise levels are very low, and the views are pretty. The hotel restaurant is excellent. We had the buffet breakfast there, and enjoyed it tremendously. The restaurant is large and well organized. The various food stations are well spaced to prevent congestion. The food itself was very good. There were many choices offered, both in terms of Western and Chinese cuisine. The omelet/egg station was well manned by friendly and efficient chefs. The choice of desert, fruit and juice was ample. In addition, the service was prompt and friendly, and the dishes, cutlery and linens were very clean. I would highly recommend the Beijing Swissotel to anyone! It is well worth your time !

Lacklustre and not up to the standard of an internationally-managed 5-star hotel
Posted: Thu, Oct 04 2007
I chose this hotel because I have a conference at the adjacent Asia Hotel. I did not want to stay at the Asia because it's a locally-run 4-star hotel and I am rather snooty about such things, admittedly. I looked at the website at the Swissotel and thought I'd give it a try. After all, my experiences with (limited) Swissotel hotels are okay so far and it's part of one of my favourite hotel brands, Raffles. But perhaps my expectations are too high. I was disappointed right from checking in till leaving. First, I reached the hotel late (around 12.10 am) and there was no one at the lobby except for a security guard. I signalled to the security to get me a bellboy to help with my luggage. It was only then one bellboy came to me. The check-in was also surreal, as there was no one at the counter and only after I shouted (in Mandarin, "anybody there?", twice) that a lady with dishevelled hair (was she sleeping inside the office?) came and checked me in. She initially had a sullen face, but after I gave her my broad smiles did she decide to reciprocate and smile back a little. The room that she claimed she'd "upgraded" me to was a small one, with a tiny bathroom. The sink was a cramped one, even though there is black marble. The sink was obviously an old one. I didn't know Swissotel is such an old hotel needing refurbishment. The non-smoking room I'd wasn't exactly sans tobacco smell after all. Due to some inconsiderate smokers in neighbouring rooms puffing away, I could clearly smell the cigarette smell from where I am, in a non-smoking level. I hate this, but I know in China, it's really difficult to ensure a non-smoking level sees no smokers at all. Still, call me a sucker, in an international 5-star outfit, I was hoping against hope... The food at the Cafe Swiss downstairs was mediocre. The latte I wanted was supposed to be using skim milk, but they actually told me that they'd run out of non-fat milk. That was the first instance. I didn't take breakfast there but in my last day, ate lunch there. I ordered a steak, medium rare (translating into Mandarin "30-40% cooked", literally). The steak took 45 mins to come, and it was almost well-done. As I was pressed for time, I didn't pursue the matter but went off sorely disappointed. The check-out was also poor. As it was peak period at 1 pm, there was a slight queue. But they did not go according to the queue (I know Beijingers don't follow queues, but still, in an international 5-start outfit?) and I had to elbow my way in at the end because I really need to leave to catch my flight. The reception lady gave a dirty look and throughout the check-out was with a sullen face, despite my many attempts to smile broadly at her. In this aspect, they've failed miserably for customer service. So, what's good about this hotel, you may ask? Location is fine if you wanna take the metro, as the station is right in front of it. But in the vicinity of the hotel, there is nothing like eating places or a convenience store. The rooms, though small, are adequate and the internet speed was fast. Yet, aren't all these expected of an international 5-star hotel anyway? When I was there in the 3 days, I notice that the hotel was hosting the chefs du mission of the upcoming Paralympics. The staff definitely looked stressed and were struggling to cope, in terms of efficiency, in terms of English language and in terms of politeness. So, what would happen if the Olympics come next year? Will they be able to cope? Makes me wonder, or should they just admit that they aren't 5-star and thus not make customers expect too much of them?