The only reason to stay there is if you MUST be close to western Beijin. Traffic is terrible, pick a hotel in area you want to be...

The hotel used to be nice, the lobby is grand, but it is really run down. The staff is very friendly, and tries to be helpful. There are limits though. The biggest issue is people smoking.

No smoking signs mean nothing. People smoke everywhere. A surprisingly high number of guests smoke in their rooms. They keep the door open to bring in the fresh air from the corridor! Really unbelievable.

When we arrived, we saw at least four rooms before settling. I am sure the fourth room was just as smoky as the first one (all on non smoking floors...) but we probably got used to the smell.

The hotel has all the four star amenities, minibar, safe, bathrobes, nice amenities, etc.

The concierge was very helpful.

They have a great buffet restaurant with asian and western specialties. Great breakfast.

A plus is a very large pool...

i was in this hotel for 9 nights and i think they are trying to be better. at first when i saw the negative comments about this hotel i thought i cant stay there and i must change my hotel when i go there but when i arrived there everything has been changed and i saw a perfect improvement in the rooms and buildings .rooms were clean and beautiful .anyway i suggest everybody to residence in this hotel.

First impressions of this hotel were extremely positive with a beautiful lobby area open for several floors above your head decorated with tall palms and observation elevators. It was furnished with stylish and comfortable couches which just invited you to sit and enjoy the ambience. Unfortunately after checking into our rooms and coming back down to enjoy the atmosphere my wife and I were told we were not allowed to simply sit in that inviting space, as the 80+ (mostly unoccupied) seats were for paying restaurant customers, not for paying guests. Upon discussion with a staff member we were begrudgingly granted permission to sit in one specific couch at the entranceway to the lobby, however this was not communicated to the waitress who shooed us out only a few minutes later, telling us we could sit in one of 8 patio chairs around 2 tables located on the faux-marble floored area adjacent to the revolving door. I resisted ordering something so that we could stay as the prices were exorbitant by comparison with other places we had eaten in China. On the plus side the rooms were comfortable, and the breakfast buffet was very nice, although the service was slow for the cooked-to-order eggs or waffles. Having no free Wi-Fi for paying guests was a big lack in this hotel. In summary, I felt like I didn't belong at this hotel, and that it was not family friendly.

Recently stayed at the presidential in Beijing and absolutely loved it. The staff where helpful and the room we had was recently renovated and very big. It also had the most comfortable bed I have ever had in any hotel around the world.

Location was great veral central to everything.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone