We stayed here for 9 days and had a lovely stay. The staff were helpful and welcoming. It is situated on a busy but relatively quiet side street, off the main Zhan Qian Road which has a lot of malls and shops on it.
Breakfast was ok, but a bit same-y after 9 days, as if you don't fancy Chinese food for breakfast, there is just toast, butter and orange jam, boiled eggs, sweet corn on the cob and fried eggs or omlettes made fresh in front of you.
Rooms are made up daily, with fresh towels and toiletries, and also free bottled water each day.
There's a kettle and tea cups, and green tea and coffee and sugar sachets provided free of charge.
The flat screen TVs are great, but be prepared that there are precious few English language programmes or movies, and virtually none in any language other than Mandarin or Cantonese. You have to flick through the Channels to find anything worth watching, but CCTV10 (channel 9 I think on their TVs) is a news station in English, providing a very interesting Chinese take on world news which was fascinating.
Only not so great part was the 2 nights when they decided to scrub the hall carpet outside our bedroom at 2am, thus waking us up. They did not seem to understand why this had been a problem when we called down to them and the next morning when we spoke to them at the reception desk, but after the 2nd time it didn't happen again, so I guess they got it!!
Overall, a very pleasant, great value hotel in a great location (very close to major malls for individuals and buyers too such as the Jianhe Accessories City, which is right next to McDonald's, see directions below). Many good restaurants around (try The Mark Chinese Cuisine, about a 2 minute walk if you turn left out of the hotel and stay on the hotel side of the street) and a McDonald's just 5 minutes away (turn right out of hotel and left into Zhan Qian Road and you will see it in a building that goes over the street) if you can't face any more noodles and photos of entire roasted chickens, head and all, which adorn the walls of most Chinese food restaurants! There is also a lovely restaurant (pricey though) at the far end of the hotel street (Zhan Qian Heng Lu). Turn left out of the hotel and follow the road to the end, cross the main road at the end, and enter the park on the opposite side and right there is a lovely restaurant overlooking a lake with views of a very posh restaurant and tea house called the White House the other side of the lake.
Don't forget to grab some of the hotel's business cards from reception, because unless you speak Chinese, you will have great trouble getting back to the hotel as you are unlikely to find a taxi driver that speaks enough English. The cards have a map, the address in English and Chinese and a message in both asking you to be taken to the Hotel Elan in Zhan Qian Heng Lu (Lu = Road). A very useful thing to offer I think!
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