“Great 1 night stay”

I stayed in this hotel, in room 707, only 1 night whilst waiting for my morning flight back to the UK. Having read several reviews of this hotel, I hope I can dispel some of the misleading comments that have been made. Firstly getting there. There is a hotel shuttle service, the times of which var… more

I stayed in this hotel, in room 707, only 1 night whilst waiting for my morning flight back to the UK. Having read several reviews of this hotel, I hope I can dispel some of the misleading comments that have been made. Firstly getting there. There is a hotel shuttle service, the times of which vary throughout the day. Terminal 1 pickups are from Gate 9 on the 1st floor. Terminal 2 pickups are from Gate 27 on the 1st floor. The current schedule is attached but also see the link below. Note that you can choose to take a paid service if you just miss a shuttle. Do not try walking to the hotel, even though it appears close. In theory, walking might be possible but the road arrangements are such that you have to walk out of your way and it would takes as long as waiting for the next shuttle. Some travellers have claimed taxi drivers will not take you there. Wrong. I took a taxi and had no problems. The fare was 33RMB. However, I gave him 100RMB and told him to keep the change. Naturally he was delighted and broke into effusive English. If you do encounter problems then simply offer to pay the taxi driver more than the fare! I was quickly checked in by a young lady who did not speak much English. Some people have claimed no or little English is spoken at the hotel. Wrong. I found many hotel workers spoke adequate English, including porters, restaurant staff and managers. Patience is needed. The receptionist offered me a toothbrush and shaving gear, both of which I accepted. A ported, who spoke good English, helped me to my room. The lifts are controlled by the room key and automatically select the correct floor when the key card is placed near to the reader. My room overlooked part of the airfield and I spent much time, particularly at night, watching the aircraft taxi, take off and land. The hotel supplies free ear plugs but I did not need them, even though I am a light sleeper. I could just hear the airplane engines but the noise was not at all intrusive. The sleep quality was excellent with no noise from adjacent rooms or from overhead. The room was smallish but very comfortable. There was coffee/tea making facilities, an easy chair, a large king size bed, plenty of storage space, and a safe. The bathroom contained a washbasin, WC and shower – no bath. Toiletries included shower gel and shampoo. Wifi worked well. I took a shower and, when trying to adjust the shower head, it all came tumbling to the floor, glancing my head and just missing my feet. The fixture holding the shower head had broken. I took photos and went down to reception to report the problem. The receptionist alerted a manager who spoke good English and was very apologetic. He was very concerned for my welfare and did I need medical attention. I assured him I did not. He wanted to move me to another room but I said I was there only one night and had already unpacked. He said he would get maintenance to make a repair. When making my reservation, I chose an option that gave me Executive Lounge access. The Lounge is on the 7th floor and is supposed to provide snacks and beverages in the evening. Note that it is closed at the moment and has been closed since Covid! It might be re-opened soon. It is surprising that it has not already re-opened. I saw no information when booking the hotel that the lounge was closed. However, no problem. The manager said that arrangements had been made for people such as me to have a selection of snacks and beverages in the hotel restaurant and guided me in there. I was shown a card containing various foods and I chose a Tsingtao beer for my beverage. A magnificent selection of foods soon appeared and this was followed later by chocolate cake. Everything was superb. The snacks included smoked salmon, fresh fruit and various hot and cold foods. I had a second beer. The staff were very good, attentive and spoke English. Amazingly, by the time I had returned to my room, the shower had been fixed. Incredibly quick attention. One would not get this level of maintenance in many hotels worldwide and this is one of the reasons I give this hotel 5 stars. I had a good sleep and went down for breakfast when it opened at 0600. There was a wide selection of good hot/cold foods, western and Chinese. I took the 0730 shuttle to the airport in a coach containing only 3 travellers. I was extremely satisfied with my stay at this hotel even though it was only for 1 night. Possible if I was there longer then I might find the room size a little constricting but it is perfectly good for my stay. The hotel staff were excellent.

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