32.Accommodations and Dining Accommodations
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Accommodations and Dining
Accommodations
Travelers to Beijing will find a wide range
of accommodations to suit all tastes and budgets. They vary in quality
and amenities from five star western chains and Chinese brand hotels, to
resorts, historic guest houses, bed and breakfasts, and more modest
hotels and hostels. Visitors will find a complete range of choices from
brand new to centuries old, friendly, clean and comfortable to shabby
and less than pristine.
Hotels
For travelers seeking four or five star
accommodations, the top choices are the joint-venture (Chinese and
Western) brand name hotels of well-known Western chains. These hotels
have management and staff with Western training and the standards
approach those of their equivalents elsewhere. The Park Hyatt Beijing at
the top of the Yintai Office Tower has panoramic views across the city.
The Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Hotel are also in the Central
Business District on Xi Da Wang Lu. Raffles Beijing Hotel is on East
Chang An Avenue. The Mandarin Oriental is in the avant-garde
architectural masterpiece of the CCTV Tower.
Next in terms of quality are the wholly
Chinese-owned and managed hotels which list themselves at the four and
five star level. The best choices are the newest hotels in this group,
as standards and amenities are not always maintained at the same level
over time. Hotels in this category include: the Yuyang Hotel Beijing
next to the Liangma River in downtown Beijing, and the Capital Hotel
Beijing in the Wang Fujing shopping area near Tiananmen Square.
Travelers looking for convenience for
Beijing International Airport have a choice of several airport hotels
with free shuttle services. The Sino-Swiss Hotel (Guodu Dafandian) is a
resort-style hotel with a pool. Other options are the budget Air China
Hotel (Guohang Binguan) and the three-star Blue Sky Hotel (Lan Tian
Dasha).
Chinese star rating system does not
coincide with the star ratings that most western tourists are familiar
with. Five star ratings are awarded by a central tourist authority with
common standards across the country, but hotels with four star ratings
or lower are judged by local authorities with varying standards and
levels of monitoring by inspectors.
In some hotels visitors may receive
unexpected phone calls with a female caller offering “anmo” (massage)
and more. Most phones can be unplugged.
In Chinese hotels a biaozhun jian
(standard room) has twin beds or a double bed and a private bathroom.
Older hotels offer a danren jian (single room) but this often contains a
double bed and is cheaper than a standard room. Non-smoking rooms may
contain ashtrays.
Most Chinese hotel rooms offer:
air-conditioning (central or wall-mounted), a telephone whose line can
be used for a laptop, a television (CCTV 9 is the English channel) which
sometimes offers a movie channel, bags of green tea and a thermos of
boiled water, soap and shampoo.
More and more three star and higher
hotels accept foreign credit cards, but travelers should check first.
Most hotels that cater to tourists will exchange foreign currency into
cash, but some will not accept traveler’s checks. Usually guests need to
pay for their stay in advance and pay a yajin (deposit) which is
refundable on departure. At time of check out, hotel staff will check
the room to make sure everything is there and undamaged before the
deposit is returned. A 5% to 15% service charge is added to the room
rate by some hotels. Visitors should make sure to keep their receipts as
proof of payment to avoid being charged twice. When checking in
tourists will need to show their passports and fill in a registration
form. It is generally advisable to look at the room before paying and to
register for only one night. Visitors can extend their stay the next
day if the room meets their requirements. Children 12 and under stay
free, and hotels will provide an extra bed for a small charge.
Recently hotel regulations in China have been changed to allow all hotels to accept foreign guests.
Resorts
In the scenic and historic areas
surrounding Beijing, with their rolling hills, lakes and forests are a
number of resorts and spas offering comfortable accommodations to
visitors, together with onsite restaurants, bars, and entertainment
facilities. The Yan Oasis Resort and Spa Hotel is on about 15 miles from
Beijing Airport, on the outskirts of the city and offers five star
accommodations. The three star Yunhu Holiday Resort is located on the
Inner Lake Miyun Reservoir 55 miles from the city center. The five star
lakeside Nirvana Resort Beijing is in the Dao Xiang Hu Natural Park in
the north of Haidian District.
Hostels
Budget travelers wishing to stay near the
city center can stay in the Ba Da Hutong, the old Red Lantern District
southwest of Qian Men. In this neighborhood of narrow hutongs
(alleyways) are many hostels, such as the Far East Youth Hostel, and
cheap hotels. One of the best-known of the restored and converted former
bordellos is Shanxi Xiang Di’er Binguan at the north end of Shanxi
Xiang, which has air conditioning, televisions and private bathrooms.
Another grander, but less well-maintained choice near Da Zhalan is Qian
Men Changgong Fandian, a 200 year old hotel conversion with a stunningly
elaborate interior. The second floor has more comfortable rooms.
Bed and Breakfasts
Bed and Breakfasts and guest houses offer
a more personalized form of accommodations. Visitors wishing to stay in
a historic courtyard lodging could look at the Bamboo Garden Hotel in
Xiaxoshiqiao Hutong and Lu Song Yuan Hotel in Banchang Hutong, both in
the picturesque Hou Hai Lake area, north of the Forbidden City.
Zhongtang Guesthouse Beijing is a Qing Dynasty-era courtyard guesthouse
near Behai Park and the Forbidden City.
During the Olympics families were
permitted to open their homes for homestays allowing visitors the rare
experience of staying in a Chinese home.
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