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The hotel does not have a swimming pool but was told that there is one nearby. I believe this hotel caters for tour groups as evident from the amount of people at the breakfast room each morning. While there is a fairly large variety of food offered both western and eastern, the food is the same for the eight nights we were staying at this hotel and the food is served lukewarm only. Only sunny side eggs are served at the egg station (no omelette) and there is always a long queue. Be early as the restaurant can run out of cutleries. The foyer looks impressive and staff at the concierge and reception are friendly enough with 1 - 2 who can understand and speak English. The rooms are kept warm. While you may ask and be given a non-smoking room (with ash trays in the room in case you change your mind!) anyone else who wants to smoke can and will in their room regardless of the sign which says 'non smoking floor'. What's worse is that the smoker opens up his room door so that smoke can escape and linger into your room. Unfortunately this is something non smoker cannot do about. In China, smokers smoke where and when they want. If you are like me who prefers a cooler room, do ask for a room facing the street as the air would be cooler with the window opened. Free WiFi available at the foyer only but free cable also available in the rooms. There is a shopping centre located about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. We did not get any service such as offer to take up our luggage to our rooms. Overall a pleasant enough hotel. Don't expect 5 star service. I personally would rate it a 3 star only.

Was in Beijing with my family during christmas. Hotel was alright but the chef by the name of George he shouldn't be there cos he was rude and not compromising with the omelette station. Is normal as we are on your and we needed our breakfast as quick possible and he refuse to start till 8.00 am as a chef he is arrogant to the extend some even got scolded from him just because they ask him for an egg. On a second note every morning they have special guest monk from outside not a hotel guest soliciting fund at the breakfast to me this is not normal and I respect all religion not like this as they whisper behind asking for a chat then contribution though we check with the hotel but their answer is that they can't do anything. Overall we are we are happy with the hotel but not with this experience.

We spent a total of 5 nights in Beijing in September, including 3 nights at the Schonbrunn hotel.This hotel was part of our tour, so we didn't have any choice. The hotel common areas are nice and new, and certainly the exterior architecture is quite nice. The staff did their best to help, however none of the staff except the Manager spoke English well. We were given a room facing the road, and as other posts have suggested those rooms are noisy, although I find road noise the easiest to live with. The room we had was actually quite large, and had all the usual amenities. However the real issue with the room, and hallways, was the smell of cigarette smoke in all the carpets et al. I am not a anti-smoker; for me, a smoking floor should always be provided, but we were on a NON SMOKING FLOOR! And the rooms (all three that I was shown) all had ashtrays?!? Apparently, it's only non-smoking room until you need/ask to smoke, and then it's a smoking room. Bizarre. As mentioned, the Manager spoke fluent English, and to the hotel's credit, they offered me 3 other rooms, and likely would have continued to offer me rooms, but the fact remained that they all had a smokey odor, so why move. All the staff were helpful and truly tried to accommodate me, but the hotel has a policy problem, not a staff problem.Amenities were substandard for a hotel that wants to bill itself as a 4-5 star. There was only one restaurant + the buffet for the tour groups. The buffet was ok, in that the selection was good, but a fair assortment of the western dishes were cool/cold. The restaurant is a true Chinese restaurant - be prepared for all manner of dishes, served in true Chinese style with all the parts of the animal on the plate. We stuck to chicken (head and feet included), and while the better half struggled with this, I will say that the food was tasty, if somewhat overpriced.There was (as of October 2012) no wifi in the rooms, and the wifi reception in the lobby was poor/nonexistent. I used the laundry services, and the clothes were clean, although with an odd smell. Not bad, just odd. They didn't deliver my clothes to the room on time (we were leaving early), but again, the staff was excellent, in that when I called to find the clothes, they were brought to my room within 10 minutes.The location of the hotel is really not great (it is on the 4th ring road), as it relates to the major attractions. Yes, you can get to the subway, but don't plan on walking there. The hotel is actually closer to the Summer Palace than it is to the Forbidden City or other central attractions.A tip for those who would like an alternative to the hotel restaurants and a bit of truly cheap shopping, there is a mall about 10 minutes walk up the road, and it includes what I will describe as China's version of Walmart (turn left when you leave the hotel). It has lots of well priced items, and tons of selection, including food. We bought lots of yoghurts and granola type cereals for our own breakfast. There are other stores there as well, and it certainly seemed cheaper than downtown.As mentioned, we spent 3 nights here and 2 nights at the Beijing Marriott City Wall. Before you say "ah, but the Marriott must be 3 times the price", check the Marriott website. Other reviews of this hotel suggest roughly $CAD88 - I just looked at the Marriott website and a room can be had for $125CAD. There are lots of hotels closer to the major downtown attractions, and (true) walking distance from the subway for access to the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven etc.In summary, my review title is purposefully chosen - I don't think it would take much to get this hotel up from a 2 (or 3) star to a proper 4 star. Get rid of all the stale, smelly odor causing carpets and furniture, enforce smoking & non-smoking floors, add another restaurant that caters to western style Chinese food, and this place really would be nice. It is a new hotel, the rooms are spacious and comfortable, th

The rate at this hotel is actually quite low compared with other hotels of similar quality in Beijing. The room is small, but comparable with other hotels in Beijing of similar class. The gym was finally opened (last year it was closed) and while it was functional but very limited in equipment. The location is not convenient at all and difficult to catch a cab. I would recommend walk across the high-way (using the pedestrian bridge, please) and you will have a better chance catching a cab. Since there is no restaurants within the walking distance from the hotel, the hotel charges an exorbitant amount for a bad breakfast. The dinner at the restaurant was okay, but higher than comparable places in Beijing. Due to its inconvenient location, this hotel caters to local Chinese tour groups, which you will see hundreds of people gather at the lobby getting ready to board their huge buses. All in all, it was an okay place to stay if you can manage the transportation issue. Finally, in October, they turn off the air condition at night, but my room remain stuffy and warm even though it was nice and cool outside.

Stayed here in May 2012 for 4 nights, as part of 3 day beijing tour and an extra day on our own. Overall hotel was decent, had amenities and facilities nearby. Because it is not in the touristy part of town, there is lots of local flavor if you're willing to explore around the hotel. Pros: Rooms are spacious: 2 double beds, couch and sitting area, fridge, hairdryer, lots of bathroom toiletries, 2 bottles of free water daily. Kettle was used to boil all water used, as per tour guide's instructions. Free Wifi in lobby and breakfast room. Breakfast was plentiful and not too busy at 7:30 - 8:30am, though we heard the big tour buses can pack the cafe at 6-7am. There is convenience store and restaurant in the hotel and spa prices seemed decent. Addressed previous reviewer's issue and added safety flashlights to all rooms. Instead of doing the typical tour optional shows, my tour group of 6 decided to explore the area around the hotel on our own. Immediate area around hotel is quiet/desolate but we found several local night markets / street vendors within 10mins walking: beside the AIKA shopping center, on the overpass bridge by the AIKA centre, at the bottom of the overpass across the street and within the alleyways across from the hotel. Bakery, meat shops, noodle shops, street hawkers, etc. Even a shopping centre with their version of electronics store and walmart-type store. Tourists aren't common there and the prices are definitely for locals. A good deal but you definitely need to know some key words in mandarin. We were a braver going out in a group than as a couple. At the end of our stay, the hotel reserved a taxi to send us to the airport, which only cost ~150RMB for about 1 hour. Well worth it instead of taking transit. Cons:Rooms facing street outside are not soundproof, hear constant traffic throughout the night so bring ear plugs. But beds were clean and comfortable. I paid $100 extra for the extra night and saw that you could book for about $88CAD a night. (Our tour group Was supposed to go to the Jade Palace Hotel but got bumped from the original hotel, so no swiming pool facilities as we had originally expected, but not hotel's fault.) Not near the subway system. You can take a bus south towards the 'Wukesong' train station (nearest), which is ~5 mins away. Transit system during rush hour 5pm is insane, no concept of queuing or waiting in line. Avoid or be prepared to push your way onto a train. Overall, I would say we were happy with the hotel. It was good place to retreat to after a day of touring and nearby local life definitely showed a different side of Beijing life than what you are told in a typical Tour of China.