Upon check-in, which was very late, we discovered there was a mix-up with our rooms. We had reserved two rooms and requested that they be connecting since we had two young children. We were willing to split up (one adult one child) but the hotel staff would not hear of it and gave us a complimentary upgrade. The beds were luxurious (which felt wonderful after full days of he rooms were spacious, the bathrooms were clean, and the staff was very attentive finding an adapter/converter for my hair straightener (which I later found!). The staff's attentiveness carried over to the restaurant where they had an extensive breakfast buffet. My son knocked over a glass accidentally and the staff went out of their way to console him. The staff also insisted on helping both of my children make their hot chocolates every day. We selected the Holiday Inn Central Plaza in spite of the off the beaten path location because of the number one rating at tripadvisor.com. It turned out to be a a very wise decision as this is an outstanding hotel. The location was never a problem. Taxis were available around the clock at the front door of the hotel. A taxi to Tiananmen square was only 20 Yuan, about $2.50 USD, and took very little time. Taxis from the hotel to more distant locations such as Behai Park, the Lama Temple, and the Summer Palace typically cost between 25 and 55 Yuan. A taxi from the airport cost us 111 Yuan and to the airport was 180.

Having lived in Beijing for a number of years, I had stayed in relatively few hotels in the city - usually only when late night events prevented my getting home. I have known the public areas of the Kerry Centre for almost 5 years now and have always liked their restaurants and facilities, and so was pleased to be booked in there for this trip. The rooms live up to the standards and expectations set by the public areas. The rooms are just great - sparklingly fresh and clean and comfort. Too many hotels put too much naff opulence into their decoration and facilities, but the Kerry Centre is simply classy. It's luxurious without ever having to make anything obviously luxurious. Great rooms, great service, great location, great facilities. You pay a high price for it (anywhere between RMB1700 and 2800 per night which is very expensive for China) but quite frankly, it is fully deserved. Great location, but a bit old, e.g., furnitures are a bit worn out. Restaurants are not tasty and, like those in many other 5-STAR Hotels, extremely overpriced. The rooms are adequate, nothing special. Never made it to the pool. I spent a lot of time in the business center doing email (surprise!) and the staff there is well trained and speaks good English. The girls in the shops are so helpful and the gift shop has really different things I didn't see elsewhere. With five or more restaurants on site, there is no reason to even have to leave the hotel for food, if you are exhausted as were we. If you go in December or early January, the lobby is decorated for Christmas, complete with tree and life sized gingerbread houses.

So I had to try out the Palace hotel while I was in Beijing. I knew that I would have only the basics in Mongolia so I figured I'd splurge a bit in China. I was pleased with my stay, the room was very nice, the hotel itself is beautiful, the location is ideal and the staff are always curtious and speak englisH. One thing should be noted though. I'm sure this would happen anywhere, but I was treated a lot better on my stay coming from Canada where I was clean-cut and dressed fairly nicely, than when I came back from Mongolia where I was kind of scruffy, tanned and wore slightly dirty clothes. I got a few glares from the hotel staff and guests when I was waiting in the lounge as I was checking in. Other than that I was treated very well. This hotel is all about luxury. The rooms are tastefully decorated, the room I was staying in had a 45' plasma TV mounted in the wall. The building is gorgeous and on the lower floors is where you find the most extravagant shopping boutiques in Beijing. The hotel is also conveniently located close to several attractions in Beijing. This photo is not actually of the hotel but of the famous posh shopping street adjacent to the hotel. The hotel is prime located, there are many international European designer shops in the hotel and the decor and service is consistent for 5-STAR Hotel. As part of the famous Peninsula chain, my expectations for the Palace hotel in Beijing were high but my recent stay from 4 - 9 October surpassed even those expectations. Check in was fast and efficient and the staff throughout our stay were warm, helpful and efficient. We were made to feel at home in a foreigh city. It is the people that work there and their attention to detail that makes the Palace my hotel of choice in Beijing.

he Beijing Hyatt provided a welcome familiar respite to a hectic, foreign world. It turned out to be the perfect location for our group of 4 women alone in this city so different from anything we were used to. After a day of shopping for snacks among fried scorpions, seahorses and silk worms, prowling through the Forbidden City, having Chinese line up to take our pictures, and dodging Chinese taxi drivers, it was so nice to come "home" to comfortable, familiar surroundings. I would not hesitate to stay at the Beijing Hyatt on a return trip. The Hyatt's pool has to be seen to be believed. The underground oasis is replete with fountains, chirping frogs, ferns, palms, and a tropical sky. Visit the website to get a look at this amazing place. Apparently Chinese like hard beds. They Hyatt's bed were very hard, dressed as they were with first class linens and pillows, they were just hard. We loved the public areas, enjoying breakfasts and evening cocktails in the lobby lounge bar. The Redmoon was a fabulous Japanese restaurant (see review) that rated at the top of our trip's dinners. Da Giorgio, the Italian restaurant, was also delicious and a nice break after a week and a half of Chinese Food. The Beijing Hyatt provided a welcome familiar respite to a hectic, foreign world. It turned out to be the perfect location for our group of 4 women alone in this city so different from anything we were used to. After a day of shoppin

Well, unbeknownst to me when I booked our stay at the Park Plaza Hotel during the Olympics that it was one of the “official” hotels for the IOC. This basically meant that on the slight downside we had to go through security checks every time we entered. But on the upside, everyone there had an interesting story to tell. For instance, our hotel was the living quarters for the Olympic Arbitration Board which was comprised of 12 lawyers from around the world who were on 24 hour duty to pass judgment on any controversies which may arise. Luckily, it was a fairly uneventful Olympics; therefore, these fine gentlemen and families had plenty of time to enjoy the sights and sounds of Beijing and also could attend any Olympic event they chose. There was also George Raveling (former basketball coach of USC and all around great guy), Gold Medal track man, Carl Lewis, and, oh yes, the Argentinean Football (Soccer) team, plus many, many more members of the worldwide Olympic Community. The hotel itself, which backs up to its sister hotel, The Regent, is an understated and extremely pleasant hotel. No large flashy lobby or pool, but everything else that affords a wonderful stay. It’s tucked away between buildings and down a side street, thus leaving taxi drivers sometimes perplexed.