I stayed in Empark Grand Hotel for 4 nights (13-18/08), as I was participating in a conference held in the hotel. It was my first time staying in a 5 star hotel, so I was enthusiastic about the room and the hotel as a whole. It was very clean, quite impressive and well decorated. The food in the hotel's restaurant (lunch and breakfast) can be characterized as full. It had vegetarian menus, and seafood amongst others. The only problem I had was the communication part of my staying. The problem was that I was Greek, the reception manager was Chinese and we tryied to communicate in English, so we had to give much more effort than usual. In my lasta night there, I found out that there was a whole city underneath the hotel, but I didn't have time and courage to visit it. As a general, my staying there can be characterized as very pleasant. Vagelis Athens, Greece

Stayed here for five nights in the spring. A very comfortable hotel with all the amenities I needed. Helpful staff who speak good English. For about $100 per night US (including breakfast, which was satisfactory but not great), it's a very good deal. I guess there's a whole underground 'city' somewhere on the grounds, but I never got around to it. The rooms are quiet, comfortable, well-appointed, and if you're used to a 3-to-4 star place in the states, it will suit you fine. The beds are HARD AS A ROCK, but I found that to be the case everywhere else I went in China, too. Seems that's just how they do beds over there. The location could be a problem for some. It is in the Northwest of the city, not in a walkable part of town. A taxi to the city center (Tiananmen Square area) takes about 20-30 minutes in (always) bad traffic. But then again, cabs in Beijing are very cheap...It's about a $7 fare. Cabs are readily available at the front of the hotel 24/7. Or just take a taxi to a nearby subway (for half that price) and take the train (for something like 25 cents).