Found the hotel on Expedia and booked it. The hotel was described as being situated in a residential area...not quite. The rear area of the hotel is all residential. However the street the hotel is located is pretty commercial. There's a McDonalds and a 7-11 within a 5 minute walk. There several nightclubs and other small hotels on the same street. Another reviewer posted that the sound from the army camp woke them up in the morning. That didn't bother me at all. However, the bass thumping from the nearby clubs woke me up every night at around 2am. It wasn't really loud, but you could definitely hear it from the 17th floor. The hotel room was nice. Clean with a hard bed. The TV only had 1 or 2 english channels. The complimentary breakfast was par, but nothing to call home about. The staff was average. This is guangzhou, so I didn't expect the typical outgoing and professional staff I'd find in hotels in japan. They weren't rude, but I think because no one was able to speak semi fluent english, it was hard to communicate with them.

the reviews from others so far have been very polite. probably a year or 2 ago it was different. It's 1.27am Dec 2007 now and the clubs and pubs along Changdi Rd are blazing like as if it is coming from the next room. I'm on the 21st floor . I can hear the pumping and thumping coming through the window. I feel sorry for those who are closer to the ground floor. Want to get me started about the customer service? So far the only polite person I have spoken to is the house keeping lady. Front desks treated me like I owed them money. Can you believe I as the customer am the person thnaking them even though the helpfulness and knowledge is close to zero? Expect no smile from those useless suit wearing people incl the ones from the cafe or restaurant. Ask them a simple question like where to find Japanese food and I think I rather asked a pitt bull next time. So people... if y ou like the late night loud music and grumpy staff. This is the place for you. Hmm... did the 3 stars drop from the sky?

I stayed here for 5 days during the 2007 Canton Fair. It's located 1 block back from the river with a huge new vacant building in front and 2 constructions sites either side. Once these are built on... no views. There's noisy construction going on one block and the grinding sounds penetrate thru the building at all hours. Although quite dirty and run down, it's OK. Room size is fine, but I wore slippers as the carpet was filthy. The first day hotel staff removed the internet cable from my computer and it took me ages to get another one. My friends and I all highly recommend to protect valuables while staying here. There's a guard on each floor to ensure that no uninvited guests sneak in, and as I was in a group my friends were checked by the nosy guard to ensure that they were bona fide guests. For some reason the room wasn't serviced unless I asked, and although I gave a good tip I couldn't get extra towels, toilet paper or drinking water... they're quite stingy. There was very fast internet in my room which cost 80 Yuan extra a day. The TV had no English channels at all. There's an excellent foot and body massage on the 8th floor that operates 24/7 and is quite cheap. There's an Indian/western restaraunt on the 2nd floor that serves basic food of average quality. Only a few blocks away are many attractions, shopping, restaraunts and local traders. Walk around the block for an interesting hour or two! As long as you don't pay too much and expect 3 stars, this hotel will be ideal.

Ok, we know most westies go to Guanzhou for the fair and expect to be overcharged - thats ok. The furama represents good value for money for this time in Canton. Its is in an interesting part of town, the rooms are acceptable and probaly above average for southern china and yes the beds are rock hard. What they dont tell you about is the Army barracks across the road - wow the first time I heard them drill, I thought it was the May day march (accept it was April). These guys have reveille at about 5.45 and as a consequence so do those sleeping on the river side of the hotel. I was on the 22nd floor and was awakened each day to chanting. It also occurred at several times during the day and early evening, and took a little getting used to. Lucky the breakfast starts at 7.00am only an hour and a quarter to kill ! Overall, and despite this, the Furama is a good value clean bed. The staff are quite attentive and the houskeeping staff are excellent. If only the cigarette smoke didnt drift from the smoking to the non smoking areas in the breakfast (coffee) lounge. p.s. be sure to check out the Old market just around the block (how many dred fish stores does one town need?)

Went to the Canton Fair in Oct 2005. My first trip to the fair, but not to China. I chose this hotel on the advise of my travel agent and the price was quite reasonable (be warned - no matter where you stay in Guangzhou during the Canton Fair, prices triple!) Foyer and surrounds were nice and clean. The main bar is a nice place to sit down and have a drink, especially after a long day at the fair! Staff were very courteous and bar service is good. Rooms are just average rooms, but they are clean and comfortable (other than the rock hard beds which is a trademark of the far east). I was happy however, as this was all I wanted. There are a number of restaurants in the premises which are all quite ok. The buffet breakfast was excellent for chinese standards. I don't know whether they 'put it on' just for the business travellers going to the fair, but it sure was good. The hotel is situated in the older area of town. It's a bit run down, but I managed to venture out at night and I would consider it safe. You do get to see the real Guangzhou in this area. Do watch out for young children who try to befriend you. Their goal is to distract you whilst they put their hand in your pocket and remove your wallet. Mine nearly succeeded, but was foiled due to a nice Chinese couple quickly informing me of the kids intentions. If you venture a little farther, you'll come across some really nice restaurants. It's worth the effort to explore a little. Overall, I would stay at the hotel again. A few others I met weren't that happy with the hotel, but I think it was their first trip to China and they may have expected the Shangri La in Singapore! China's not like that. If you want to stay at the 'White Swan' just down the road, then fine, but be prepared to pay the price. This place was just fine by me and I will be back in April 2006.