A group of us stayed here as a launching off point for a longer trip in China. I stayed two nights and found it to be quite comfortable and quiet. The beds have very luxurious linens and slept like a rock. I didn’t watch TV, but I used the in-room internet (at a reasonable cost). I loved the robe and slippers and the nice hot shower. The bathroom was clean though the marble counter top was stained (some people might think that looks unclean, but it was not dirty). I lacked for nothing. I used the gym, which was a little on the small side, but apparently the hotel is upgrading their fitness facilities which will be ready by December 2008. In the meantime, this space was fine and I’d come here again.

We stayed at the Beijing International Hotel in November 2007 as part of a trade group that was traveling China. Beijing was our first destination. Check in was handled by our group's chinese hosts. To cash traveler's checks or change money, you must got to the cashier and bring your passport. This is a surprisingly large hotel. We stayed on an upper floor with an excellent view of the city, and overlooked the train station. The amenities were consistent with a western 3-star hotel. In China, hotels are rated from 1 to 7 stars. So, adjust expectations accordingly. When we entered the room, we experienced confusion on how to turn on the lights. It turns out that your room key slides into an illuminated slot by the lights. Once your key has been inserted, you can turn on the lights and the heat or air conditioning. Once the key has been removed, these services are disabled. There is one english language channel, which is a news broadcast. You can arrange wake up calls very easily through the telephone without having to speak to the front desk. We had two beds, approximately American "full" in size. These were the most comfortable beds I found in China. Linens and blankets were in very good shape as was the room. The bathroom was somewhat dated with respect to the fixtures. Everything worked and the shower stayed hot. The hotel has excellent security. We did receive one call the first night asking if we wanted "massage". We had been warned that this is pretty common in China. Housekeeping was certainly adequate, on par with most American hotels and quite a bit cleaner than many. The hotel restaurant offers a very good western breakfast as well as asian foods. You need your room key with the key jacket showing your dates of stay to be seated, but it's self service. We had no complaints about the quantity of the food and it was fun to try some of the chinese foods as well. Service was good, but slow at times to refill the coffee. The hotel's location is quite good and is adjacent to several banks and across the street from a Starbucks (called "fourbucks" by the Chinese). There's a shopping center in walking distance along with several american fast food restaurants. There's more than adequate room for tour group buses to pull up outside the hotel. The property is not located on the same side of the city as the Olympic venues. It's rather closer to Tien An Men Square and the Forbidden City, but those are still approximately a twenty minute drive, and about an hour from Beijing International Airport. Check out was equally easy. All major credit cards are accepted.

I agree with other reviewers who said that 5 stars in China is not the same as 5 stars in the U.S., but still, this is a decent business hotel that is well-located. The room was very nice and we especially appreciated the good quality bed and linens. Breakfast we thought was amazing--quite the international variety of food, from American (sort of) to Japanese and beyond. You can definitely find something to suit your diet. Try the warm soy milk; I thought it was delicious. On the down side, the huge reddish granite lobby had not a single chair anywhere, which seemed very odd considering that tour groups meet there every day, and also the first room we got was definitely a smoking room even though the tour operator had requested and confirmed a non-smoking reservation. There were ashtrays in the room and it smelled of smoke. However, the staff apologized and moved us promptly to another room which was fine. Also, FYI, we noticed both of those problems (lack of lobby chairs and erratic definition of "non-smoking") in more than one "5-star" hotel in China. My new tongue-in-cheek theory is that in China, a non-smoking room means nobody is smoking in there right now. I am not sure it is right to blame any one specific hotel for what appears to be an endemic problem in the Chinese hospitality industry. I would be willing to stay here again but I might trade up if my budget allowed.

Supposed to be a five star hotel, however this was not exactly what I would call 5 stars. Pros: -great location - convenient for walking places - tianamen, restaurants etc -safe -internet -nice building interiors, food, spa -courteous staff -decent price Cons: -dirty bathroom - moldy, water didn't drain in shower -smelly hallways - my entire hallway smelled of mold and cigarette smoke even though it was supposed to be a smoke free hall Overall: I'd stay here since this seemed to be a common theme for higher end hotels in China. I'd look for newer hotels first, but could stay here again based on price. I was in one of the higher floors so I think I was in one of the executive rooms based on our group negotiation