We stayed in this hotel because it was given free as part of a freebie when we applied for a credit card. It is located in the old part of Beijing where there is a grid of alleys and old houses (like those you see in old Chinese movies eg My Father is A Hero starring Jet Li).

The staff is friendly and one of the staff speaks very good English. There is a bad smell in the middle of the covered courtyard and the rooms are a bit stale. They like to use a rose air refreshener for the rooms that makes it worst. So we went out to buy our own air refreshener for the room. The bathroom is really small, and the water heater has limited capacity. They say to bathe no longer than 15 minutes, but the hot water runs out in less than that.

There are some interesting small little shops on other alleys like the Bao Cao Hutong. There's a shop that sells Roasted mutton that's not too bad. Local beer is cheap there too. The next larger road that is parallel to the hotel street is the Jiu Gulou Road which has a number of shops. The subway is about 15 minutes walk away.

If you want to experience old China, this is it. Otherwise find some other hotel.

Tired of souless star hotels then try this wonderful intimate courtyard hotel right in the heart of the ancient Hutong area of Beijing. Close to all the sites with a very kind and helpful staff. Wonderful for singles, couples and small families. Highly recommended

Very nice hotel but also very difficult to find. Taxi drivers doesn't know the hutong (small alley) name, so you need to have a printed map of the hotel location.

As for the location - hotel located in ancient area (hutongs). The buildings here are from 500 years ago, so if you are looking for comfortable 5* hotel - stay away...

I will recommend to stay here for those, who want to feel the Chinese stile of life. This was my fifth visit to Beijing, previous four were for business purpose, so I stayed in business hotels - like kowloon, sheraton and others. This time I choose to be in the middle of Chinese life, and that was a great experience.

Bottom line - I will stay here again if I will visit Beijing in future.

We booked 4 nights at Citycourt through a tour company called China Highlights. I was traveling with two girls, so a feeling of safety and security was certainly important. When we pulled off the main road towards the hotel (make sure the taxi takes you down with your luggage... it's about 300m down a one-way street) I had my doubts. But this place is like a diamond in the rough.
A welcoming staff and original setup/concept make this a great option if you're staying in Beijing and looking to save a few dollars on your hotel. Two courtyards (one covered, one not) and a small breakfast room are available for lounging (they have wi-fi, or you can use their computer for 10Y/hour), with the rooms lining the outside of both courtyards.
The rooms were basic, but cozy. The water was hot, the beds weren't as hard as we were used to in China, and the air con worked great. I was worried about the possibility of noise (the sound carries pretty good from the courtyards) but everyone seemed to be in bed by 10:30pm and no one was up before 8am (when breakfast was served). Scrambled eggs and toast are available in the mornings (it was free when booking with China Highlights but not the case with every group...) as well as coffee and tea (for a few yuan). Like I said, the hotel is about 300m from the main road (which has great shopping and cool cafes), but the one-way roads have some worthwhile spots -- like Mr. Shi's Dumplings -- and a few bars.
The subway is about a 15-20min walk (or a cheap taxi), as is a McDonald's. The staff at the hotel speak great English and are very helpful in finding anything -- if you find a place you'd like to go they'll write it down in Chinese for you to show a taxi!
A great bang for your buck.