Beautiful and clean hotel in Beijing with a GREAT breakfast (one of the best I have ever had) and in an awesome location.

I stayed here for business-work related activities were held at the hotel. I also stayed a couple of extra days to sightsee in Beijing. The location is very convenient as has been noted in many reviews. Hotel staff is very friendly and helpful. We called them a couple of times from our cab when the driver was lost and they explained to him how to take us to our destination or back "home." The rooms are basic but clean and comfortable. The luxury shopping mall under the hotel is so pricey, but there are a number of restaurants and a good supermarket there that I visited to avoid eating the breakfast buffet in the hotel. It is great and you should try it once, but it costs $30. One can also enter the subway system from the mall, which I highly recommend using to avoid the nightmarish traffic.

We stayed here a week as part of a China Spree trip and some independent exploring of Beijing -- all expectations were met or exceeded. Some observations:
* Basic Room with King Size Bed: Average size for a standard American motel/hotel ... bigger than standard rooms in most of Europe. Room cleaned and bed linens changed daily. Bathroom with hand shower and usual amenities (shampoo, hair conditioner, comb, etc.). Bathrobes and slippers. Desk with basic office needs (stapler, paper clips, etc.) and adjustable chair. Business center on the first floor -- we used it to e-mail back to the USA -- we travel light and without a computer. In-room safe. Refrigerator. Two bottles of water daily. Electric pot to boil water. Small closet. Flat screen TV with multiple channels with BBC, CNN, and China News in English.
* Guests: An International mix of business and leisure travelers.
* Breakfast: Buffet style with Western and Chinese offerings including fresh fruits & juices, a variety of hot dishes, steamed dumplings, bakery items, etc. Carafes of tea and coffee for the table. Tables kept bussed.
* Staff: Most spoke English and we never had a language problem. All were courteous and helpful.
* Location: Next to China World Trade Center. Connected to underground upscale shopping with international offerings, grocery store, Samsonite store, several restaurants, and ice rink.
* Subway: About a 5-10 walk through the underground mall or about 10 minutes above ground. At the intersection of two lines, No. 1 (very useful route) & 10. Clean. Transfers included with the ticket. Note: Mall closes at 10 PM so will have to take an above ground exit and a short walk back. Cost: 2 Yuan (about $0.32), subsidized to encourage use. And used it is! Rush hour the cars are packed, there is even a "packer" at times to help push. However, we found it to be the fastest way to travel and used it without concern except for possible pick-pockets due to very close quarters -- suggest keeping money/valuables out of reach although we personally had no problems.
* Taxis: During rush hours expect a long wait to get one! And then, a very slow trip -- the traffic in Beijing is horrendous and SLOW. We found the subway to be a better choice when trying to make curtain time. Stay with the metered taxis, the ones with the yellow stripe on the side and bumpers. Take a hotel card (from the front desk) with its name and location in English and Chinese -- show it to the driver to get back.

The Traders Hotel in Beijing China was a great hotel! We stayed there as the accommodations for our China Spree tour of China. The tour was 7 days and we spent 6 nights at the Traders Hotel. The beds were extremely comfortable- so we had a great nights sleep after long days of touring, they have a jacuzzi, steam room and dry sauna for our aching muscles:-). The staff were as pleasant as you would ever want- and they spoke great english- which is very important in China. The breakfast buffet is remarkable- both western and Chinese sleectins- so you can have bbq pork bao and fried vermicelli with your bacon and eggs. The location is unbeatable- very central and very walkable to Tiananmen Square and shopping areas. The hotel sits above a mall with many stores and a supermarket and restaurants. It is next to the World Trade center (go to the 80th floor for a drink and views of the city!).