First of all, I paid US$86 per night (Y668) for a really fine, recently renovated room. That seems a little low, and I don't know whether that is because there was renovation in progress on my floor which produced low levels of noise, or because I got a discount for booking on line. One night from midnight to 5 a.m., the water was turned off, but it didn't affect me. I had a standard room which faced inward to the central area--no view, but I could see the sky. It seems to me that the renovation of this hotel, a problem for previous reviewers, is approaching completion; the hotel is just 11 stories tall, I counted.
My purpose was to see how the people in Beijing lived, what the city was, rather than to visit tourist sites. I thought the location was fine for that, near a convenience store and small shopping area, near two wonderful restaurants discussed in another review (which helped me a lot), near department stores and a big beautiful book store, and there were plenty hutongs (old fashioned neighborhoods where plain people live with narrow streets and street markets). To see all this, I did a lot of walking, which was my intention. I was often in crowds, and saw few if any other tourists. Hotel Minzu served my purpose very well.
I was impressed with my room. First of all, the entry and bathroom floors were made of two different kinds of real marble. The bathroom walls were fake marble up to the ceiling. The bathroom plumbing was modern and sharp. The beds seems slightly softer than Beijing standard hard, and each had two big pillows. The dark woods were also nice; the room was sharp in its design. The desk lamp and TV set were of high quality. Each day two small bottles of bottled water appeared; I needed more, so I bought some 1.5L bottles of water which I kept in my refrigerator.
The staff downstairs were very helpful, although I had a miscommunication with my check-in fellow who signed me up for one fewer night than I had intended. This required a separate trip downstairs with a second showing of my passport when I found myself locked out of my room. They sold me stamps to stick on my many postcards. The Minzu seemed to me to be a first-class hotel.
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Not a bad hotel, but unless you need to be here for a reason there are better choices.

The hotel website is [--] , which I had a hard time finding before I went.

The major problem is the rooms. When you book a room, especially if you get a good deal, expect to be put into one of the old rooms. They are bad. Really bad. To liken them to a Motel 6 would be an insult to Motel 6. The room smelled bad, we could feel the springs in the bed, and the carpet was so dirty I wouldn't take off my shoes. [I've been to bad hotels in China before, but not in this price range.] So unless you specify a new room, expect to pay US$25+ a night more for a decent room. [We did, and it was money well spent.]

Once you upgrade, the rooms are pretty nice. A couple of problems (shower design is bad and we kept getting water on the floor, there is almost no closet space), but they are quite nice and clean, and the bed was fine if a tad hard for my taste.

The hotel restaurants provide a good variety of food, are pretty decent, but are quite expensive by Beijing standards. While not expensive by US upscale hotel standards, expect to pay 2x to 3x more than other Beijing restaurants for the same food.

The service is about what one should expect from a Government-run hotel: lots of staff, not very attentive service. Most of the staff do not speak much, if any, English.

A second major problem is the location. The nearest subway stations are about a 10 minute walk. It's in a mostly business district, and there's almost nothing within walking distance that would interest a traveler. If you do stay here, and want to get out without taking a taxi, I have four suggestions.
* Small convenience store: behind the hotel (to the north) there is a local shopping area; Chinese language only, but if you exit the building and turn right twice so you are heading north, make a right at the light (at Taipingqiao) and walk about 200 feet, there's a small convenience store on the left where no talking is required. Just to the left of it is a seat-less food stand with really cheap food: 1 yuan (12 cents) for a baozi. Just point at what looks good and hold up 1 finger.
* Shopping: about 10 minutes walk to the east (to Xidan road) there's a pretty big mall with a lot of stores. In addition, I'm sure there are some good restaurants there, but I never got a chance to explore. Has ATMs.
* Beijing food: if you do want to get out to eat, but don't want to take a taxi, there's a pretty decent (but not great) Beijing-style restaurant (serves Peking Duck, other dishes) close by. English menus. To get there, exit the hotel, turn east (left), and just past the CITIC bank turn north (left). It's about half a block down on the left. If you reach the Bank of China you've gone too far.
* Local food: if you're feeling a bit adventurous, there's a really good jiaozi (boiled dumpling) place about 15 minutes walk. It has an English menu and the servers speak enough English to get by. It will be the best $4 you ever spent for a meal! To get there, walk east along Fuxingmen road to Xidan road (on the north) / Xuanwumen road (on the south), turn south (right) onto Xuanwumen and walk a couple of blocks, turn west (right) onto Xinwenhua road (across from the Marco Polo Hotel), and it's about half a block on your left, big red place. [Its name in pinyin is Tianjin Bai Jiao Yuan, but to be honest I forget what is written in English. But you can't miss it, it's big and red, and the address is 12A.]

OK

I was back at the Minzu in October. I did not have a reservation, my wife and I just walked in. They were fully booked as were many other good hotels in town but, the staff bent over backwards to get us a not just a room but a suite.

When you are half-way around the world It is nice to see friendly faces who remember you from your previous visit and welcome you as an old friend.

Yes, the breakfast is only very good (not superb) but they more than make up for it with great service, a beautiful hotel, gorgeous rooms (marble showers) and a first rate location.

A week ago I walked into the Minzu Hotel in Beijing, China. It looked like a modern version of a luxurious golden palace! I arrived with no reservation and (sadly) discovered that the hotel was full. Though I was grubby from travelling in the countryside (muddy shoes, worn out jacket and not appealing luggage) I was treated like the queen of the world.

A bellhop watched my luggage for me (without me asking) while the concierge attempted to find me an available room in another comparable property. I made no fuss - this service, too, was offered to me without me asking. A short while later, a room was found for me in the Minzu. The concierge asked if I "minded" being upgraded (at no cost) to an executive suite. He also offered 1 complimentary breakfast (standard anywhere in China) but a second breakfast at 1/2 price for every day we stayed to "make up for my inconvenience". I was thinking - "the inconvenience that I put you through by walking through your doors without a reservation?"

The room was spectacular! A huge glass-encased rain shower with a bath beside it sat in a modern North American style washroom. The bed was comfortable (firm, but softer than anything I had stayed in in China). The furnishings were modern and luxurious - woods, leathers, mood lighting. There were bathrobes, slippers, toothbrushes - anything you needed.

The maids came in the evening to turn down your bed. The service and room were luxurious and the food delicious. I would go back in a second. All for under $180 Canadian a night. I could simply not afford this type of luxury in North America.

The only hesitation that I have in writing this review is that this property will become far too popular with travellers and I really won't be able to get a room on my next trip to China!