I spent three days in Beijing in this very nice hotel not very faraway from the downtown and yet so calm and pleasant. I agree that the hotel is not very easy to find even if the adress is clear, taxi drivers seem to have some difficulties to find it but the location if not so bad, very near from a bus stop, which one could go to Xidan, a commercial area and metro station but also until the Tienanmen Square.

For the hotel, the personal is very kind and they take time to provide you informations or services you need. Moreover, receptionists speak a very good english so it's very convenient for european people who want to discover the traditional old chinese life.
Notice that wifi internet access is free and available in all the hotel as well as three computers at the reception.

The cleanliness is quite correct even if it could be better sometimes, but it's really not a problem to enjoy the stay in the hotel.

At the end I really recommend this hotel to people coming in Beijing and who want to try something else than all new and modern luxury hotels ... this one is very simple, but with a very warm welcome from all the staff !

we did not see the zhongtang at its best or i might have given it 4 stars. there is currently (july 2009) construction along the hutong street where the zhongtang is located. the street is torn up and it looks like sewer pipe is being laid. no vehicles can make it through. when we arrived after dark the taxi driver let us off on the main road and pointed down the street and we had to drag our bags through a construction zone not even knowing if we were in the right place or where we were going. luckily we saw the hotel (which could use a lighted sign) but overall the experience was a bit scary. the hotel itself is very charming once you get over the tiny room sizes. the courtyards are fantastic and timeless, like stepping back through time. our 6 year old loved playing in the courtyards. they have a pet bird that can say ni hao. the breakfast was functional but not exciting. in our room there was exactly one electrical outlet in the main room and one more in the bathroom and that was it. if you have a lot of devices (cameras, phones, laptops) to charge, you might want to bring a power strip. there’s a tiny store about 30 feet from the hotel door in the hutong street, and a larger convenience store on the main road (turn right). there’s also a good dumpling restaurant on the main road (turn right). the closest subway station is about a 30 minute walk so plan on taking taxis. we had no trouble getting taxis. if you expect a western hotel you will be disappointed. if you’re open for a little adventure and want a more authentic local experience, this is a good choice.