As a first time visitor to Tibet I was keen to book a hotel myself versus leaving it to the at present mandatory tour company one has to go through to get entry into Tibet. Part of the reason was that certain reviews cast doubt as to the quality and cost of hotels booked through tour agencies. I initially contacted the Kyichu Hotel ( rated as Top Choice - Lonely Planet Guide) who were helpful by email but did not provide an option for confirmed internet booking. Coming closer to my date of arrival I could not get a further email response confirming my reservation. Again having seen some negative reviews on this site from visitors who had been turned away on arrival as their 'reservation' could not be found I searched for last minute alternative which I could confirm online. I booked a room for 3 nights with ' Venere.com' based on cost, recommendations and location. The process was straightforward as was arrival and checking in at the hotel. It is exceptionally well located for the Lhasa visitor adjacent to Barkhor Sq, shops, restaurants. This is particularly important for those of you who want some free time away from your obligatory guide. This area is without question the most entertaining district in Lhasa and perfectly suited for exploring independently. The room was basic and a bit dated but was clean, comfortable, free wireless internet, TV etc. No complimentary tea/ coffee but a restaurant on site if needed and an italian coffee shop just outside the hotel. Reception spoke English and was generally helpful. The only hitch was on checkout when they were unable to process my credit card and hence had a short walk to an ATM to obtain cash.

This is a good 3 star hotel in the old section of Lhasa. The location is the best thing about this hotel. It is about one block away from the Johkang. There are many, many shops and restaurants nearby. The staff was friendly and spoke some English. There is a nice shop on the first floor. The owner of the shop speaks very good English. They had a nice breakfast buffet consisting of both Chinese and Western food. The home-made yogurt was quite good. The room is small, but clean. The air conditioning worked well. My morning shower was only luke-warm, but the water was hot in the afternoon and evening. This may be because they heat their water by solar power. The bed was quite hard, but that appears to be typical of hotels in China. I had a room facing an alley with a lot of activity and a nice view. It was quite noisy until around 11:00 p.m. The rooms facing the parking lot would probably be much quieter. There is free, fast wi-fi in the Lobby area. There is also a nice cafe next door with free wi-fi, coffee and ice cream.

It was such a pleasure to stay at the Shang Bala Hotel in Lhasa. The Hotel was located in a great location, within walking distance to the Palace, Temple, shopping, restaurants and a great internet/coffee cafe. The hotel was decorated very traditionally, colorful, friendly, helpful staff who also dressed very traditionally. The Western/Eastern breakfast buffet had a great variety and very tasty. The hotel was clean and provided low cost oxygen pillows.... what more could I ask for?

There seem to be two main types of beds to be found in hotels in Tibet: either really comfy ones, by western standards, or ones that feel like you are sleeping on a piece of foam over a wooden board. This place has beds of the latter type. So, if you like a rock hard, unforgiving bed, you'll be reasonably happy with this place.
The hotel is located in a courtyard just off one of the main roads leading into Barkhor Square. The street is closed to most traffic with a police barrier at the entrance and with a cadre of 5 soldiers usually patrolling the street. The street is lined with tourist shops, is crowded with people, bikes and motorbikes. But pass through the arch into the hotel courtyard and you loose all that noise.
THe hotel seems to be one the main tourist hotels with coach loads of people being housed there.
They serve a buffet breakfast with a wide range of decent foods, so you should be happy.
But, the rooms are really small; we had to stack some pieces of useless furniture (a side table and chair), on top of each other just so we could find a place to put a second suitcase; there wasn't even room in the closet for the coat hangers provided, (too narrow).
Like many hotels in Lhasa, (we stayed in 3 different ones, and heard about more), the water for baths or showers was only tepid most times, (though once we got hot water after running it for 15 mins).
So, overall, it's an okay place to land, it's location is great for a tourist, but you can do better and at the same or even better price. But you may not have a choice if this is where your tour books you in.
By the way, rooms at the back of the hotel are on a back street which is reasonably active during the day, but is quiet at night when you are trying to sleep.
Good things close by include a place to sip sweet milk tea (not yak butter tea), with local Tibetan's, probably the most packed such place in the city, and a locally owned little shop that does killer chicken wings.