Beautiful view of the ocean, Huilan Pavilion, and the lighthouse on Qingdao Bay. The perfect location for sightseeing: 100m to the west is the pier, directly south are the churches and old European buildings, and about 1.5km to the west along the seaside walk is the aquarium and underwater world. There's also upscale shopping nearby on Zhongshan Lu (3 blocks away), and the underground market for clothes and souveniers (go to the Protestant Church, then the park and look for the sign diagonally across the street). If you're coming for the beach, you might want to look for a hotel further east. There is a small area directly across from the hotel, but it's mostly gravel and rocks, and not suitable for swimming. There's also a beach around the pier, but it's also small and I didn't see anyone swimming there. There's no swimming pool, though there is a billiard room and gym.
I stayed in a sea-view executive room, which was a large well-furnished room, with windows that open to let in a nice ocean breeze. The room had a computer and fax, and a nice bathroom with both shower stall and shower in the tub. TV has HBO and BBC, and China Daily is available for reading. The bed was typical for 4 star hotels in China, i.e., hard, and no springs. The staff speaks adequate English.
The hotel offers a big Western and Chinese breakfast buffet. Eggs cooked to order, bacon, sausage, potatoes, French toast; two kinds of dumplings, baozi, congee. steamed vegetables. Also a nice selection of fresh fruit, salad, and pastry.
One caveat: The hotel is directly across from a major bus stop; nice for travel if you want to take the bus, but starting at 6 a.m. you get some street noise. I'm a light sleeper, and it woke me up, but it wasn't enough to keep me awake, either after going back to sleep in the a.m. or at night.
I'd definitely recommend the hotel for a first-time visit to Qingdao.