I normally stay at major chain hotels because I prefer the predictability of a known offering. Since I was not at all familiar with Guangzhou, I elected to stay near the Guangzhou east train station as we would be leaving from that station for Hong Kong.

I booked the hotel online through Agoda and when I presented myself at the front desk all was in order. For ~$100 USD I booked a deluxe suite which was very comfortable and most importantly well lit. The bathroom was very good, with granite vanities and good plumbing fixtures. The bed was queen sized and although somewhat firm, proved to be very comfortable. I only had one meal in the Western dining room on the ground floor, and found the prices to be very reasonable and the quality to be excellent. Dinner for 2 including a couple of beers was around 220 rmb with the 15% service charge included.

The only downside of the hotel, was the bandit of a concierge who tried unsuccessfully to shake me down for a few extra rmb after I had booked a car for the day at a fixed price. At the end of the day, the incident was typical of China, where a westerner learns very quickly to smile a lot and keep one hand on his wallet.

There was one oddity about the hotel in that I could not check out of the room until it was completely vacated. I had gone to the front desk to check out and sent my wife upstairs to wait for the bellman, but the front desk clerk could not check me out unless I could present the room key and the floor matron could check the vacated room. Now that I know about the policy, I can work with it the next time.

With the exception of the Concierge, the staff were pleasant. Most spoke at least a passable level of English.

The hotel is well located. It is just around the corner from the excellent Guangzhou subway station and there is a Bank of China right next door. In addition to the hotel restaurants there are many excellent alternatives within walking distance.

The hotel is a solid 4 star property and I would stay here again.