Stayed nearly 2 weeks here in January 2012 on a trip to adopt a little Chinese girl. On previous adoption trips had stayed at the White Swan Hotel which is now closed to guests for extensive remodeling. After the WSH the China Hotel took some getting used to. For the first few days the smell of incense was very strong throughout the hotel, the lobby was devoid of furniture and some shops were closed; turns out this was just Chinese New Year preparation and soon all was back to normal with shops open, lobby furnished and incense less strong (or maybe we just got used to it). Front desk staff nice but helpfulness limited by lack of English speakers. Concierge desk was even worse, OK for changing money (always laborious in China) but not much more. Any more complicated questions were limited by lack of English speaking staff, in spite of their earnest attempts at conversation. Our original room on the 7th floor was a Standard King...pretty tight with a odd glass wall between the shower/tub and the bedroom; with a crib there was no room to move around. We asked for a move to a mini-suite which was done on day 2...a large room with separate shower/tub/stool and more space for a king bed plus a crib. We also upgraded to "executive benefits" which meant morning breakfast and afternoon happy hour (AKA dinner) in a quieter lounge on the 17th floor. Staff there was very attentive and friendly to us and our new daughter and we preferred it to the regular hotel restaurant. Also it offered made to order coffee/tea/soft drinks all day (no need for Starbucks) as well as free wine/beer/spirits in the evening. All well worth the upgrade. Hotel location is good and just a short stroll from 3 parks: the lake park, the 5 goats park and the orchid tea garden. All very family and stroller friendly. Access to the GZ Subway (nice, clean and cheap) is right outside the hotel. Finally, lots of apparel shopping nearby with both multi-floor above and below ground shopping just a few blocks from the hotel. All in all, a comfortable and convenient hotel which was perfectly adequate for a long stay, just lacking the charm of our previous stays at the White Swan and Shamian Island.