This is a budget hotel wh tries hard and has good location. Stayed here on 11 Sept for 1 night and found it adequate for our needs ie. inexpensive place to rest for 1 night. Reserved 3 Standard Double (22sq ft) at RMB389 for the kids and parents and a Deluxe (25sq ft) at RMB489 with Ctrip.com (great site for china bookings!) for ourselves facing the street. Had to remind them on checkin to provide a street view room as the back end faces the back of anr bldg. They were very obliging.
Didn't expect much. Generally, sheets were clean tho rooms smelt faintly of smoke even tho we requested for non-smoking rooms and carpets a bit worn. After opening the windows for a bit, it was better. Bathrooms were clean enough. All basic toiletries were provided including a hairdryer. Beds were a bit hard but we were so tired it didn't affect us. We were hardly in the room as we left after checkin for lunch at Waipojia facing the Xihu lake (delicious!), took a walk across for photos at xihu, visited the historical yuefei temple and beautiful Linyin temple (must do!) and straight to the Westlake Impressions show which was simply spectacular and unforgettable (don't miss! must prebook & ask for seats at A2 or A3, row 3/towards the front. We got A1 row 3, seats 12-19 wh were not center but close to the stage at left corner).
The location of this hotel is good and within 5 mins walk to the lake and restaurants along Jiefang road and on Hubin road wh is around the corner towards Hyatt hotel facing Xihu. (Due to time constraints and number of ppl, we had a car and driver to take us around. We didn't want to depend on taxis esp w kids and on usually busy weekends. We booked thru www.ehaicar.com & they speak english).
There's a night market across the hotel selling some fake branded items, local clothes and shoes, dvds, hair accessories, lighters and makeup. At the lights to the left of the hotel, walk straight past the bank and beyond for 3mins. As we were peckish after the night market, we found a KFC down the road to the right of the hotel at a corner and a late night steamboat across the street but menu was in Mandarin tho if we really wanted, we prbly cd hv ordered w our basic Mandarin.
Breakfast tho not provided in our pkg cd be taken at the top floor (take lift to the 12th and then walk up) for RMB38 pp. As we were catching the 10am train back to Shanghai, we pd extra for it. Breakfast was a mix spread of Chinese style with porridge, noodles, some local dishes, and western style with some sausages, ham and fried eggs (sunnyside up only) and coffee/tea and bread. I found it interesting to try the local stuff and liked the sweet potatoes, fruit, bao, sticky rice cakes.
I'd recommend the hotel for those looking for a short inexpensive yet comfortable enuf stay and without much expectations. Typical China hotel and maybe a level better than some others.

We stayed here for two nights during a weekend getaway from Shanghai. We speak basic Mandarin, but the hotel staff also spoke a little English. The hotel has a great location just 10 minutes walk from the lake. There are many restaurants, shops, etc, in the area of the hotel. The room was modern, and akin to Western standards. The bathroom had a modern glass design, and the bed was comfortable. The shower was wonderful. We were in the back of the hotel, so we had no view but it was nice and quiet. There is also internet in the rooms, but we did not try this service. The hotel is about a 10 minute/$2 cab ride from the train station. There are several Western cable channels in the room if you need to keep up with international news or just want to unwind. If you don't speak Mandarin, the name of this hotel can be a little confusing to cab drivers because the Chinese name does not correspond to SSAW. So it is best to point to a map or have the hotel's Chinese name written out if you are not a Mandarin speaker. Likewise, you can easily catch a cheap taxi ride from the hotel to any of the major sites of Hangzhou, including the LingYin Temple. We would definitely stay here again.

I stayed in the hotel for two nights in septembre with parents and sister and was a bit disappointed condering the goos reviews I had read.

Pros:
Rate was reasonnable (378RMB/night including one breakfast)
Location
Staff was efficient during the check in in spite of our late arrival (1pm)
Breakfast is ok (38RMB if not included in the room rate)

Cons:
Cigarette smell everywhere (blanket, pillows...) : when we complained about it, we were told that they only had non smoking room on the 11th floor which was fully booked
Noise: the hotel is on Jiefang Road, one of the main shopping street of hangzhou leading to the West Lake. There was all kind of noise: construction, cars, techno music coming the shops downstairs.
Aging facilities: the hotel room look old (chipping paint on the beams and furniture, very dirty carpet...)
Lack of privacy f the bathroom: as ssen on the picture, the bathroom walls are made of glass. Although there are some panes to cover the glass, there are still large space through which you can see through. This hotel would therefore not be suitable to a corporate seminar where colleagues need to share a room.

I am convinced there are better options in Hangzhou for this price and would not recommend this hotel to a friend.

We stayed at the SSAW hotel in Hangzhou in early July. We liked it enough that we returned there after our trip to Huangshan.

We speak basic mandarin, so didn't have any language obstacles. I read some reviews mention bad attitude from the reception desk. We did not encounter that at all.
Service was good - we needed a refrigerator and the hotel quickly obliged without extra charge (during both stays). It is true that one of the ladies at the reception desk has a very stern face and doesn't smile often, but she was very helpful when we needed her assistance.

The rooms are small, but they are clean and comfortable.

Breakfast was not included in our rate, but we found it to be adequate and a good value for the price.

The hotel is also near the bus/train ticket reservation office in downtown Hangzhou. This means you don't need to go all the way to the train/bus station and stand in a long line to purchase a ticket. The hotel is also willing to purchase tickets for you for a small fee.

Hotel is not directly on the lake, but it is close enough to walk and there are plenty of restaurants and shopping nearby.