Originally Posted by
RichardInSF
I am a bit suspicious of a review as glowing as some we have seen above. This is especially true when someone touts the hotel limo service which, in China, is the highest profit item a hotel offers -- typically charging 6x-7x the taxi fare or more. Some of the quotes in these reviews sound like they are from an employee and right out of the hotel literature.
The fact is that I was VERY impressed by the quality of the IC Financial Street hotel.
And yes I do recommend the limo service which offers a seamless service from the plane to your room (where the check-in was done directly). I have never experienced such treatment in any other ICs in the world (the driver generally waits for you after the security)
Originally Posted by
RichardInSF
No clue why "tips" about the 798 art area are included. The 798 area is not particularly close to any of the major 3rd ring road or central Beijing hotels, nor to any subway station. As a fan of contemporary art, I have to say that while the 798 area is better than its 50 Moganshan counterpart in Shanghai, it still isn't even close to being in the same league as New York or London. If it's contemporary art you want to see, Beijing is not your destination of choice.
Just because I love contemporary art and like sharing tips
The 798 art district is far away indeed (I went there by bike) but has an impressive selection of galleries (most of Shanghai galleries are very disappointing, except one I visited with a
Swiss friend of mine who now lives and works in Shanghai).
(By the way, I found in Chelsea art galleries some Chinese artists... whose works were sold 10 times less at 798)