Stayed here last week. I don't have a basis to determine if it is the "best hotel in the country" as my colleagues seemed pretty satisfied with the Hilton and the Intercon (which are a bit more convenient to the historic centre). However I can tell you that I was happy with the property and certainly would not hesitate to stay here again. Staff was uniformly polite.
Checkin in the opulent lobby was relatively efficient - I was preassigned a nice room on the 6th Floor (supposedly an "elite" floor) that was extremely spacious - I think an executive grand - with a great view overlooking the front of the hotel. I was told it was the highest class below suite level. There was a full couch plus 3 easy chairs plus a desk. The bathroom had both a large shower and a separate bath with a generous sink area. Was a little annoyed that housekeeping only left one soap bar but likely an oversight. Water pressure was good and wifi also worked well. Large closets. There was a connecting door
but noise from next door and hallway was fairly minimal. Had to wait a while when ringing "at your service" they need to work on that.
As Gold I received access to the 8th floor elite lounge, which was also quite spacious. The evening spread was sufficient to kill my hunger pangs and retire early (jetlag blues). Free beer/wine/spirits from 17:30-20:30 though food disappears an hour earlier. Did not check the morning offerings as my rate included breakfast in the restaurant (which had a great spread as well). Lounge is open 24/7 for soft drinks and water which is fantastic when you don't want to pay $5 for a coke and also meant I could make Facetime calls at 5am without waking my neighbor up (I try to be considerate
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My only complaint is that the room was a bit musty, I am not sure if the hotel just hasn't been well cleaned since smoking was banned or if it just gets into the HVAC. I did notice a cig butt at the elevator so obviously not well enforced. Speaking of which, for those who dislike elevator noise I would avoid the xx28-xx38 range (there are 2 sets of elevators).
The hotel is very convenient to the People's Palace and 5-10m taxi from the historic downtown. However it is a bit of a haul if you need to cross the city during rush hour traffic, i.e. to get to the airport or expo center.