I am in the Hilton Chengdu now after having had 2 nights in the Hilton Chongqing. Unfortunately, I have had a terrible cold for the whole time, so haven't been able to do most of what I wanted or sleep particularly well - not the hotels' fault, though!

The Hilton Chongqing was nice. The location is good with 2 metro lines within 5 minutes walk and easy walking distance to the 3 Gorges museum (definitely worth it - I got the 20 RMB 'bluetooth' tour which was definitely worth it) and a couple of nice parks. As a Diamond I was treated well the whole time. The lounge food was just OK and they pour the drinks from a somewhat limited selection. The gym is quite good, though I didn't have the energy to partake. I would stay here again for my next visit, but hopefully wouldn't spend so much time just eating in the lounge or lying coughing in bed!

The Hilton Chengdu is definitely a step above. It feels much more like a Conrad to me (though I've only stayed in 4 of those). I was thinking this as I came back down from the cocktail hour (self-pour, champagne available too, lots of food choices) and found a 'Hilton duck' by the bath - just like Conrad! I'm guessing this is one that people will have to add to the collection . The level of English of all the staff is excellent and they are incredibly helpful. The gym and pool are on the 39th floor (change elevators at the exec lounge level). The gym is not quite as good as at Chongqing, but serviceable. I am feeling a bit more energetic so may try it out after seeing some of the city today. The food for breakfast and 'afternoon tea' was very good, though I didn't eat much at tea. There are also soft drinks, water, tea, etc. available all day. The internet is excellent (though I can't seem to connect to Wifi on my mobile phone) and I uploaded 2 days of photos in under 10 minutes. If I have to pick downsides, it is with the lights - they are terribly complicated! I have 6 switches beside my bed, and waking up I have to use my flashlight to guess which one I want . On the 'too much light' side, the air con control unit is incredibly bright all night long, even when I turned the system off. The light on the smoke detector flashes all night as well. I'll dig out my sleep mask tonight. I would stay here again in a second and would have no trouble recommending it to anybody. Even just sitting here convalescing it is much better than my flat in Suzhou .

And to answer a question upthread, the cocktail hour at Chengdu does end at 8 and they come around to ask if we would like anything else. I noticed a few people loading up with food and drink, but I was just finishing up to go to bed anyways.

Dr. PITUK