I have just returned from a few days in Beijing. I had arranged to be collected from the airport by my hotel (renaissance beijing) asthis was included in the rate. The pickup and subsequent drop off at the end of my stay worked perfectly. In my case they waited for me outside customs. I did notice that for some hotels (the kerry center?) they were picking up people inside the customs hall which I found unusual but I'm sure was useful to their clients.

I also used taxis throughtout my stay and had no 'meter' problems. On my last night the taxi driver found the complex where my restaurant was located but not the actual building itself. With some help from the local security guard we found th restauarant. Other than that they were all perfect experiences. I speak no Chinese (well excpet for hello and thank you !) so relied on the small cards that my hotel gave me. In addition my hotel would write the name and address of my destination on the card to hand to the doorman who liaised with the taxi driver. Systems worked well with the exception noted above. Have a great stay, Beijing is a fascinating place.

p.s thx to Phlwookie, Moondog, AZ and Sabrina for their pre trip advice