anacapamalibu

Scheduled Beijing trip 11/23-11/28. Would like to book hotel in area of CCTV tower. Checked C-trip but not familiar with any of the hotels in that area except Holiday Inn Chang An West...which I will not stay as I got ripped off last time by their Taxi scam. Have budget of about USD80 per night...any suggestions?

dtsm

Many choices, try a couple of the shangrila hotels: Kerry Center and New World, Traders is another...all in new CBT area and close to CCTV Tower. Go the www.shangri-la.com site for more information. These are 3-4star+ for under $150 per night.

moondog

cctv tower is on west third ring (by car, an hour plus from the CBT except in the dead of night). the shangri-la is the nicest hotel out there and it's not very expensive because there's not a lot happening in the area.

if you don't want to be stuck on the west side, there are plenty of options along the east-west subway line. unfortunately, the nicer properties (hyatt, china world, st. regis) are all over your budget in the absence of astounding negotiation skills or a very good corporate deal.

feel free to post properties you are considering and i will comment on the convenience of the location with respect to cctv

edited to add: check out the marco polo. it's also on the subway line but is west of tiananmen, which should help out a lot if you do use taxis get between there and cctv

Bowgie

On Moondog's recommendation, I stayed at the Marco Polo for a few nights last May. To get there from the airport, we took the cheap CAAC bus to the CAAC office near Tiananmen, ignored the aggressive touts when we got off of the bus, and grabbed a taxi for the short ride the rest of the way to the Marco Polo.

I hate to say it but even with an English listing for the Marco Polo and address, the taxi driver had no idea where we wanted to go. (Entirely my fault for not getting the location written down in advance in Chinese characters.) Fortunately, I knew the approximate location and direction and when we got close, I could see the big Marco Pole explorer logo painted on the side of the hotel tower.

The Marco Polo is nice value for the money, but is well over $80 (maybe $140, but I don't remember.) It is two blocks from the subway and is centrally located.

Bowgie

anacapamalibu

Will check to rates and ask for more suggestions after narrowing down the field..thans for help ^ need to be in that area for convenience to relatives.

anacapamalibu

Checked the rates at Shangrila and Marco Polo...look to be about USD 120 per night. Found a hotel name Xinxing in the area that I need to be. Deulxe room is USD 64. They do advertise that they have 24 hour hot water..well that's good to know. The rating is 3 Star.

I have no problem to stay at Chinese managed hotels but wonder if this hotel will be OK...stayed at Hyatt and Palace Hotel before but not really to impressed with them and seemed not worth the money.

moondog

i suggest you call the shangri la and ask to speak with the manager (assistant manager) concerning rates. then tell him you have an offer from the marco polo for $75 and see if they'd like to match (i would leave a callback number rather than press for an answer on the spot -- a negotiating tactic, but they prob won't call overseas; maybe email?)

anacapamalibu

Thanks, will try this. The time period is over the US Thanksgiving holiday, which may or may not affect their business travel bookings. So will give it a try. My experience is some hotels substantially discount during the Chinese Holidays and some times Christmas Holidays. I remember seeing the Hyatt in
Shanghai advertise for about $80 per night during National week..and have booked hotels during Christmas time for 1/3 of the regular prices.

moondog

anacapamalibu: i'd like to take this opportunity to expand on my negotiating advice.

the shangri-la is one of my favorite hotels in beijing (i used to hang out there almost daily when i was studying at CNU during the mid 90s because it was, by far, the nicest establishment of any kind on the west side of town), but nobody likes to stay there because it is in the stix (not an issue for you). for this reason, you have an enormous amount of negotiating leverage and can potentially swing a microsoft-style rate on your own.

however, you will need to attempt to establish two things:

-that you have a stellar offer from a property that they look up to (Marco Polo would qualify)
-that you are a frequent visitor to beijing and typically spend bundles of money on auxiliary services when you stay in hotels (my boss actually fits this profile; we nickle and dime the hilton to death over the room rate, then he spends $500+ per day wining and dining clients)

as a bonus:
-explain to them something you really like about their hotel. if you're strapped for ideas, you might suggest that the shangri-la has lovely landscaping/gardens/goldfish, you enjoy the japanese restaurant, the lobby atmosphere is pleasent in the early evening, you don't feel like you're in beijing when you're staying there, etc

i would not emphasize the fact that the location is good for you. while noone that didn't need to be on the west side would stay there, you should let them know that the marco polo is more convenient; otherwise, you'll give up a lot of your negotiating advantage.

hope that helps

anacapamalibu

Thanks for the insider information. Who is it best to speak with...desk manager, resident gm, sales office? Also is it better to speak with them in english or chinese? I saw the photos of the hotel and it definately looks very nice with the gardens.

moondog

manager or assistant manager (usually the latter)

there are differing opinions on this, but i think english generally yields better results

anacapamalibu

Never really tried to negotiate room rates with management before. What is the premise to speak with manager? Will it require a good reason to get transfered from front desk/reservations to manager?

moondog

no premise required; just say "manager"

anacapamalibu

"Thank you for reply and continued interest. RMB 960 is a super rate for a
Deluxe room at our beautiful Shangri-La Beijing.
I do understand that other hotels may quote less. We appreciate the
opportunity and regret that you won't be staying with us this time. Have a
good trip and we hope you'll stay with us another time.
Kind regards."


They would not budge off the USD118 rate. Offered an upgrade for that price...but could not meet my budget requirements.

Will keep searching..