German Expat

In Asia they usually follow the rules by the book and will get lounge access if they have one.
But why would you want to stay there 3 nights ? Its far outside the city and there is nothing in any close proximity to it.

kempis

I agree with German Expat. If you dont have anything you need to attend close to the airport I would choose to stay downtown at Hilton Beijing, wonderful hotel and staff. Doubletree Beijing is in the middle of nowhere though.

closecover

That's a good question. Our group is expected to fly into Beijing airport on the night of the 12th and report back to the airport on the 13th so that we may fly to individual locations within China (we will be traveling to Shanghai). We figured that we should arrive on the 10th, to give us a chance to adjust our internal clocks to the local time. We also will be wieghed down with a great deal of luggage. So we figured it would make sense to stay near the airport on the 10th and we need to stay near the airport on the 12th. We figured a 3 night stay at the Hilton near the airport made the most sense in the circumstances. The avilability of a point stretcher reward at the Hilton Bejing Airport was just the icing on the cake.

The whole group will come back to Beijing where we will stay in the center of town for about 8 days. We all have to stay at the place chosen by the organizers. So we will have ample opportunity to experience all that Beijing has to offer; we will not just be stuck by the airport.

We may need to visit an HSBC during our first stay in Beijing. We plan to e-mail the general manager at the hotel to ask which branch is most accessable by public transportation.

As for the upgrade question, the Hilton Beijing Airport participates in Nor 1 (and there appears to be no complimentary upgrade offered to Diamonds allowing for executive lounge access). I don't think I want to play chicken, and I don't think I will be in the mood to bargain for a complimentary upgrade at the front desk after such a long flight. Since this hotel has just opened, there is little if any upgrade history to base a decision. So I broke down and checked off "Executive Room". However, I can be persuaded to stand firm re Nor 1, if someone can make a compelling argument.

Thanks.

BlackGold

There is a train/lightrail that can bring you from airport to downtown.
But I thing Hilton Beijing Wangfujing is a much better property.

Gustaf

Usually not much difference between standard rooms and executive rooms (except maybe for a coffee maker and a bathrobe). And as Diamonds we will get into the lounge anyway.
Never been denied a free upgrade in Asia during my years as Diamond, not even at Nor 1 hotels that does not show the “free” option. Therefore I always book a standard room.

Jiatong

Good post here, The Hilton BJ airport is right by the new terminal 3, & truly not much nearby. Watch out for the 'Hilton premium club ' offers, they are a BJ scam. But its china !

closecover

We have taken the FT community's advice and that combined with inteceding events has led us to transfer our rewards stary from the Capital Airport to the Wangfujing (it was a several step process). This leads us to a question about the Wangfujing, but we will post that question on the Wangfujing thread.

Thank you for your help.

Brahmin

I will be staying at the Hilton Airport property for 6 days. I have a Gold membership.

Is it possible to visit the airport and eat at the establishments over there to take a break from hotel food and pass time?

After reading the posts here, I am considering moving to to the Wangfujing property.

My visit there is purely for a break, relaxation and meeting friends.

The airpot property looks good and I wanted to check it out.

I am flying in and out of PEK via AA which has a late night arrival and early morning departure and thought that this property would be suitable.

xooz

Any reviews? Will likely stay there next Tuesday on an award stay (Pointstretcher) before my Wednesday departure and wondered about Diamond treatment, upgrade possibilities etc.

Brahmin

My trip got postponed. Would love to get a review from you.

SK AAR

Stayed 1 night at this property a few days ago (point stretcher award); I had a flight leaving PEK at 8.25 AM so it was convenient for me to stay near the airport. What a wonderful experience! The room was great, everything was brand new. Great gym and pool. Huge lobby but deserted. I got the impression that not many guests stay there yet.

Got upgraded to a room on the Exec. floor without hesitation. The EL was surprisingly busy in the early morning (around 6.30 AM) but most people had left/checked out at 7 AM. The food in the EL was very good (compared to other ELs). Complimentary WIFI in the lounge. As Gold VIP I was not charged for the use of internet (by cable) in the room; apparently WIFI was not available in the rooms.

The EL manager, QiQi, was really nice; her English was very good and she made the effort to write me an email in advance to welcome me and provide directions for the shuttle bus pick-up (I really appreciate this). It takes less than five minutes by shuttle bus to Term. 3, so no need to leave to soon if you have a morning flight.

If only this property was located near down town Beijing! I guess you could take the Airport Express train back and forth to Dongziemen station (near the Hilton Beijing).The train takes around 15-20 minutes (25 RMB o/w)

xooz

Thanks for the info! Interesting that there is no in-room WiFi. I was planning on only taking an iTouch for internet/Skype access...... may have to reconsider.

dlt

Just spent 2 nights at the Beijing Capital Airport Hilton (different stays, separated by a run down to Nanjing). This is a beautiful, brand new hotel which is only a 5 minute shuttle ride from Terminal 3 (about 20 minutes to T2 if you are taking a domestic flight). QiQi also contacted me prior to our arrival and arranged for someone to meet us at the security exit and escort us to the shuttle.

The room was good-sized and well appointed. The bathroom contains both a tub and a rain shower. Due to our schedule, we didn't get a chance to try any of the restaurants. We did have a late dinner at the Long Bar one night; the food and service were both very good.

This is a great new option for BCIA.

RogerD408

We have an upcoming overnight at PEK and looking to get some sleep between flights. I've read it is possible to exit the airport without a paid visa providing you have onward travel within 24 hours, which we do. When I asked the DD, they read off the standard visa requirements that did not mention the 24-hour condition.

I don't do a lot of international and this is the first time doing less than a day in a country. Has anybody been stopped from leaving the PEK airport or had problems checking into the hotel?

Thanks.

sutrakhk

Stayed in this hotel at 1 Sept, great hotel, QiQi e-mailed me some days before arrival about the shuttle bus issue.

My rate was included breakfast, however my Iranair's flight left at 7:50 so I cannot have the breakfast. The receptionist requested a breakfast box for me during my check-out at 5:30am. The box contain some breads, a boiled egg, an apple, yoghurt and a bottle of orange juice, great service!

I got a room with terminal view in the begining, and got a runway view room after my request, and good to have the following photo, EK's A380 and nice room service!



However, I found the finishing of the room, especialy the bathroom, was not so good. The bathtub have a hole for 3-5mm deep (the housekeeper said this is OK), the tap have dried cement on it and the stone wall have many unfilled gaps between the stone.