It was sent to me directly by the hotel. Have uploaded a copy here:
http://i61.tinypic.com/21ajsb6.jpg



Do any of these public transit buses run to the airport, by any chance?



Er, do you know if they allow mere Golds access to the EL without a fuss? Or was is due to your long stay?

Swimming with sharks? Been there, done that ... in Bora Bora :)

The idea of taking the subway was for several reasons - avoid having to deal with a local cabbie (as you rightly guessed) plus possibly saving time assuming that the subway moves faster than the rush hour traffic. Saving money would be an added bonus, since I have no expense account to resort to.

So what would be the nearest subway station to the DoubleTree Beijing? Would it be feasible to walk from there to the hotel?

Is there any point in taking the Airport Express train?

Since the subway doesn't go to the airport, the only way you can use it to get to the DT from the airport is to take the AEX or a taxi to it.

I couldn't fathom a scenario in which the subway option would be anywhere near as fast as a taxi between PEK and the DT.

Thank you very much for pointing that out. I was under the mistaken assumption that the subway goes all the way to BCIA!

Yes! gold will get you access to el and restaurant breakfast. They gave me a print out for gold benefit the first time I was there but not the second. You can always ask for one. Also, depending on when you are going to be there, the #7 subway line will be completed by year end and it will have a stop very close by. So you'll need to take 2 subway lines and the AEX to get to BCIA. AEX only operates after 6:30am (I think). My flight landed at 5:30am and I had to take taxi to avoid waiting.

I am a mere gold and was "upgraded" to a deluxe room with EL access which was on the 15th floor, it was actually just a normal room but on a higher floor, the EL is on the 21st floor of this hotel. The person in the EL who checked me in told me I had to pay for happy hour though, but I only ever had time to go up at that hour once, and it was only to get a bottle of water and I grabbed a few snacks at the same time, I wasn't billed for anything and the alcohol looked to be self-serve so I'm not sure what the happy hour billing is about.

As for public bus that goes to the airport... I'm sure it exists, but I neither know where it is nor am I interested in finding out, it would be a very long and crowded ride. There is an airport "shuttle" for 16RMB (last I checked 3 years ago) from Xidan which is not far off (25RMB cab ride) and it is basically a tour bus on which you have a seat.

Also the closest subway station is ChangChunJie on Line 2 (blue line) which is on the extreme end of walkable, but it is about 5km away by taxi, might be shorter if walked.

Also I'm amazed no one told me about this service, it would've saved me at least 2 taxis a day, which included ALOT of waiting for taxis at peak hours. They really should advertise this better, as I did not see a sign or anything for this service during my entire two week stay. If the stop is as close to the subway as shown on this map, it would make this shuttle service very convenient if your going anywhere far, for instance to the east side (Guomao or Sanlitun) by subway.

I believe it costs Y20 now, but the real problem with this bus is that it goes through the heart of the city (think traffic) by necessity.

That's a good point, if your in a hurry it could be dangerous. The one leaving from Guomao is a bit better as it spends less time cutting through the middle of the city.

This is the first time that I have read anything about having to pay for happy hour in the EL. I hope that this was just a misunderstanding. Can anyone else confirm or deny if there is a charge for happy hour?

Actually upon further reflection, it could have been that the person was telling me that people "normally" have to pay for EL or for happy hour in the EL and I just misunderstood that part.

Added as wiki.

The new Beijing metro line 7 just open, which has a stop daguanging that's close to the hotel. This makes the location of the hotel more convenient

I think it's Daguanying* 达官营

How close is it actually to the hotel? I've seen posts by the hotel manager on TripAdvisor mentioning that metro line 7 will be right across from the hotel. I was wondering if it will be possible to get there on the metro from the airport.