twebst

I just returned from there. It is a nice new hotel. The staff is very friendly, typical Chinese. Communication on out of the ordinary can be a bit difficult. The Broadband wasn't working in my room and after all day of trying to get someone to understand, I gave up. They did take it off of my bill though.

Restaurant ( I only ate one meal in cafe) was adequate. The snacks on the club level were good.

I rate it in between the Great Wall and the China World (the other two hotels where I have stayed in Beijing)

Hope it helps.

fnover

My wife & I will be traveling to Beijing in Oct. We will use MR points for hotel room. the 3 Marriott properties are available on our dates, which one would best for sight seeing?
Any recommendation would be appreciated.
Thanks,

LH747FTL

I stayed at the Beijing Renaissance last weekend. It's located in a business district, near the Hilton. There isn't a whole lot of touristy stuff around the hotel, except the Lufthansa Center shopping mall. You need to take a taxi to pretty much everywhere.

My standard room was very large, 39sqm according to marriott.com. It was nicely appointed as well, with a king bed, work desk and a separate sitting area with a sofa, a few chairs and a table. Highspeed internet should be available. The bathroom wasn't overly large, but nice nonetheless. There was a rather large bathtub as well as a separate shower stall. Nice amenities as well. There was no turndown service although it was advertised.

Concierge was completely useless in my opinion, the guys did not speak english well, and it was always a hassle to get a taxi to the right destination. Front desk staff were nice. I didd't try the restaurants or fitness center. Room service prices seemed to be quite average for Asia.

I got my room from Priceline for $60 (Sanlitun 5*). I haven't stayed at the other properties, though the Marriott Beijing West seems to be quite far as well. Courtyard has probably the best location, of course depending on what you plan to do. Apart from the Marriott properties, the Grand Hyatt and St. Regis have a nice location if you plan to walk and visit the touristy places like Tianamen Square and Forbidden City.

Hope that was of some help.

fnover

Thanks so much for your help. I appreciate all the information.

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UA835

I stayed at the Courtyard in Oct. 2003. You can walk to the touristy places (e.g. Wangfujing, Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven), but it's a hike - probably close to 2 miles. The Silk Market is only a short Taxi ride away.

I was not impressed at all with the hotel ... probably because I had been spoiled by the Tianjin Renaissance. The Courtyard did not have a concierge lounge, and did not upgrade me as a Platinum. The buffet breakfast was also pretty weak. Rooms were typical Courtyard, but lacked a digital clock.

P.S. While there, don't miss going to Summer Palace ... my favorite place in Beijing. Fewer foreign tourists than the main sights, and a great way to spend a relaxing day. It's only 40-50 RMB (~$8 USD)by taxi from downtown.

fnover

Thanks, I appreciate the information. We will be in Beijing for a week so I hope we get to see all the tourist places in and near Beijing.

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LH738

Saturday, 24th April 2004
Source : Marriott International, Inc.

New 320-Room Ritz-Carlton and 591-Room JW Marriott Hotels scheduled to open.

Marriott International, Inc. will introduce two of its luxury hotel brands in Beijing in 2007 under a management agreement announced today by Beijing Guohua Real Estate Co., Ltd.

Located on the eastern edge of the city's Central Business District on Changan Avenue, Beijing's most famous thoroughfare, the hotels are the 320- room The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing and the 591-room JW Marriott Hotel Beijing. Both properties will be part of a massive development complex that will include more than 230,000 square meters of office space, eight residential towers, 160,000 square meters of retail shopping space and a large park and sports center. Construction on both hotels is expected to start later this year.

"We are truly delighted to have this opportunity to further grow our lodging portfolio in China," said William J. Shaw, president and chief operating officer for Marriott International. "These two hotels will be sensational, and we are honored to have Beijing Guohua Real Estate Co. as our partner in this impressive project."

The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing
For dining and entertainment, The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing will have three restaurants, including a cafe, a Chinese restaurant offering six private dining rooms and a specialty restaurant with one private dining room. Additionally, the hotel will have a lobby lounge and The Ritz-Carlton Bar. Recreational facilities will include an indoor swimming pool, a health club and a spa with six treatment rooms. Other amenities will include an executive level and Club Lounge, a business center, a gift shop and a concierge desk.

For meetings and social events, The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing will have 1,245 square meters of flexible conference space, including a 700-square-meter ballroom, divisible into three sections; two 160-square-meter meeting rooms that will each be divisible into two sections; two additional conference rooms and a board room.

The JW Marriott Hotel Beijing
For dining and entertainment, the JW Marriott Hotel Beijing will have three restaurants, including a cafe that will offer a permanent grand buffet; a Chinese restaurant with 10 private dining rooms; and a specialty restaurant with one private dining room. The hotel will also offer a lobby lounge and a quiet bar.

Recreational amenities will include an indoor swimming pool, a health club and a spa with eight treatment rooms. Other planned amenities include an executive level and lounge, a gift shop, a bakery shop, a concierge desk; and a business center.

For social events and conferences, the hotel will have 2,255 square meters of flexible meeting space, including a 1,200-square-meter grand ballroom, divisible into five sections; a junior ballroom, divisible into two sections; two 130-square-meter meeting rooms, each of which will be divisible into two sections; five individual meeting rooms offering 75 square meters of space each; and a board room. One of the largest hotel operators in China, Marriott International is currently represented in the country by 34 hotels, including its Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance, Marriott Executive Apartments, Courtyard by Marriott, Ramada International and New World lodging brands. Six hotels are currently under construction and will open over the next 24 months in Wuyishan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Suzhou and Beijing. Additionally, the company's first Marriott resort in China will open in June in Sanya.

In Beijing, Marriott International is represented today by the 155-room Beijing Marriott West, the 212-room Renaissance Beijing Hotel and the 293-room New World Courtyard Beijing.

In China and Hong Kong, Marriott International currently operates 34 hotels across all brands.

NWA-PLAT

Which is better? I'm looking for quality of rooms and proximity to trains.

rkp

We stayed at the Renaissance and loved it. Great restaurants, lobby lounge with good band, service was spot on, exec. lounge was comfy. Unfortunately, I didnt have a chance to check out the Marriott there...

esfox

I'll likely be staying at the New World Courtyard in Beijing for 8 days at the beginning of November, and much as I'm excited about my first trip to China, I have a question about my exit!

The last day there I leave on an 8:45 AM int'l flight to Singapore. At what time would I need to leave the New World Courtyard? While this may seem like a simple question best asked at the property, I post it here because I have Hilton points I can use to spend the last night a few miles closer to the airport and out of downtown if your combined wisdom indicates traffic's really that crazy in the AM.

I dislike the idea of packing up and moving for one night at another hotel, but I may prefer to spend an hour or so doing that my last afternoon than getting up a few hours earlier the next morning to sit in unpredictable gridlock.

Is the traffic that bad?



Thanks.

lpeterman

I have serched and found some threads, but I would like to know if any one has any updated experience at the Beijing Renaussance?

I am platinum and would book an executive level room at the get go.

My other choice - because I want to stay in that area would be the Kempinski. Anyone have any comments between the two? I have no status at the Kempinski.

lpeterman

BUMP

Anyone have thoughts to share?

Thanks

NWA-PLAT

I stayed at the Beijing Renaissance 5 nights last month. I was in a standard room which was just fine. The staff speak good English and were helpful. The location is not very good for anything at all. Nothing is really within walking distance, but the taxis are so cheap who really cares?

twebst

I stay there, usually on the executive floor, and enjoy the hotel. Much better than tyhe Kempinski or Great Wall Sheraton. There are sevral decent restaurants within walking distance, includint the touristy chicken restaurant across the street. Decent food and an experience to do once.

lancashirelass

As mentioned above, taxis extremely cheap, but ensure that you tell the concierge to write down in Chinese where you are going so that the taxi driver has exact address. Also remember to carry a card with the hotel's address on. 99% of Beijing taxi drivers do not speak English and can only understand Chinese Characters. No credit cards in taxis either...

As far as location is concerned, Kempinski and Renaissance in same area (Chaoyang District) and both approx 30 mins drive to Forbidden City / Tiananmen Square, for example. However, plenty of local Chinese restaurants in hotel area, as well as Hard Rock Cafe (but still a taxi ride away).