crfgon

I am planning a 4 day stay in Beijing as a part of an extended China trip. I am wondering if anyone has a preferred hotel (not the RCs) that they would recommend? It would be much appreciated. I'm taking location and executive lounge into consideration. Thanks!

UpgradeMe

Yours is the latest of sixteen threads in the Marriott forum that include "Beijing" in the title. Have you reviewed any of them?

You might start here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...ing-china.html

crfgon

Which would you consider to be the best lounge in Beijing? Gonna be there 4 nights, and I've only been to the JW Central, which I thought was a magnificent hotel. Also, I've been reading something about having breakfast at the buffet, but I've never experienced this as a Gold or Plat (but then again I don't necessarily care). Would like some intel if anyone has any. Thanks.

Handcake

I just spent a few nights at the Marriott City Wall hotel and the lounge really wasn't what I would consider near best. They moved it to the first floor...the hotel is in an office complex too so there is a lot of traffic around the area. The breakfast offering was sad compared to the main restaurant. One night the food offerings with happy hour were very decent, the other I was there not good at all.

Also as a gold, I booked the executive floor and asked for a decent room: they gave me a room on the side of the hotel that faces the railway tracks, which meant lots of noise at night.

I'll be doing the courtyard in June as it is the closest one to the airport. Next long stay though will be at the JW.

moondog

If the NE is in the same ballpark price wise (it's always more than the CY, but sometimes the difference isn't huge), I strongly recommend it.

crfgon

So I'm still undecided, so I guess I should layout some more questions:

Which JW is better in terms of EL, location, and service? Again, I've stayed at the JW Central, and I loved their lounge. The location was great, and it was convenient to have a bank right across the street. The JW is also a Cat4, where the JW Central is a Cat3. Both are at the same rate for reward consumption as well.

Additionally, the Renaissance Wangfujing, Marriott City Wall, and Renaissance Capital are also at the same rate. Would any of them be better than the JWs in terms of EL and location? Beijing NE is 20k points more.

Need to redeem the best value for my points, so any firm recommendation is appreciated. Thanks.

Shigernafy

So I haven't stayed at all the Beijing marriotts, and I'll also caveat that I haven't been in pushing two years. But I used to go there all the time. To your questions:

Which JW is better in terms of EL, location, and service?

I'd say Central is better in terms of EL, location depends entirely on what you need to do in Beijing but I always preferred the old JW, and service is about even with maybe a slight edge to the old JW - generally after you've been there a while/repeatedly. That said, I mostly try to fend for myself.

Both of them consistently offered me breakfast in the main restaurant in addition to my lounge access, and I'd always take them up on it. The lounge is nice and all, but those buffets are magnificent.

...Renaissance Wangfujing, Marriott City Wall, and Renaissance Capital...

Haven't been to any; the Marriott Northeast had a perfectly nice lounge (convenient if you need to be in the Embassy area/Chaoyang) but it wasn't as nice as either JW. I imagine the same will hold true for any other lower style hotel, especially given the comments about the City Wall earlier.

If you want something new and to explore, Wangfujing is a decent option due to its location and recent(ish) opening.

Otherwise, just go with the Central. It's got a great lounge (best in the city in my experience, admittedly limited) and you know you like it. Seems like enough reason to quit agonizing.

moondog

I kind of like the lounge at the NE. Sure the spread isn't amazing, but the quality is decent, and I the Bloody Mary station is kind of cool.

The City Wall is the only Marriott property in Beijing that I would actively cross off the list (unless you happen to need stay credit at unique properties for a promotion, and have used up all of the others).

lcpteck

Don't see much info on RC properties in this thread, anybody stayed in any before? I'm assuming since there's no breakfast/lounge access benefit for Elites, people tend to stay away?

Handcake

Price difference is about double. Thing I didn't realize is with the Marriott rewards visa the 1 night free a year coupon can be used at the JW Beijing as they aren't a high category hotel unlike other places I go like Seoul.

Which JW would you say is best out of the two that are in Beijing?

SkyTeam777

Can anyone comment on the Courtyard by Marriott NE club lounge? Hours of happy hour? Type of spread? Self-serve drinks or staff-served? I have a 15-hour layover and am going to stay here instead of Hilton airport due to price/points value. How long from the airport? 20-minutes?

unitedhandcuffs

the RC in Chaoyang is nice, they have a lounge but you need to pay up to a room that gets access or pay when you use. The buffet is great. the rooms are really nice. The char kway teow in the lounge cafe is the best I've had (and I lived in Singapore for four years).

but overall it's very secluded and quiet, I actually prefer the ambiance of the jw next door and just go over (2 mins walk) to RC for food. But I guess that's just a personal taste.

moondog

For China Central Place, I also prefer the JW to the RC.

Handcake

I had to make an emergency trip up to Beijing this weekend and stayed at the JW Marriott central location.

Location is great. The lounge: evening wasn't bad. Had hot and cold offerings. The alcohol selection was the same I have seen at other Marriotts in Beijing but it did offer an extended wine selection not seen at the other brands. The breakfast was great, but I expected to see a menu somewhere of what could be made in the kitchen.

Customer service though throughout the hotel was great. Executive Lounge is there to ensure you are taken care of. Very amply staffed and quick with drinks and food once requested. The Concierge was great. I had to use them a few times, and they were very professional and quick to help.

The room felt a bit dated, but it was VERY quiet. I really appreciate that.

I had a meeting called for next month which has me staying at the Marriott Northeast. My boss can't stop talking about how good it is compared to other properties in Beijing. I'll post what my thoughts are after that stay.

My goal now is to try all the non-RC properties in Beijing from Marriott and then use the one I like best as my go to hotel for my Beijing stays.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update on the JW Marriott central location. Much appreciated.

Cheers.