Chapel Hill Guy

I did a search but only found a few dated posts. Anyone have any recent experience at this hotel? I am a Hilton Diamond but have no status with Starwood. If exec lounge is good, does Starwood comp status? Thanks.

AZ Travels the World

Starwood does comp status for Hilton elite members, but I would not bother asking for it now if the Sheraton Xi'an is your primary reason. I'd save it for a bigger and better opportunity.

I just stayed at this hotel last month. The Executive Lounge is fairly nice. Free cocktails & light appetizers in the PM. Also free Internet access via one computer in the lounge if you need it. No breakfast, though. As a Platinum member I was not upgraded to anything beyond what I booked (an Executive floor king, non-smoking). The rooms are pretty inexpensive and standard Sheraton fare -- even on the executive floor. I spent about $100 for an executive floor room.

On a prior trip two years ago I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Xian. It was a mistake to stay at the Sheraton this time around.

In my estimation the Hyatt is a better hotel in a much better location inside the city wall. If you are going for the typical tourist stuff, such as the Terracotta Warriors, Historic city wall and the temples, the Hyatt is a much better base. The Sheraton is not convenient to anything you'll likely want to see and is about twice as far (or more) from the airport.

Hotel wise, the Sheraton was fine, but nothing to write home about. My Platinum status didn't seem to mean much of anything. I had to ask about the welcome amenity and then had to ask SPG for help in getting it posted after the trip, as the hotel failed to do so.

Overall, my stay was one of those ho-hum hotel experiences. Nothing major wrong, but it didn't make much of an impression either. Given the poor location, I won't stay there again.

Chapel Hill Guy

Yes, I'm going for the typical tourist stuff, so the Hyatt sounds perfect. Thanks for the advice.

vivrant

Chapel Hill Guy,

Any thoughts on the Hyatt Xian? (Moderators, I know this isn't the right thread, but I just don't feel comfortable in any other hotel thread ) I'll be in Xian this weekend -- I orginally had my reservation for the Sheraton Xian, but after reading this thread, I decided to switch. With only have one full day to explore while out there (Saturday), I'm going to have to squeeze in a lot I'm sure...

AZ Travels the World

I'm not Chapel Hill Guy, but I will add that I think you made the right choice, especially since you only have one day in Xi'an. The traffic alone will make it a better choice. And as I've said above, unfortunately, it is without question a better hotel.

Now keep in mind that everything is relative. While better than the Sheraton, the Hyatt Xi'an is nothing like the better hotels in Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong. Imagine yourself in, say, Tulsa. A nice hotel there isn't necessarily a nice hotel in New York. Even given thaat, the Hyatt is a fine hotel. It's where President Clinton & family stayed when they visited Xi'an during his administration. I was lucky enough to get the Presidential suite there, the same room that the First Family stayed in (The Prez & First Lady in different bedrooms, no less! At least that's what a hotel staff member told me.)

Edited to add: Have a great time! The Warriors are truly unbelievable.

Chapel Hill Guy

Have not yet visisted, so be sure to post your thoughts on return!

moondog

hyatt all the way, guys.

vivrant

Out of curiosity, which hotel would be closer to the airport? Sheraton or Hyatt? I was thinking if the Sheraton is closer to the airport, I could spend my one night @ the Hyatt and the night before my flight at the Sheraton to rack up some points and an additional stay. Thoughts?
Either way, I'll post my impressions of the Terra Cotta soliders and the Hyatt (I'm Dia with them) here.

moondog

i can't answer your question off the top of my head, but i can tell you that the airport is far enough away from the city to render the relative distance of the 2 hotel properties moot.

AZ Travels the World

Neither is "close" to the airport, though the Hyatt is much closer. If memory serves, it took about twice as long to get to the Sheraton, so I definitely wouldn't stay there in order to be closer to the airport. I think you're talking 25-30 minutes vs. 50-min to an hour.

Doc Fraud

The best part about the Hyatt is the location. If you walk out the door and turn left, you're only about 500 metres from the central bell tower which is the smack in the middle of the walled city. Have tea in the lobby, its a local specialty and whatching the bellman prepare your cup and shoot boiling hot water at you from across the room is very cool.

The layout of the hotel is a Y shape with the intersection of the Y opening onto a large atrium, lined with glass walled elevators. If you close your eyes you could be in the Hyatt Austin TX!!. IIRC there is a pretty good breakfast buffet that offers a selection traditonal and Western dishes.

One final caution about Xian, the air is extremely polluted from very heavy traffic, and a very large coal fired power station that you will pass on your way in from the airport. If you need a puffer, make sure you don't leave home without it, because you'll need it.

Enjoy the terra cotta warriors they are truly awesome.

DF

cxn

Just checked into the Sheraton Xian. I was in Shanghai, had the weekend free and wanted to see the sights. Didn’t consult Flyertalk before booking but I booked using points.

CAT1 Hotel was upgraded to an executive room. 500 Points offered at check-in, large fruit bowl in room, plate of chocolates and another plate of cookies. A welcome letter stating they couldn’t upgrade me to a suite as they were booked. They offered full breakfast at the restaurant or continental breakfast in the lounge.

This is a tourist hotel, but what else would it be . Lots of Europeans in the lobby, with a large group from Spain. I guess staying at the Westin in Shanghai and seeing mainly business people puts everything into perspective.

Overall, I don’t see this being that bad of a hotel. Of course, I haven’t explored the city but as Taxis are sooo cheap in China, I don’t mind paying a little to take a cab to where I need to go.

For a Cat 1, I don’t think you can beat it.

XFed2001

This is an unrelated question and may seem a bit strange but I don't drink tea and "while in Rome...", I still want decaf coffee. Can one presume that decaf coffee is readily available wherever they cater to non-Asian tourists?

PTravel

I've finally abandoned Marriott and switched over to Starwood. I've got two nights on business in Beijing in January. Can anyone recommend a good Starwood property, reasonably centrally located. I won't say that money is no object, but the firm is paying for this one.

rbAA

Try the St Regis.