I haven't been there yet, but opted for the Chaoyang. Looks like plenty to do in the evening nearby, great access to subway and airport, and only Cat 4. I'm there in Sept, so if you beat me, let me know if it's the right choice.

Do any of the *Wood properties in Beijing have an Outdoor Pool? I'm going to be there in July when its really hot and I wouldnt mind cooling off outside. I know that the sun is often hard to find in Beijing, so most hotels opt for an indoor pool

Who says the Sheraton is strongly advised against? I've been staying there going back over 12 years now. It's a perfectly fine hotel and usually the cheapest Starwood option. I've never had a bad experience at the GW Sheraton. Yes the Westin FS is a much, much nicer hotel, but it's on the other side of town and often costs a lot more. I assume the new Westin is pretty nice too, but I haven't tried it. You really can't go wrong with any of these properties and if I were on a low budget tourist trip I would choose the cheapest property.

I looked into the various options for my vacation in July and finally decided on the St. Regis when it dropped from Cat 6 to Cat 5. I couldn't justify 80,000 points, but 48,000 SPG points for 5 nights is a great deal. Even the room rates have dropped down to 1580 RMB from ~2400 RMB when I checked a few months ago.

The St. Regis is also highly rated in the Conde Naste Gold List, including its location.

Glad to hear you've liked the Sheraton, but on the Sheraton's own master thread there are quite a few strong negative posts about the property. Based on the cash rates right now I agree the Sheraton is tempting, but using points (as I plan to) it sounds like the extra 3K a night for the Westin is worth it (to me, at least).

The bad reviews I have seen are from individual stays by people who do not know what to expect in China. I know lots of regular business travelers to PEK who have stayed many times, and none have problems with the Sheraton, especially since the renovation. But if you can afford the Westin and the location is good for you, then sure it's a better hotel.

Dearest damaxer91,

Unfortunately, no. I am not sure if you considered the Splash at aloft Beijing Haidian an outdoor pool.

I have not visited Great Wall Sheraton though so I do not know if theirs is an outdoor pool.

All the others have indoor pools but most of them are gorgeous. FP Beijing has a couple of widescreen TVs along the pool. St Regis has the biggest pool among all. Westin Chaoyang's pool at night shines in mystery and romance. Westin Financial Street's pool is gorgeous even during the day time.

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You've hit upon an area of interest/experience: I love hanging out at pools, especially outdoor pools during the summer.

The public pools are remarkably fun and quite clean during the early part of the summer, but most start to become less desirable in mid-July. The deep water pool at Worker's Stadium (south gate) is an exception because they take your blood pressure and make you swim 200m on the spot (150m for ladies) -- I am not kidding -- and very few Chinese pass the test. I'm also quite fond of the Chaoyang Park pools, which usually meet my standards during July. Finally, the Goose and Duck ranch has a really nice pool, but is about 40 minutes outside of town (I've only been there during Summer Jam, which is quite an experience; picture Vic's in the water).

Stay at the St Regis if you enjoy cigar smoke throughout the hotel... Stayed earlier this month and would not return to this hotel again as long as the Cigar Lounge remains.

No sign of butler service other than the passing of an unsigned form underneath my door.

Otherwise the room was excellent, front desk service and attention was top notch, fantastic breakfast and concierge service.

Just to counter this, I have spent close to 200 nights in PEK over the last two years so am fairly knowledgeable about the area. I also have many, many colleagues that travel to BJ regularly. Regrettably, the Sheraton isn't top of any one's list despite being a 10-15 minute walk to our offices.

I fully agree to this. I either stay at the SR or at one of the Financial Street hotels (Westin, IC, Ritz). All three are similar outstanding servicewise.

Like I said above, the Westin(s) are better. I stay often at all 3 FS properties, Westin, Ritz and IC. But if I need to be on the east side of town, maybe for an early flight, and/or I want a cheaper rate, I stay at the Sheraton. Is there something actually wrong with the Sheraton that people have noticed? Or is it just that it's not as nice as the Westin? Of course, it is by far the oldest Starwood property so of course it's not as nice. But neither is it exceptionally bad.

I had one three night stay at the Sheraton and haven't been back. It wasn't pleasant. The Partner I work for stays at the Sheraton for all his BJ visits (He's based in Shanghai) despite agreeing that it's rather tired. He's said it's as much Force of Habit than anything else at this stage. Most of my other colleagues stay at the Hilton or Traders if they want to be on the east side of town.

I'd say it just needs an inside-out refurbishing. European Sheratons are eclectic and diverse. It would be nice if that was the same in Asia. But in any case, Beijing is about the new these days. Westin Chaoyang fits that very well.

One other odd point. The Westin FS is cheaper on my company rate than the Sheraton, even factoring in the daily taxi fares.

Is your partner Platinum? The renovated rooms are pretty nice, but the un-renovated rooms are indeed tired. If I didn't get an upgrade to a new room I too would be unhappy. But I am always upgraded.

As for Euro Sheratons being eclectic and diverse? Huh? Which ones? The ones I stay in are as boring as can be. Sheraton AMS, FRA, CDG, BRU, etc. Not that I mind boring in a business hotel. ;)

And yes I have seen the Westin FS sometimes cheaper than the Sheraton too. They have a tough time getting business on the west side of town. Good for me!

At the time of my one stay, I was just restarting my travel life after a two year break and my Platinum status had expired. My company's negotiated rates are based on the lowest possible rate in the most basic of rooms, so having status really matters if you want anything other than a bed and a pillow :eek:

But in any case, I know of a couple of hotels in Beijing that maintain two distinctly different quality standards for their rooms beyond "Deluxe" and "Superior". The Sheraton GW is one, Traders is another.

You got me on this, but I'll attempt to defend my comment. ;) The European Sheratons are anything but standardised, thus eclectic. And I sorta liked the inner city Brussels, Stockholm and Frankfurt properties.