Novotel Beijing Peace

1   Not Recommended
August 21, 2018 by EXPERT

 Map | 2 Reviews | 0% Recommended
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Novotel Beijing Peace
 Map | 2 Reviews | 0% Recommended

Save

Share
Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
Stats

I stayed only one night at the Novotel Peace and it was one night too many. If you fancy going for a retro tour and want to experience a Novotel in the 70s this is the hotel to choose. Run down and impersonal, lacking any charm. The common areas were trying to look posh but this was not fooling anyone.

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Check In

Arriving after a lengthy cab ride from the airport I was directed to the lounge for check in. Once there all the formalities needed to be taken care of first. Once again nothing was pre-prepared. The lounge had already finished its evening service so I went straight to my room. 

Room

Once I exited the elevator I was greeted by some nasty smell. Apparently air fresheners. The room assigned was an upgrade to a suite but it had seen better days. Everything had visible marks or stains. This hotel had not seen an upgrade in decades. Not pleasant at all.

The room featured: a large living room with sofa and dining table (stained surfaces, scratches), a large bedroom with a tiny flat screen TV, a wet bar room with a mini bar (chargeable) and kettle, and the piece de resistance a totally run down bathroom (manky shower curtain, stained walls, bad paint job).

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Service

Service wasn't great. Language again proved an issue. The lounge staff were probably best. The bar staff's first response when ordering a G&T was "no voucher". Ok fine then, I can pay for it.

Dining

As the lounge service was already finished I ordered room service. While well priced it wasn't exactly overwhelming but I was too tired to go out.

Loyalty services

The welcome gift was a plate with sweets and fruit.

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The drinks voucher could only be redeemed for soft drinks and beer and wine.

Lounge

The lounge was probably the best feature of the hotel. Nice views over Beijing and the breakfast choice was decent (for a Novotel). It featured a buffet and eggs to order.

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Location

The hotel is centrally located (but this entails a lengthy trip from the airport). Endless malls (like everywhere in China) are nearby and Tiananmen Square is a stone's throw away.

Overall

While this Novotel was the same price as the Novotel Sanyuan where I stayed earlier in the trip, it was not worth the money. The room was run down and service was poor. This hotel is in desperate need of renovation, especially the rooms. There is no excuse for a run down and badly maintained bathroom.

In hindsight it was a mistake not to go back to the Novotel Sanyuan but I wanted to try out another hotel.

Now that Fairmont and Swissotel are an option it might be wiser to go for either of these (rates were not much more expensive).

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