THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, BEIJING

When I planned the trip, all company-contracted rooms in other hotels were full and this Shangri-la was the only one with availability. I arrived very late at night so only got a twin room, which was fine as that was in the booking. The room itself is very old. There was a hair in the basin. The tea selection was probably the worst I've seen in hotels with the same grade. The toothbrush was incredibly hard (and therefore seems very cheap). Shower gel and moisturiser also look cheap. However, the services were up to the grade. Staff were friendly and helpful. I had very full business schedule those three days so didn't use other facilities in the hotel at all. Ordered some dumplings for in room breakfast one day but wouldn't recommend it (their in-room dining menu is surprisingly cheap).

First time staying in Beijing's Shangri-La but it was not up to expectations that we know of the brand. Other minor issues aside, worst issue came on our 2nd night when we returned from business meetings to a room smelling like cigarette-smoke (non-smoking hotel by the way) which they didn't fix (they brought us an air purifier which didn't lessen the smell after 1 hour). Not wanting our clothes or hair to smell like cigarette smoke, we asked for a room change. Was told that front desk was crowded with check-ins and the change could not be made quickly so we waited for 20 min or so (but it was late at night and we wanted to rest), so we made our way downstairs to ask. At front desk, we changed our room within 5 mins. Didn't really experience the personal touch as promised. Only good service was when you needed a taxi. I would recommend other hotels in Beijing.

So why is this my favorite hotel ' 1. Top Service: This hotel delivers top service and set standard for all other 5 star hotels. We stayed for 3 days. Having a hectic day we needed help to order everything the first day we arrived. The concierge Mr. Marvin give us a genuine advise on how we can visit Great wall and forbidden city. He also did order tickets for us online (Forbidden city) , so that everything went smooth. Mr Marwin also greeted us with a personal gift after visiting great wall. Top service !. 2. Room: We had a twin bed suite with great view. The room was spacious .Most important for me the room had an iron :). Only thing to mention here is that the room service used time to deliver food, and when asked for ketchup they did use time again. But this was forgotten as the lady in room service provided us late checkout free of charge. 3. Feeling of home: What I prefer in a hotel is the social feeling of home. Thousand kilometers from home the staff of this hotel made me feel comfortable. Great staff, great service, great hotel !

This is the fourth time I stayed with Shangri-la Beijing. My experience of this stay totally explained the reason I chose to stay here every visit in Beijing. It's been a few months since my last stay. This time I checked in as usual and it was nearly midnight. I had a long flight and felt drained. I asked for a room that was at a higher floor due to my personal prefrerence, and the clerk behind the front desk responded, " certainly, I remember your preference Mr. Lin. I received you last time you checked in, and I remember your preference." I was soooo impressed. How can I not to stay with them next time'

From the moment that I stepped off the plane, I was treated to the exemplary service that Shangri-La provide, a young female butler accompanied throughout the airport and I reached the hotel in a much shorter time than what my usual experience with Beijing told me. During the stay, everyone, and really I meant everyone from the GM, RM all the way down to the Concierge and the housekeeper I had, gave service from the heart. What really struck me was when my housekeeper noticing that I had my medication on the table, gave me extra water and reminded me via a note to take my medication on time. Everywhere I go, people seems to know me by my name and the ladies at the lounge even knew my beverage preference after 2-3 days. This is what really makes Shangri-La Beijing a cut above the rest. Thank you so much, Shangri-La Beijing. I would highly recommend this hotel to any travelers.