Glenn's Hotel Reviews - China

Xi’an - Aurum International
My wife and I toured China with Friendly Planet from 1/27 - 2/5 and stayed here for one night while visiting Xi’an and the Terra Cota Army museum. I think I saw this hotel rated as four star, however that must be in relative terms to other hotels in the area. We had a suite with separate living area and bedroom. Bed was a double which was VERY firm (aka “hard”). Was challenging for the two of us (both over 6 feet tall) but it worked out since we were both tired from the day of touring. Breakfast (included for our stay) was not memorable. Combination of Western and Chinese dishes – nothing particularly amazing but you could find something to satisfy. The hotel is close to downtown and within walking distance of the Bell Tower and many restuarants and shops. If your plans extend to more than a couple of days, I would stay somewhere else. It was perfect for us for the one night.

Beijing - The Beijing International Hotel
My wife and I toured China with Friendly Planet and stayed here for three nights. Is one of the nicest hotels I have stayed. Had a beautiful room room with a fantastic bathroom and bed with great view of the city. Robes and slippers provided. Breakfast (included in our stay) was really great. Nice mixture of Western and Chinese selections. Really good dumplings, noodles, steamed buns and fruit. Also had omelettes made to order. Only issue we had was a sewer odor on day 2. We went down to the hotel manager and we were moved to another floor and didn't have any the problem again. We were told that floors 16 and 17 had the "issue" - so you may want to avoid those floors when staying here. It didn't detract from our stay since the matter was handled promptly and professionally. The fitness center, pool and spa were closed for renovations during our stay (exepcted to open in October 2010), so can't review those. Although the "artist's renderings" looked like it would be nice.

Shanghai - Broadway Mansions Hotel
My wife and I toured China with Friendly Planet and stayed here for 3 nights. This is an old 1930's era art deco style hotel. Very nice lobby. Rooms were small but nicely laid out with a desk area in the bedroom. Internet access was reasonably priced (US 8 cents a minute or US$20/day). Beds were extremely hard - which is common in China. Got a backache after the first night which made it tough to sleep except for the nights when we were really tired (at least one). We had what was called a smoking room on the 6th floor, but there was no odor of smoke to our surprise. The hall area of the floor smelled of smoke, but the room was fine. Had a great bathroom with glassed in tub and separate shower. Breakfast (included in our stay) was average but you could find something to satisfy. Best choices were fruit (delicious watermelon) and made to order eggs. The Chinese and Western "steam table" selections were lacking.
It is hard to recommend the hotel, purely based on the comfort of the beds. Maybe if you brought an inflatable mattress it would help.