Liaoning International Hotel

Looking for positives, the only things I can point to are the size of the room (but this was of little comfort) and the efficiency of the laundry service. The negatives: Poor location. Completely inaccessible by foot, and a long walk to either of the closest subway stations. It’s not a welcoming place. The member of staff who checked me in was grumpy, over-tactile with my passport (bending it and folding pages!) and thrust a key at me, not telling me anything about the facilities, breakfast location and hours. The staff member didn’t even point me towards the elevators, but rather barked at me when I set off in the (wrong) direction I guessed. No WiFi. It wouldn’t connect. I asked at reception and they said they couldn’t fix it for me. I asked if it was broken, and staff said no. “Sorry,” was all I got. This is unacceptable for a purportedly five star business hotel. The hotel smells bad. There’s a whiff of sewage or poor plumbing throughout. Particularly in the lobby on the way to the elevators, and in the basement. The room stank of smoke (despite being a non-smoking room) and of the (leaded) gold spray paint used to cover the arms and legs of all the pieces of furniture. The room was roasting. No air conditioning (only heat). Yes, it was 0°C outside, but that doesn’t mean it’s comfortable having the room at 30°. Nothing I could do could get the room cooler. I even tried to open the window (nervously, having looked at the latest Beijing air pollutant levels outside) to alleviate the smell and the heat, but it was jammed shut. Woken by housekeeping to clean the room at 9:00am (after arriving from a late flight at 02:00am). No room service. No iron or ironing board in the room (not expected in a regular hotel, but this is positioning itself as a “five star” business hotel). Not told where breakfast was when I checked in. Inaccessible by anything other than car (the subway is 15 mins walk away, but there are no sidewalks (even on the hotel’s own grounds) and no signage whatsoever. Everything at breakfast was greasy and luke-warm, and the tables and chairs were dirty. The vessels that hold fruit juice were sweating with condensation and the juice was warm. Teapot and kettle provided in the room...but no tea! ‘His and her’s’ sinks, but only one shampoo, one conditioner etc. Only feather pillows. No hypoallergenic options. The hotel advertises a gym on its website, and in the room literature, but when one follows the signs all you find is a billboard for it in the basement. Either it’s closed down or it’s not open yet, but why is it advertised as if it’s something guests can use? How this hotel can class itself as five stars I just don’t understand. Maybe it was once, but it’s now dreadful. It’s up against it with its poor accessibility and the sheer size of the place. It will take a lot of money and a significant improvement in management and vision to turn this around. It’s a wreck. There are so many better options in Beijing.

This hotel looked nice from outside. But the service and room didn't match its look. The bathroom was moldy. Bed was not very comfortable either. I was there at the end of October. It was in the 40s at night and was told there was no heating. So they gave me another blanket.