The Presidential Beijing

We stayed at this hotel during an organised tour of china so david but know the prices but we found it comfortable and our room was clean and the bed comfy. Lovely thick towels. We were picked up each day by coach to see the sights but I believe the old city walls are within walking distance. The breakfasts were good, and would suit all tastes, however the bar was very expensive, 49 yens for a beer, more than twice we were paying in other restaurants. Overall not a bad hotel though..

Our stay here was organised as part of our tour package. The hotel was a fair distance from most of the main sites but as we were picked up each day it didn't worry us. Plenty of good local restaurants and convenience shops within walking distance. Th breakfast was good and plentiful but the rooms are a bit tired. Also hairdryer was a cold dryer!

Great lobby, exceptional service, safe and hair dryer in room,no fee for exchange rate (gave the same rate as the bank) and effective 3/1/17 this hotel went smoke free. The king room on the 6th floor was nice, yet one could see the results from such a huge amount of calcium in the water via spots on the marble floor in the bathroom as well as the faucet (not a big deal). As our trip was in March 2017 the air conditioner was not on - however the heating system worked great. If you wanted the room cooler, you simply opened the window. The windows were a bit warn with all the opening and closing over the years, but the room itself was in good shape. I was concerned about this hotel after reading other reviews, however it was a Chinese 5 Star which was more like a 3 3/4 star in the US. Remember it's an old country and this is a Chinese hotel vs. one of the top dollar western hotels. It was close to a mall and a half hour walk to the old city and a 45 minute walk to the zoo. Staff very helpful with directions. While the hotel is smokeless, there were still people who smoked in their rooms and it would "whist" to the hall. When checking in let them know you have a severe allergy to smoke and you will get a room which was previously designated as smoke free which helped me quite a lot. The lobby area served a full bar, however they truly are not into making the best mixed drinks. Stick to bear or your favorite liquor on the rocks.

We spent four nights in this hotel and over all were not impressed. The initial impression was alright...doormen, bellmen and concierge were friendly and attentive. The front desk staff were very professional and polite, although some of them were definitely lacking in English competence. The lobby area itself was lovely and beautifully decorated for Christmas. Our room was large and reasonably comfortable, although the temperature control did not seem to work and it was extremely warm in the room. We finally resorted to leaving a window cracked open to let in cold air to even out the temperature in the room. The room, however, really looked like it was in need of a refit. Wood furniture had splits, the marble around the bathroom was faded and/or stained most likely from minerals in the water and the faucet was also badly stained. The impression was that this hotel may have been "Presidential" at one time, but that time is long past. The included breakfast had good variety but seemed mass produced and unimaginative. We tried the hotel restaurant a couple of evenings and found the buffet to be ridiculously expensive and a poor value and the a la carte menu didn't offer a lot. Unfortunately we didn't find many eateries close to the hotel either. Over all, this hotel served us reasonably well but didn't really live up to its billing or our expectations.

Went there with a couple of friends. We all had to request to have our rooms changed due to dirty bathrooms. The second room I got had clear signs of water damage on the ceilings and walls. The facets looked like they hadn't been cleaned for months. The heat in the room was incredibly high causing nose bleeds. On one occasion I requested if I could have my leftovers microwaved in their kitchen as the room did not have a microwave, but I was denied. They told me McDonald's would be open and to go eat there. It was 11 at night and 30 degrees fahrenheit. I walked half a mile to mcdonald's only to find out it was cold. I would not recommend staying here. It is also far from most of the sites in Beijing.

Rooms are good, clean and tidy but view isn't that good looking down on the rooftops of other buildings. Facilities cater for business people on large budgets; e.g. the business center, the dining function area. The pool was nice to visit, good change rooms. Massage service available for around 3 Chinese bills plus. Stayed in a king sized room for three weeks, was a a bit boring, have to get out and about, so went out on tours in the city with a personal assistant from an agency. Paid for all our associated costs and bought some gifts. The bus picked us up out front during the day and we went to the usual sights like T Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Wall and the emperor's Summer Palace, the Olympic Village. Was there last time in 2005 when they were building it too. The tour took us to a pearl making shop which gets their pearls directly from the shell, and they show you as they open one. The train system has improved a lot since I was there last time, very modern. Yes you have to deal with the air quality problems, so I was happy to go home to the Sunshine Coast in QLD. However, food food food, so many different chefs from all over China are in Beijing. Some of the menu's are so big I just asked my PA to do it all, so dishes were recommended. Went to the Peking Duck restaurant 3 times, loved it that much, about 4 to 5 bills a visit with 3 or 4 people. The chef brings out the duck and cuts it up in front of you, very delicious meals. Other things to do was the Jazz Club if you're a lover of music and the museum if you like culture and art. Lots of market shops in downtown Beijing. The hotel is quite a way from the airport which is about 2 bills including tip if you do. Just have to watch out for the shark cab drivers at the airport. Their meters tick over about 4 times faster, looking at the clock speed is an experience. Take the orange and black taxi's and wait in line cause if you don't pay it will be hard to get your luggage out of the boot. Cost me 4 bills the first time to BJ. Went to HK for a week (need return visa) via Dragon Air (a bit tight for a big guy) and came back to the same hotel for a week, as the others weren't much chop, was going to book in but changed my mind when I arrived...The Presidential Hotel has a nice large foyer with a high ceiling and see through elevators will take a bond from your credit card so check that via your Internet connection. I took my laptop. There is a lot of culture to see in Beijing, and a large expat environment you can enjoy if you don't mind mingling in with the well to do crowd, and some are teachers. I had a good experience in BJ but I enjoyed the air quality better in Southern China in Zhuhai and Shenzhen more. BTW, this is not a cheap hotel, at least 10 Chinese bills per night; share with a friend. It also has a shopping arcade attached and people come in to sit in the lounge area for a cigarette to take in the environment. However, the rooms are large and sunny, and quite quiet at the rear. Outside the streets are busy, during the week there are less people. Crossing the walk bridge on the weekend is a struggle, people are jam packed like sardines. On the same side as the hotel there are eateries for the budget conscious though. If you want to go somewhere, catch a tour bus, a limo or a cab, then there's the train system, not too bad now. The doorman at the front said he speaks 40 languages and I'm still practicing my Chinese.

The Presidential in Beijing has a very impressive lobby, restaurant, and meeting rooms but that is the best you will see. Our room, 1289, was more of a TWO star hotel rating. The bathroom was so bad that I would have left if we were staying any longer. Not at all happy. I reported this and they could only give us a smoking room which we did not want. Otherwise, they did Nothing for us to accommodate the inferior room. I'd go somewhere else.

This hotel was very nice, clean and comfortable. The restaurants in the hotel had Asian food as well as western food. The quality of the food was great. The staff was helpful and spoke English. We would stay again.

This Hotel is a 5-star in China and would as well be rated as a 5-star according to the standards the European classification criterias from Hotelstars Union. 5 min walk to the Metro and nice shopping malls within walking distance.