Pullman Changbaishan Resort

We left after one night and moved to Park Hyatt, which was much better. It cost more, but felt like better value: it was inside the ski resort and included ski passes and equipment rental. At Pullman, we had to arrange transport to the resort and pay separately for passes and rentals. Even at the lower price, this hotel wasn't worth it and left us disappointed. We tried to get a refund, but Expedia couldn't help. Other family members using Trip.com and Agoda had a much more efficient, responsive experience. I don't recommend booking here or using Expedia. The hotel didn't feel like a five-star stay. There was no bellboy, people were smoking in the lobby, and check-in dragged on because of severe understaffing, with just one concierge handling it. The place felt like a ghost town since we barely saw other guests. Our room was uncomfortable too: the air-conditioning stayed ineffective even after adjustments, the wooden floors were dirty and water-marked, and the whole place seemed poorly maintained. The showers flooded, and staff told us that was how the hotel was designed. Breakfast fell short as well, with no fresh juice, only artificial concentrate, poor quality for the price.

The location worked well for us, close to the airport and the town with plenty of tasty local food. Staff were helpful, the rooms clean and comfortable, and the team could suggest and arrange trips at surprisingly reasonable prices. A great stay.

There were hardly any other guests during our two days and one night, and it seemed that low occupancy meant only one restaurant was open and the members' lounge was closed. At check-in, the staff didn't seem to know I was A+ Platinum, even though I'd booked through the ALL Accor app with my membership number. It took a while to get an in-room welcome gift, and I had to ask for the welcome drink voucher instead of receiving it automatically, despite my status. The hotel stands alone outside the city center and is far from all the ski resorts. It's somewhat near the West Slope of Tianchi, which isn't as scenic as the North Slope.

We chose the Pullman on the West Slope for our Tianchi trip. The hotel looked lovely and the service was good, but the heating was so poor that we needed heavy winter jackets just to walk around inside. Yuehua restaurant was pretty good, as was the driver arranged through the concierge. The spa felt a bit sketchy, and the payment terminal kept failing. Amex worked for the room charges, but I had to use cash for everything else. Getting around took longer than we expected. Songjianghe train station was 30 minutes away, while the more scenic North Slope in Erdao Baihe was two hours away. That was a planning mistake on our part. Reaching Songjianghe also meant another hour and forty minutes by train from Changbaishang high speed train station, which is much closer to Erdao Baihe. Looking back, we'd have saved hours of train and car travel by staying in Erdao Baihe.