Ashar Hotel Beijing

The staff were kind, which was about the only thing going for this place. I found the hostel filthy and uncomfortable, and it cost far too much, even by Beijing standards. I've stayed in cheaper private hotels. During 12 months of travel, this was the most disgusting hostel I've come across, and our group eventually left for a hotel. The bathrooms and shower area were shut, so people were using one dirty private room for the sink and shower. The toilet sink was across the courtyard in a disused, horribly unclean kitchen. The shower was so gross that most people avoided it, and there was garbage everywhere. If you book a private room, it might be tolerable, but it would probably cost more than twice what a hotel does.

!!! CLOSED DOWN !!! Even though this place is still listed on booking sites, it has shut. I went to check in on 04.04.2025 and found it closed. I waited outside for 20 minutes before a neighbor said the owner had locked up and left a few weeks earlier. I was lucky to find another hostel nearby that still had space. Now I'm trying to get my money back from Agoda. What a frustrating situation!

The staff were friendly, and the location worked well for getting to the subway. There's a supermarket close by, plus a small courtyard and rooftop patio. I booked a private room with its own shower and bathroom. They also sell coffee, drinks, and SIM cards at fair prices, and the cards can be activated right there, which was handy. They asked for a small deposit at check-in, gave me a receipt, and returned it at the end. The one issue was the shower drain: it wasn't at the lowest point, so water pooled around the toilet after a shower and stayed there for about 24 hours.

The location is good and the staff are friendly, but the rooms are small and dirty. The building is being renovated at the moment, so there's only one shower. I wouldn't recommend staying here.