Beijing Grand Skylight Catic Hotel

The rooms were clean and tidy, but staff could rarely speak English. The hotel is very close to the Bird's Nest stadium. Although it has several restaurants, only one was open during our stay, on the ground floor. The Western restaurant had very limited choices for lunch and dinner, with no seafood except a tuna sandwich. Breakfast was okay, but the cheese options were very low quality. The gym has a good amount of space, but its equipment was old and useless. Since it hasn’t been renovated, all you can really use is the dumbbells and bench.

We had a spectacular view of the Bird’s Nest and Olympic Park from our room. The beds were comfortable, and the room itself was standard. Several museums and a huge mall are within walking distance. The restaurant was expensive, though the food was good, and the front desk staff were helpful. Service was excellent.

The hotel is clean and pleasant, and the staff are friendly, though at times they can be overzealous or fail to do what they should. Breakfast has plenty of options, but almost no variety, so after a week I was tired of seeing the same food. The manager was the worst part: he seems to think guests are idiots and charges four times the local store price for items in the hotel shop. I get that bringing things from a shop to the hotel costs more, but there should be limits. JackDaniels at $150 is ridiculous.

The location worked well for us, just minutes from the National Stadium, or “Bird’s Nest,” and about a 20-minute walk from the CNCC and the large underground mall beside it. The hotel is a Chinese chain, but generally compares well with pricier international hotels nearby. Our group of 30 stayed for a week, and the staff handled everything quickly, from currency exchange and Wi-Fi help to repairing a door we had broken. Whenever someone’s English wasn’t enough to sort something out, a more fluent colleague was called in right away. Everyone was kind and efficient. The breakfast buffet had plenty of variety for different tastes, with lots of chefs and staff looking after it. Hot water was plentiful and the air conditioning strong. The mattress was very firm, but the room was comfortable overall. There’s also a TGIFriday’s with a bilingual menu, good salads, burgers and mixed drinks, plus the usual American sports bar feel. It was a welcome break for tourists and for this ex-pat.