Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast

The staff were kind and helpful, which was the one real positive. The hotel is old and poorly maintained. The pool looks beautiful, but its changing rooms were unpleasant, dirty, and full of hair. They clearly weren't being cleaned properly. The cleaning crew seemed to stand around pretending to clean. The location was inconvenient too, with the nearest subway about a 20-minute walk away. The helpful staff couldn't make up for the poor facilities and location.

Breakfast was quite good, and the restaurant staff were courteous and professional. The manager, Diana, also handled things well the next morning, explaining everything thoroughly and giving a sincere apology. I appreciated that, but the check-in experience and the lack of recognition for loyalty members left me unwilling to choose this hotel again. There are better Marriott options in Beijing, including the St. Regis, both JW Marriotts, and the Renaissance, where I've had much better stays. As a Titanium Elite member, I was disappointed by the room upgrade. I checked in twice, but the upgrade was minimal and didn't feel like the recognition Marriott usually gives its elite members. The hotel is near Sanlitun, which is convenient, though it's not near the train station. The property feels dated and needs refurbishment, and it lacks basic modern features like USB charging ports. Check-in was unpleasant. Cynthia handled our arrival and spoke Chinese extremely fast, so it was hard to understand her. We politely asked several times for her to slow down, but she kept speaking the same way and seemed visibly annoyed, as if we were the problem. When we asked for a manager or another staff member, she refused. She also didn't explain benefits like lounge access or breakfast hours clearly until we asked repeatedly. It was clear to me that she wasn't suited to a front desk role.

The room was hot and humid because, with Beijing cold at the time, the hotel had turned on the heater instead of the air-conditioning. Opening the window helped only a little. When I asked for an air cooler, the person who brought it didn't seem happy about the request. As a Marriott Vacation Club and Marriott Bonvoy member, this was the worst Marriott I've stayed in so far. The hotel is dated, the furniture is worn, and the toilet door in my room seems likely to come off sooner or later. The staff also weren't as welcoming as at other Marriott hotels I've stayed at. I definitely won't stay here again.

The beds were clean and the bathroom was great. Breakfast was pretty good too, and the executive lounge had a nice range of drinks. The carpet in my room was a bit dirty, though, and the air conditioning wasn't very useful.