Beijing Palace Hotel

The room, carpet, and walls looked old, worn, and stained, and the hotel didn’t seem well maintained. Finding it was confusing too, since the name kept changing. I booked it as Yitingzhenshe Hotel on Trip.com, but by the time I arrived in China it was called The Yard Hotel Beijing, while the key envelope said Xin Mingji Hotel. I paid more for this stay than for any of my other hotels during 10 days in China. Since this was the only major city where I stayed, I suspect the location explains the higher price. Even so, I thought it was decent value.

The weak soundproofing was the main downside. Noise from the neighboring rooms was so bad one morning that I had to sleep with earplugs. Most rooms are below ground and have no windows, and cabs can’t get right to the hotel, so there’s a short walk from the nearest drop off. The courtyard is pretty, the rooms were clean, and they left bottled water and tea each day. The tub was a good size with plenty of hot water. Breakfast was decent and good value, and the front desk spoke enough English to communicate. The location is very good, a short walk from Tian'men square on a nice pedestrian street. If you’re after value in a good location, it’s worth considering. Trip.com lists it as “THE YARD HOTEL BEIJING, Tian'anmen Square”.

Set inside a shopping street, the hotel doesn’t have taxi access right at the entrance, so you’ll need to walk about 500 meters. Shops are just around the corner, though, and there’s a nice range of food nearby. The staff I met were lovely and very kind. The room was spacious and had everything I could need, and the whole place was clean and nicely maintained. I thought everything was fantastic.

The room was in the basement, with no window, natural light, or fresh air, so it sometimes felt stuffy. Cleanliness could have been better on the surfaces, floors, and in the bathroom, and the room seemed ready for redecorating. The price was budget friendly and the staff were very polite. It’s next to pedestrianised Qianmen Street, with plenty of shops and restaurants in the nearby hutongs. The Metro is a five minute walk away, and Tianenmen Square, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven were convenient to explore. I stayed three nights at Yitingzhenshe Hotel.