Beijing Traditional View Hotel

The lobby looks impressive, but the rooms were awful. The walls were paper thin, and guests shouted between rooms. I asked to change rooms and got a better one on a higher floor, but there was an air-conditioning unit right outside the window, humming loudly the whole time. I couldn't sleep. When I asked to move to another hotel, the staff couldn't recommend one or find me a taxi, and they don't speak English. A terrible experience. Avoid this place.

The bathrooms are very nice, and the hotel has a luxurious feel despite being tucked away. But the rooms vary a lot, with some much nicer than others for the same price. Sound carries through the rooms too. We heard a baby crying all night. Fortunately, the staff were helpful and could assist with any kind of booking.

The room was decent by American standards and amazing by Chinese ones. Still, this is the only hotel I've stayed at in China that didn't supply tea bags, and there wasn't any coffee either. I didn't see tea in the room, so I asked the front desk for some and got a "No." I thought maybe we'd misunderstood each other, so I typed the request into Google Translate, but the answer was still no. They didn't even offer to sell me one. Their tour prices are reasonable compared with other hotels, but the car service costs are highway robbery. They take advantage of the fact that you can't hail a taxi in the hutongs. The metro is a ten-minute walk away, and getting to Beijing Capital International Airport costs 29 RMB, made up of 4 RMB for the metro and 25 RMB for the airport express train. If the tea bag situation hadn't annoyed me so much, I'd have given them another star.

The rooms were really nice, and the hutongs made a great base. It was about a 10-minute walk to the subway. Staff gave us conflicting information, though, which led to delays and wasted time.