DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing

There’s plenty nearby, including a shopping mall, Starbucks, 7-11, and bubble tea shops, and the metro ride to most attractions takes about 30 minutes. The hotel seems to have mostly business travelers, though families could stay here too. The breakfast is decent, with Western and local choices, and the Chinese restaurant’s “snow beef” was nice. The Peking duck was also pretty good, and not as expensive as overseas, though still a bit pricey. The pool is small but sufficient, but it closes at 10 pm, so fitting in a swim can mean rushing your day. There’s a gym, restaurants, and a more organized concierge that collects packages. Staff were polite, nice, and helpful. Rates are alright, especially if you have Hilton Honors rewards. Daguanying metro station is within walking distance, a few stops from Beijing West station, with a direct line to Universal Studios. The executive rooms are better. The standard rooms feel dated, with corners that seem aged or not well cleaned. Their see-through glass bathroom needs the automatic blinds activated for privacy, which is a nuisance. The biggest problem was the strong cigarette smell in standard rooms. Even after changing rooms, it came back after a while. Someone may be ignoring the no-smoking policy, and staff said it was hard to tell who. Since the air conditioning is centralized, smoke travels. It’s awful, and the air filtration needs improvement. Executive rooms seemed less affected, maybe because there are fewer rooms on that floor or they’re larger.