ElongRuiyun Hotel Beijing CapitalAirport

The staff were attentive, and our room was clean with comfortable beds. The hotel is close to PEK airport, and its first-floor restaurant serves Beijing-style food. You need to arrange shuttle pickup through WeChat, or through Trip.Com's messaging system if you booked there and don't use WeChat. It runs about once an hour. The room itself felt worn and bare, with an end-of-USSR sort of atmosphere. The photos of the rooms were redacted, so they didn't give us much to go on. We had booked a window, but it was taped over from outside with semi-translucent film held together by scraps of scotch. The Russian-speaking couple arguing next door added to the atmosphere.

The beds were comfortable, and we slept fine under the warm blankets, even though we had to keep our sweaters on. It was about -10°C (12°F) outside, the room felt cold, and a draft seemed to come from the window. There were no radiators, and the fan or air conditioner blew cold air even when we set the temperature for heat. The bathroom worked, but its layout was strange: the tub and toilet are divided from the room by translucent doors that are more see-through than not and don't reach the ceiling. We hung our coats over the toilet door to block the view, though sound carried through the gap above it. In a double room, you can hear EVERYTHING. PEK Airport is about a 15-minute walk away, following the route on Amap. It was manageable without bags, but some parts have roads to cross without pedestrian walkways or crosswalks. With suitcases or wheeled bags, that would be very inconvenient. There's a shuttle roughly once an hour, including at night, from lane 10 of the covered parking lot in front of the airport. Ask at the information desk to call the hotel and let them know you're waiting. Arrange the return transfer with the hotel directly. A small minimarket on the hotel floor sells water, beer, snacks, and homeless bags at reasonable prices. It was still open around midnight.

A handy place to stop for a night's sleep before traveling. It's very close to the airport and has a shuttle service.

We found the hotel clean, comfortable, and very pleasant, with respectful, helpful staff. Breakfast had plenty of choice, from a classic Chinese spread to dumplings and soy milk, and we were happy with it. It's within walking distance of Terminal 2, though we mistook the covered area opposite the exit for a parking lot and ended up taking a longer loop 😎. There's a free shuttle too. We took it back to the area the next morning, then caught the metro into Beijing. From the airport, go through the parking lot directly across the street and the hotel will be in front of you. No need to circle the lot.