Holiday Inn Beijing Chang An West by IHG

The dining room gets crowded, but there are still plenty of tables, and the buffet is standard fare. Rooms are clean and comfortable, as you'd expect from a nice chain hotel. The location is outside the city center, so you'll need a taxi or public transport for the main sights. Two metro stations lie in opposite directions, each about a 10-minute walk away.

The room was spacious and clean, and the staff were polite. There's a small mall and a few shops nearby, but reaching the historic area takes a while. The metro is quite far, and the trip to the Forbidden City takes even longer.

The room on the fifth floor was comfortable, with a king bed and tasteful decor. The shower, toilet, and bathtub each had their own small compartment in the bathroom, and the room was pretty clean. Downstairs there's a small indoor pool, gym, and sauna, and the staff were courteous. I didn't eat in the restaurant, so can't judge the food, though it looked well run. For this level, I had what I needed, but the surveillance felt close to intrusive. I brought a friend back to chat in my room one day and got an immediate call from the front desk asking me to register the guest. I can see the appeal of tight security, but it has another side, too. It was a good stay.

The central location was good, but don't count on having air conditioning. They turn it off throughout the building because they think some guests might be cold, even though each room has an adjustable thermostat. It stayed at 26C (about 79F) day and night. Their answer was a noisy fan that just pushed the warm air around. The room was hot, damp, and uncomfortable.