Holiday Inn Express Minzuyuan

The hotel seems like decent value for the area, with the Olympic stadium and conference center nearby and likely better prices than other options around there. The rooms are large but have some odd fittings. Wi-Fi is reliable, if not very fast, and the bed is okay. The shower is great, though it can flood the bathroom. Breakfast isn't great, but the coffee is nice and strong. Dinner choices are quite limited at the hotel, but there are plenty of places to eat nearby.

The hotel is handy for the Olympic stadium area, and there's a small shopping center nearby with a supermarket, McDonald's, and several restaurants. The immediate neighborhood doesn't really cater to Western tourists, though, and getting to the hotel feels a bit awkward. The room was clean, staff were generally friendly and helpful, and breakfast was fine but nothing special. The tube station is a short walk away, but we mostly took taxis. The walk back gets dark and secluded, so I wouldn't recommend doing it alone at night.

I spent a week here in September 2015. The breakfast included in my rate was very good, with dumplings, vegetables, rice, made-to-order eggs, bread for the toaster, cereal, coffee, juice, milk, and tea. It could get busy depending on the time and whether a large tour group was getting ready to leave. The front desk and housekeeping staff were both courteous and helpful. One pillow was too soft, and housekeeping changed it as soon as I asked, even though I wouldn't need it for another 10 hours. The hotel is within walking distance of the National Stadium, Aquatics Center, and The National Olympic Center, as well as a couple of subway stops. There are a few restaurants nearby, though none stood out. Evening street vendors sell fruit and crepes, and there's a convenience store just outside the main entrance. Wi-Fi came with the room. It was fine for calls on messaging apps, but not fast or reliable enough to stream video comfortably.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Beijing Minzuyuan in August 2018, and it was just okay, with no major problems or standout moments. For a budget hotel, our room was quite spacious for two and comfortable. They replaced the sheets every other day and towels daily, and left two free bottles of water and hot drink sachets each day. Beitucheng station, with Lines 8 and 10, is about a five-minute walk away. That worked well for my partner's daily trip to the China National Convention Center, and for getting into the city to see places like Tiananmen Square. Line 10 also made it easy to reach the airport express at Sanyuanqiao. The path between the station and hotel was dirty and unpleasant to walk, but it had street lights and plenty of people around day and night, so it seemed quite safe even late in the evening. Our breakfast was limited. The continental choices were especially sparse, and the Chinese breakfast was okay, though the food was simply laid out in pans and bowls, with no change in variety. There's a small convenience store beside the hotel, and the station is close enough to find breakfast elsewhere. Staff were courteous and helpful, but most didn't speak English. We managed with Google Translate. Keep in mind that Google services don't always work in China, so enable the offline dictionary or arrange a Hong Kong SIM or VPN in advance. Odd-numbered rooms may face the street. Neighborhood noise came through the windows, and the soundproofing was only adequate. Light sleepers might want earplugs. The attached picture shows the view from our room.