Vivihostel

Breakfast has live cooking, so you can ask for your eggs the way you like them. The rooms are clean and a good size, and the staff were helpful. The hotel is a huge tower block, but I think it earns its 4 star rating. It’s near a major crossing with shopping malls, taxi stands and cash machines. There’s also a corner shop and a 7-11 within walking distance. The bar stays open late, though drinks are a little pricey.

The room, at least mine, was run down and could use renovation, even though the hotel lobby is quite posh. The entrance is actually at the back of the building, not at the front where it’s marked, so I ended up wandering through the mall. The hotel is well located near the city centre, main attractions, subway and other transport. Staff were very nice and helpful.

We enjoyed our stay and would definitely come back. It’s good value, and the location made getting around Beijing easy: just off a main junction, with shops, malls, eateries and the metro about a 2 minute walk away. The foyer and lounge have a funky look, and the landings and lifts are modern and clean. Staff were friendly and helpful, but most spoke very little English, which made things harder for guests and staff alike. Rooms are spacious and clean, and housekeeping is efficient, though they’re rather dark, tired and in need of a bit of updating. The windows don’t open, so I was glad the air conditioning worked well. Free Wi-Fi was slow, and the paid upgrade was much faster, though I didn’t see much point since the apps and phone services we use every day back home are blocked in China. Next time I’ll download and install a VPN before travelling. The rooms have 2 pin shaver sockets and Chinese 3 pin sockets with thinner, angled pins, so bring an adaptor.

Breakfast was the best part, with plenty of western and Chinese options. We stayed at Penta Beijing in June 2017. The hotel photos online look nice, but there was mold on the bathroom tile, and the hallway and room smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. It was hard to breathe, and we woke up congested the next morning.