Xilong HOtel (Beijing Xizhao Temple)

The rooms had everything I needed, and the staff were lovely. Breakfast was a full buffet with lots of protein and some healthy choices. Great location, very clean, and the service was amazing.

There’s an historic temple and courtyard here, and the place feels clean, elegant, safe, and friendly. We were the only Western guests. During the day, one person speaks a little English. The beds are thin and very hard, though I suspect that’s fairly standard. It was difficult to find, and even our airport cab driver had to call the hotel. It used to be called the King talent hotel and has recently been renamed.

The rooms are large and breakfast is good, though the hotel itself isn’t modern.

Breakfast was satisfying, with lots of premium ingredients, and even the packaged cold breakfast was substantial. I especially liked having both a bath and a shower. There was plenty of hot water, and the air conditioning got very cold. How flexible the staff were about coffee depended on the person. In China, there’s only tea, usually made in the room. We spent most of the day at the hotel during my trip, and I felt good there. The reason I took off a star was the strong tobacco smell in the rooms. It had soaked into the walls and carpet, and the cigarette and cigar odor was quite disturbing.