Chengdu Charming Yard Nature Nook Hotel

The rooms are spacious and luxurious, with a heated high-tech toilet with bidet functions, separate shower and tub, huge bed that's a bit too firm, TV with some English and Russian channels, desk, chairs, coffee and tea, and a variety of toiletries. There's turndown service every other day and towels and toiletries every day. They even make the bed, which feels unnecessary. No iron. You can see mild wear in places, including cigarette burns on the conference room carpets. The hotel is clean and comfortable, and well located, though not downtown. A cab from the airport is around 40 Yuan, and Jinli costs 14-18 depending on traffic. The decor is nice, but the lobby is over the top. Nobody needs so many fake flowers or two young women whose only job seems to be standing by the door and bowing all day. Service is great in attitude, but almost nobody speaks English, so they often can't understand what you're saying. The check-in staff knew enough to take your passport and credit card and tell you the price. I met one person who supposedly spoke English, but she was usually nowhere to be found; when I did find her, she was polite but nearly as helpless as the others. Breakfast has a vast selection, but no decaf, little fruit, and absolutely no options for dietary restrictions. And who needs sushi for breakfast? Room service is good but massively overpriced, as is the mini bar. The tech is absurd, and I mean ridiculous, not just in a good way. The curtains are tied to the lights, so they can't be open unless the lights are on. Once you press "sleep," good luck getting the lights back to normal without pulling out the key to restart the system. Elevators scan your card and automatically choose your floor, and only let you select the lobby and common event floors. You can't visit friends or colleagues on another floor unless you're both in the elevator or have both key cards. It's infuriating and ludicrous, and fantastically poorly thought out. The Wi-Fi is horrible and unstable when it works. If you need to work or use a VPN, it's hopeless. It's not a bad hotel, but it falls just short in every category. P.S. They play the same music everywhere. Charming at first, then it gets on your nerves quickly.