The Garden Hotel Guangzhou Hotel

The garden and pond made the stay especially pleasant for me, creating a peaceful place to relax. We were also very pleased with the location and how clean the whole property was. Breakfast was average, and one morning a restaurant employee told me it hadn’t been paid for, even though it was included and had been settled correctly. It turned out to be a technical error, but that shouldn’t happen at a hotel of this standard. Communication took time because most staff didn’t speak English, and the few who did had only a basic level. I’d like to mention receptionist Qasas, who welcomed us when we arrived and handled the breakfast mix-up professionally. He sorted it out and offered restaurant vouchers for use between 6 and 8 p.m. as an apology, which we appreciated.

The hotel’s history is tied closely to Guangzhou’s growth eastward. When the formerly foreigners-only Baiyun Hotel began welcoming overseas guests, the area around Huanshi East Road and Taojin started to come alive. The Garden Hotel Guangzhou has since become a celebrated landmark and a piece of collective memory from a defining time in the city. Its story nearly stalled in 1983, when project leader James Henry Mason Lee died suddenly just as work was restarting. After discussions with Chinese representatives, his wife, Mrs. Lee, agreed to become Chairman and take on the job of resolving the financial crisis. The Garden Hotel finally opened in August 1985, after persistent effort, and became a beacon for Guangzhou and the national hospitality industry. The building’s two Y-shaped towers were inspired by the kapok flower. Their form symbolizes youth and hope, while also allowing more rooms, broad views, and an efficient layout. The exterior was designed by Guangzhou-born Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei, the only work by this world-renowned architect in his hometown. His distinctive arched entrance canopy has an interlocking metal grid, with glass bricks in each section that catch sunlight or artificial light and shimmer. Pei appointed Hong Kong architect Szeto Wai to carry out the main structural design. The arrival sequence is especially memorable. A low-ceilinged transitional concierge lounge gives a calm, intimate welcome, with colored beams shining in the light. Then you pass into the high, expansive lobby, a dramatic shift from restraint to grandeur that recalls the subtlety and scale of traditional Eastern hospitality. James Henry Mason Lee first planned for his own Lee Gardens Hotel team to manage the property. After The Peninsula Hotel successfully managed the Jianguo Hotel in Beijing, he changed course and entrusted The Peninsula Group with operations just before opening. Four decades later, the hotel still has a dignified presence. At its opening, the lobby was the largest hotel lobby in China, and its 3,800-square-meter space remains awe-inspiring. Golden murals still glow there, led by the large “Dream of the Red Chamber—Grand View Garden” mural facing the front desk. More than 200,000 pieces of gold leaf are inlaid in it, making it the hotel’s most recognizable visual symbol. Over the lobby’s center hangs Guangdong Province’s largest “Golden Dragons Playing with a Pearl” caisson, crafted in the style of ancient Chinese palace ceilings and rich with Eastern ceremonial beauty. Each year, the Christmas tree is lit in the lobby on schedule. For longtime Guangzhou residents, it has been the tallest and grandest tree for years. Visiting The Garden Hotel became a Chinese New Year and Christmas ritual for locals, a way to see the spectacle and reconnect with memories of that era.

Our group arrived in the first week of November and took four rooms on different floors. Everyone had something to complain about because the rooms were old and run down. My bathtub sat in the middle of the room and got in the way; the Nespresso machine leaked over the counter, bathroom fittings were coming apart, and worn electrical outlets wouldn’t hold plugs in place. The hair dryer fell apart when we tried it. Other people in the group had flooded bathrooms and clogged drains. One door card failed on the first day, then both cards stopped working on the second day and had to be replaced. We complained, but a fruit plate and apology note didn’t fix anything. Breakfast was mediocre at best. Don’t be taken in by the grand lobby. GZ has plenty of other options, so don’t waste your money or time here.

Joao Pedro, a handsome man from Porto, Portugal, greeted me at reception and welcomed me to The Garden Hotel. He offered to upgrade me to a suite, and I’m grateful to the hotel for having a staff member like him. His high-class service is why I’ll stay here on all my visits to Guangzhou and invite my friends too.