Yanling Hotel

I paid for a non-smoking environment, but the corridors and hallways constantly smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. Parts of the hotel also felt dark and uncomfortable. During my stay at PACO Hotel Tianpingjia Metro Guangzhou for the Canton Fair in April 2026, the way a payment issue was handled left me very upset and stressed. I came back late from the fair exhausted and asked reception for another key after misplacing mine. Instead, the receptionist loudly accused me in front of other guests of not paying my bill. I'd already been there five days and planned to pay the remaining balance at checkout the next morning. I explained repeatedly that I had the money and only wanted to check the charges, because the receipts didn't match my Booking.com reservation. Then the manager banged aggressively on my door, shouted, threatened to call the police, and made me feel very unsafe as a woman travelling alone. When officers arrived, they checked the receipts and confirmed the hotel had overcharged me. I paid the correct amount and got the remaining money back. Some staff later apologized for the manager's behavior and said other customers had complained about his rude attitude before. The police officers were calm, patient and fair. They listened, checked all the receipts, helped me pack safely, carried my luggage downstairs and arranged transport to my next hotel late at night. One officer asked several times whether I had somewhere safe to go. I was grateful for their kindness and professionalism during such a stressful moment. I've travelled in China before and stayed at other PACO hotels in Guangzhou, where the service was excellent. After leaving this branch, I stayed another 14 days at a different PACO hotel near the airport. They were wonderful, professional and respectful, and made me feel safe and welcome. People in China have always been kind to me while I've travelled. Like anywhere, there are good people and bad people. I'll also contact Booking.com about the customer service, management's behavior and how this was handled. Based on what happened to me, I wouldn't recommend this particular hotel, especially to women travelling alone.