Empark Grand Hotel Hangzhou Bay Ningbo

The hotel is a big, beautiful place with nice views, large cozy rooms, and good food. The price felt fair, and the staff were kind and polite. The cleaning and concierge service were good, and the property was generally very clean. A few things could be better: sometimes cigarettes smelled in the rooms or public areas, English support could improve, and the room doors shook a lot when they closed.

The shuttle made getting to work easy each morning, and the hotel is close to the Geely factory. Staff mostly spoke English, and breakfast was OK. Ordering room service was more difficult because the kitchen staff didn't speak English. It was a good hotel for a short visit.

I found the people very friendly, and there's an ATM at reception. Food nearby is good: Chinese restaurants are in the supermarket and mall, Western and Korean restaurants are 2-5 minutes away, and another supermarket is a 5-10 minute walk. Breakfast was good too. I've stayed at many hotels around China, and this one is above average. The downside is the noise. Daytime maintenance can be loud, and conference guests may make a lot of noise late into the night, so sleeping late isn't easy.

The gym was closed during my stay, and the internet was terrible. The Wi-Fi kept dropping in the middle of downloads. Still, the staff were friendly, and the price seemed reasonable for what you get. It's probably the best hotel in the area, which is still part of the growing Hangzhou development bay area.