The Mansion Hotel

The location is excellent, in a low-rise area just steps from the metro. The 1930s interiors are beautiful, and the rooms are huge and comfortable, with enormous luxurious bathrooms, large tubs, and fancy showers. Breakfast has a good mix of Chinese and Western food, the Wi-Fi is decent, and the doormen are very friendly. A few things could be better: reception English wasn’t enough for some routine requests, like arranging a car with driver for the day, and paperwork sometimes took too long. Plumbing maintenance could use attention too, since some shower heads are clogged with calcium deposits and some tub hardware was loose. Wi-Fi setup would work better with one name for all rooms. You can get a taxi quickly most of the time, but don’t count on it when it’s raining. I’d have expected a deal with a radio cab operator to avoid that.

The people here are amazing. Rooms are clean and private, the food is good, and it’s easy to get to the subway and other transportation. The rooms are huge, with big windows and balconies that are great for warm evenings. Airport pickup and dropoff are a bonus after a 10 or 12 hour flight. I’d recommend this place.

A little exploring nearby turned up a lovely patisserie and some massage places. It's a magical spot, and brushing up on jazz history before visiting makes it even better.

The lobby is impressive, but the hotel itself wasn't great for Western visitors. Breakfast was terrible, there was no bar, and the rooftop was closed despite being advertised.