Hampton Shenzhen Guangming

They took the full charge from my credit card at check-in, not just a security hold, then processed the transaction on the second day of my four-night stay. The worst part was being charged through DCC without anyone asking me first. It felt borderline fraudulent. There were hardly any staff who spoke English, and this was one of my most unpleasant hotel stays. The owner clearly isn't meeting Hilton's brand standards.

The beds were comfortable and the staff were friendly. Breakfast was decent, though nothing special. A good hotel.

The service at both the restaurants and through room service was very good, and we enjoyed the food. Breakfast came with our stay as an international buffet, though the Western options were fairly limited to things like eggs, bacon, pastries, cereal, fruit, cold cuts, and breakfast drinks. Most guests seemed to be affluent Chinese businesspeople and other international Asians. It's a relatively new hotel with the latest amenities, in a light industrial and wholesale district that's useful for home remodelers and construction workers. High end shops are nearby, but generally too far to walk. Local transit should make that manageable if you know how to use it. The hotel accepts foreign visitors with visas. Most signs and amenities are in English and Chinese, but only a small part of the staff speaks English. My group spoke the local dialect; I think a good electronic translator would work for other visitors. Yahoo worked on cellular, while Google seemed unreliable or blocked when I used the Translate app.

There wasn't much to watch or do, and I found the place incredibly boring. Not one TV channel was in English, there was hardly anyone to speak with, and there was nowhere to go. The closest shops were a solid 20-minute walk away, and when I asked the only staff member with a little English, they couldn't tell me where they were. After 25 years of business travel and staying at Hiltons all the time, this was the worst hotel I've ever been in. For an international hotel, there were very few, if any, English-speaking staff. Food meant Chinese dishes or pizza, which wasn't really pizza. They wouldn't make one after 9 p.m., even though the kitchen closed at 9:30. No draft beer either, just cans and bottles. There were notices in the rooms offering free food, drinks, even free nights for leaving a five-star review. I wouldn't trust the five-star reviews because of that. I'm not sure Hilton knows it's happening, but needing to bribe guests for good reviews is shocking. I won't stay at a Hampton by Hilton again, and Hilton should be ashamed of this hotel. The hotel is new and the area is clearly being modernized, so I can't blame them for all the construction around it.