Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai

We were in SZ for a few days and liked the coffee and the views, so we booked Christmas Eve for one night. I had high expectations for Hilton, but this stay only gets three stars from me. The room was beautiful and the view amazing, but it smelled moldy. We turned the AC way up, yet the smell lingered, and the room stayed around 23C even with the setting at 18C. The gym was okay, though the main building had no sauna. The pool there felt old. We were directed to the old building, where the gym seemed much better. We only later found the lovely kids' club and playground. The sauna was a wet steam room, with no dry sauna at all, which was disappointing. The pool was clean, but the jacuzzi could use some refurbishment. Breakfast really wasn’t great. After stays at Hilton Shanghai and other places in the EU, I expected more of the Hilton standard. The choices and presentation mostly catered to Mainland Chinese guests, and it wasn’t as impressive as breakfasts at other Hiltons I’ve visited. The hotel is near seaworld. I’d suggest asking for a room without a mold smell and going to seaworld for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There are two wings, old and new. I stayed in the old one, and it was superb, with a spacious room and large bathroom. The hotel is very nice, and the staff are attentive. The language barrier can make things difficult, but they do their best to help. There’s a nice Turkish bath and an indoor pool.

We were very happy with the room, ocean view, and how friendly the staff generally were during our one-night stay. But check-out involved a shocking invasion of personal boundaries that completely ruined the visit. The woman at the desk asked to take my phone without explaining why. I assumed she needed to check the payment confirmation. After about 30 seconds, while I’d handed my luggage to a concierge, I checked on her. She was in my phone settings enabling camera access and wanted to take pictures of the lobby. She’d also already started a positive review process in the Trip.com app. She had no right to go through my phone or write a review on my behalf. This was totally out of line, and it seems like it could be management policy. I can’t imagine she decided to do this on her own. There was no excuse. We won’t come back.

The breakfast was pleasant and delicious, with great service. The concierges were especially helpful. Best hotel we’ve stayed at in China so far. We stayed overnight in the Nanhai Wing and found the hospitality great, with very kind and friendly staff.