Holiday Inn Express Xiamen Airport Zone by IHG

I was impressed by how spacious the two-bed room was, around 500 square feet. The one I had in Japan was only 100 square feet and cost 150 U.S. dollars a day. Service here was amazing, and the oriental breakfast was delicious. The ocean view and noon checkout were extra pluses.

The room was very clean and the facilities were good. Reception was friendly and helpful, including when I ordered outside food several times. Li Hongying at the restaurant deserves a mention: she was polite and friendly, and since we're Muslim, she let us know which dishes were halal and which weren't. We really appreciated that.

Although it's near the airport, the room didn't meet standard. It was worn and basic, the bedding was simple, and I had doubts about the cleanliness. The hotel needs renovation. I wouldn't choose it even for a transit stay, and won't return. There are many better options in Xiamen.

I hadn't read the Google comments beforehand, and like many others I ended up in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night, searching for a hotel that wasn't there. I had booked this specifically because it was supposedly close to the airport. Advertising it that way is negligent at best, or false advertising bordering on fraud at worst. If the hotel caters to foreign tourists, staff should have at least basic English instead of relying only on translation apps on their phones.