Zhangjiajie Huatian Hotel

The rooms were clean and did what we needed, and breakfast was included, though we only tried it once. The hotel is described as five-star in China, but to me it felt more like a two-star American hotel. Despite the non-smoking listing and signs throughout, guests and employees smoked all over the hotel.

Terry at the lobby desk helped us track down our lost luggage and was exceptionally helpful. He speaks some English, which is unusual in the area. The hotel is very conveniently placed, just a walk from the Tianmen cable car, where the route to Tianmen Mountain Park starts. The lobby is huge but cold, with no heat. Our room was spacious and comfortable, and the breakfast buffet was excellent. Zy huatian.

It took the receptionist two hours to check us in, even though we had booked and paid ahead of time. She had no English communication skills. Still, the hotel itself was huge and beautiful.

The room was spacious and comfortable for two, and the bathroom had good water pressure. I brought a filter, so the water was clean. The air conditioning barely cooled the room even after running all day, perhaps because it wasn't summer. When I mentioned it, the hotel gave me another key so I could leave it on, which I appreciated. The surrounding area wasn't an issue, and since this was a package tour and I only needed somewhere to sleep, the room worked well. Breakfast was decent, with kimchi, doenjang soup that tasted like kimchi soup, and plenty of boiled eggs in two varieties.