One Plus One Hotel

The service was great. The owner provided a map and could chat through messaging apps despite limited English, and the communication was pretty flawless. We got daily room cleaning, fresh towels, and toiletries. Ximending is a very popular area, busier than we expected, and everything we needed was a five to ten minute walk away. Finding the hotel was tricky. Some people saw us looking confused and helped us find it. There were red signs with no English pointing inside a building near the Google Maps pin. After checking in, we were taken to a room in another building a few blocks away, and I’m not sure why. The room felt dated, not very clean, and cold at night. The blankets were really cheap, though the shower was wonderfully hot.

The rooms are comfortable and clean, even though the outside looks old, and for the price it was a nice stay. It’s a decent budget hotel, though definitely not five-star. The owner and receptionist were nice. They let us leave our things in the morning while waiting for the 3PM check-in, and even helped carry them. A room for four had two big beds, cable TV, Wifi, a refrigerator, sofa, electric kettle, and mugs. Towels were changed daily and housekeeping came regularly. Public transport, Ximendeng night market, a modern toilet, and lots of other businesses are nearby. One thing to know is that the hotel rooms occupy floors in different buildings, and the signs are hard to spot. The bathroom is small, and the room design could use improvement. The TV stayed too quiet even at maximum volume, and there were very few English channels.

The place was cheap and worked well for a budget traveler. It’s run by a family, and we were assigned a simple room a few blocks away. It had a hair dryer, water heater, towel, shampoo, bath foam, toothbrush, toothpaste, and toilet paper. On the last day, we found a cockroach under the pillow. The woman who came to clean was rude, though maybe she had too much work.

The location is excellent, but the place itself is old and dusty. Our room was very old, and the mattress was hard as a wooden bed. Maybe someone in the military or with a bad back could understand sleeping without any comfort. The bathroom felt haunted, like a ghost was stroking your hair while you used the sink. We ended up staying out until late all the time. It’s expensive for what you get, and we won’t come back.