Shangri-La's China World hotel, Beijing

I have stayed with the Shangri-La hotel in Beijing twice, each visit has been more than a pleasure. The service and staff are among the finest in the world.

The service, the staff, the amenities, the restaurants, and the proximity to shopping areas like Silk Street (10 min walk, a few blocks away) made this a wonderful stay. Great place to stay in Beijing. I would definitely stay there again.

We stayed at the China World in april last month, and I was very disappointed by the service and by the hotel itself. We checked in, paid for a room which costed 350 euro a night, and had to bring our luggage upstairs ourselves. We had rather a lot of luggage, so it was very unconvenient. The room was not what we made a reservation for, and a very boring room anyway. This is China, and to pay for a tasteless room so much, with such bad service is really a waste of money and a waste of a comfortable stay. The only pluspoint is the bathroom, but for me that surely didn't balance it. To me the people at the reception were not capable for their job, I didn't like all the goldplatter in the lobby, and found it a rather tasteless business hotel although it had recently been decorated. We also stayed at the Shangrila in Beijing, which is the same chain, but a different hotel. A much more pleasant stay, much nicer rooms and 10 times better service. I can recommend that hotel, but I didn't stay at other hotels in Beijing, so I don't have more experience.

On 11 Dec I visited my business guest at China World Hotel at 12 noon. While we were walking towards the Aria restaurant at the lobby, suddenly we were being pushed and ordered by a jecket male to clear. My guest and I were shocked. Before we could react, we were being pushed by another leather jacket male. We were concerned about our safety and decided not to have lunch and hurried back to my buisness guest suite room. Later the General Manager came to apologize and explained to my guest that there were a group of politicians behind us walking the lobby passage and the two male who pushed us were not hotel staff but politicians' staff. I felt strongly that our safety was being compromised in this hotel. Hence, if you are not a political figure be prepared to be physically (even you are a female) pushed around ignoring your safety not once but twice in this hotel.

After the recent renovation, this hotel which was already very good is now outstanding. The rooms are well appointed and luxurious. High speed internet is free and a large range of amenities are provided. The staff is uniformly cheerful, helpful and eager to please. The food in the China World's restaurants is reliably good and has a wide range of offerings to cater to both Eastern and Western palates. Fitness center and spa are terrific. The spa offers a wide array of both Eastern and Western service options. The only downside is that the hotel's location puts it in the heart of traffic during morning and evening rush hours.

Not sure what was going on in town, but I wound staying here based on availability (being limited at other preferred places). The location was ok, but it's hard to get in and out. Parking is horrible, and the bellmen are sticklers for making sure no car stays there (occupied or not) for more than 30 seconds. Huge inconvience. As a Golden Circle member, I found the benefits to be pretty useless during my stay. Also found it is better to famous than a frequent quest. Long story, but suffice to say that I was not overly pleased with being ignored so they could kiss someone's, ahh, image. Food was average, but pricey. Rooms were average, but pricey. Service was average, but pricey. All in all, I'd say this was one average, but pricey place. If you know that and still choose to stay here, then you are informed. Which is better than me prior to this stay.

Stayed for three nights in August 2005. The services and the staff here at beijing china world hotel are best to none - from the elevator staff to the toilet boy. The fadilities are excellent, try the horizon club with its three floors !! Location is not too bad if you leave and return before the traffic starts. It is also just 10 minutes walk to the "new silk road market" where you can buy anything "fake" designer items. Just dont forget to bargain starting at 10% of what they say!!