pentahotel Beijing

The foyer feels like a hostel but the room was completely fine. My husband was delighted to find it had a humidifier, which didn't seem necessary in November but he liked it. Nice linen and towels etc. and a big window although not looking onto anything special. Nothing wrong with it. I chose it because it seemed walkable or an easy metro ride to the Forbidden City. I never found out however as the FC was shut on the only full day I was there! (Yes, I thought I had checked but it wasn't obvious on the web site.) I only really went to Beijing to go on a day hike along the Great Wall as most of time in China I was elsewhere. A nearby street had some nice ordinary restaurants and we had a great meal, using pictures on the menu and a translation app to choose dishes; in the same street, just round one corner from the hotel, were some nice bakery kiosks selling delicious egg custard tarts and biscuits.

The safe stopped working - with our money and passports trapped inside - as we were about to leave. The staff at the desk did something and assured me it was resolved but this was not the case. It was sorted out but the time delay mattered as we were trying to avoid the Beijing rush hour traffic to get to the Great Wall and our driver was waiting. I don't feel that the staff really empathised with my concern, but maybe that was just a communication thing.