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Reviews of Imperial Courtyard Hotel

3.5 out of 5
Imperial Courtyard Hotel
No.16 Huayuandongxiang Andingmen, Dongcheng District, Beijing, Beijing

Reviews

7.0

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 24 out of 137 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 54 out of 137 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 32 out of 137 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 15 out of 137 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 12 out of 137 reviews" "

7.0/10

Cleanliness

7.4/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

6.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Kirsten

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice and clean and staff are very friendly
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from coco on Jun 13, 2019
thank you,it was nice having you here

4/10 Poor

Carolina, Pennsylvania, PA

Liked: Staff & service
Dangerous to get in on the area, demolition of the 2nd floor of the building 10 ft away from the hotel entrance, to enter to the hotel is an alley & dead end, so much dust & dirty .Bed covers never change for entire 4 nights we’re here. I requested king size bed, according to front desk per Expedia it’s double bed?? So, we squeeze in a twin bed( me & my husband) , breakfast is very good so as the staff especially “Coco” only one that can speak English
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019
Response from coco on May 11, 2019
thank you,miss you two,how are you ?

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent service , very comfortable bed, cozy and warm rooms. Stylish design. Excellent location close to train station, inside Hutong for a good local experience.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019
Response from coco on May 3, 2019
we were happy to have you here. best wishes.

6/10 Okay

Candace

Eh, choose elsewhere if you can.
I feel really up in the air about this place. The young man that checked me in was sweet, and walked me to the subway so I didn’t get lost on my first day. Everyone was friendly enough, but I had paid for breakfast before I arrived, and every time I had breakfast the front desk girl argued with me that I owed money. The American breakfast was terrible, just some freezer burnt stale toast, and one fried egg. Chinese breakfast was better. The sound control in the room was terrible, you could hear everything. It also smelled of cigarettes even though it was non-smoking. Hutong is an alleyway, so you are definitely tucked away, and your windows face the front desk. The bed was stiff, and the shower dirty. I think it priced a tad high for the quality, but it is what it is. The WiFi is terrible as well...overall feeling plenty bland about the place as a whole.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from c on Sep 28, 2018
welcome

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

The staff was okay, nobody could speak english but I found a way to get by. The main problem was the internet connection. It almost never worked properly, and since I was there for a work trip this was a huge problem.
Stayed 17 nights in Jul 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Decent hotel close enough to bus 877
Hotel was clean. This is a plus considering the other 2 places I stayed in China. Staff was helpful even though there was language barrier
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from sun on Jul 31, 2018
thank you vrvey much,i want to see you again

2/10 Terrible

S L

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Horrible
one Of the worst places we have ever stayed in noisey beyond belief we were on the ground floor absolutely no consideration for guests from other guests and staff . Beds were rock hard . Area was fine . If your going to book this hotel bring ear plugs and mosquito spray .

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The room has no live TV, only dated internet recordings

6/10 Okay

Marcus

Liked: Staff & service
So-so
The staff were very friendly. The room itself is fine. Enough space for 1 person. Bed was ok. However the only complain i have is that the toilet had a drainage stench and it was slightly uncomfortable if I do not close the toilet door. The room was clean but the smell was a bit too much to bear with it.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Brendan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good price, interesting area
This place is great I have stayed here a couple times. The common area is kitschy but I find it charming. Staff speak English well and are friendly. The area is slightly downtrodden, but very close to one of the best parts of Beijing. It is a slightly tricky to find, I mentioned the name to a shopkeeper and they pointed me in the right direction. No problem but maybe best suited for slightly adventurous types! Recommend!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

4/10 Poor

Xu

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
not recommended
in a narrow and small alley; not easy to get there. the facilities are shabby. many things are broken. the interior decoration looks great but that's all.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not worth the $
The pictures on the website make it appear to be warm and open - it's NOT - it's cold and noisy

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Quaint hotel hidden in hutong area, Angdinmen
The ambiance is very traditional Chinese -- the reason why I chose to stay here. It's tricky to find though. The taxi driver found the main street but couldn't find the hotel entrance, and the people she asked in the area couldn't point it out. Since I was afraid to get off the taxi without knowing where we were exactly, I asked her to drop me off at Andingmen Subway Station instead. Looking at the vicinity map at the station, I oriented myself to the general direction of where the hotel is located, and asked a police officer when I felt lost. So from Andingmen Station Exit A, cross the highway in the opposite direction of the river, turn right following the linear park walkway, after about 150 m there is a street (marker is the small building with #15), turn left then look for the alley with the red LED sign board "No. 16 Hotel". Some rooms were being refurbished at the time of my stay so it was a little dusty at the common area, and as early as 6:30am I could hear noise from the construction (the windows are not soundproof but the buzz from the aircon sort of muffled the sound of people talking in the common area). The aircon was excellent in warming up the room (I was there end of March which was still chilly). Alice, one of the staff, was very friendly and gave me recommendations where to eat nearby.

10/10 Excellent

Edward Carl, Busan, Korea

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Greatly exceeded expectations!
Will stay here every time I visit Beijing. Amazing value for money.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
French Family from Perth, Australia
The Imperial Courtyard Hotel is a small, quirky oasis within walking distance from Andingmen station on Beijing's central metro. Located in a laneway off a side street it has a unique character that is like a well worn home. Given it's location it is remarkably quiet in the rooms. If you don't speak Mandarin don't worry. Communication is by gesture and smiles. On one night we needed some headache tablets. One of the young staff members worked out what we needed, wrote it out in Chinese and "we chatted" the location of the local pharmacy so we could find our way there and back. The concern and support was genuine and appreciated. On a brighter note, if you are chilling out through the day you will probably hear the manager playing his guitar in the atrium courtyard. Amazing acoustics. Given the abundance of multi lingual books and travel guides in the atrium lounge gives a sense that everyone is welcome.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
The staff was helpful and friendly, but their English skills were limited and both parties needed to be patient yet struggled to communicate fluidly. The atmosphere of this hotel is most certainly lovely in the spring and summer with nice weather, but in the cold of January we found it cold and dark.

4/10 Poor

Russell, China

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Poor form hotels.com
Book and paid in full for this hotel. Spend 2 hours in a taxi to get there. No rooms available. Went to hotel.com website and it still listed rooms available. Major problem between hotels.com and this hotel so double check the room is actually free before making the long journey to this hotel. Not happy at all with hotels.com handling of this muck up. Basically deserted me.

6/10 Okay

will, tx

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Tiny hotel
The hotel name was not properly posted and translated between Chinese and English .it takes much longer to find it. The room wall paper was fallen.

2/10 Terrible

DM, east bay

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Locate in a very hard to find neiborghood
The pictures I saw online were so much different than the real place. The room was very small. They spray the perfume to cover the bad smell. The insulation was bad, people talk loud outside even after midnight, and they in and out their room slam their doors without consideration. Over all it was the worst place I ever stayed.

8/10 Good

Hok Ning Mavis, Hong Kong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very good experience
Very good experience, the staff was nice and the hotel was beautiful

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Breakfast.
Not easy to find, and I think the pin on the map provided by Hotels.com was wrong. Great breakfast though.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Real local experience
If you are looking for the real Chinese experience, this is it. This hotel, though not Hilton rooms, has all the appeal of a Chinese one. With a courtyard style house, in the middle of a hutong. The service is great, really helpful. And 5 minutes away from the subway and from nice restaurant areas. The set up on the roof to relax after a long day walking helped too.

4/10 Poor

Trisha M, Rosemount, MN

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not so much.
We had a 13 hour layover in Beijing and wanted to get to the Great Wall. When I booked, I said that we wouldn't be there until 2am and said we would like the airport shuttle. I also emailed early the day of arrival about the shuttle and never received a response. We flew into PEK and got swindled into an "airport ride" taxi. Stay away from these guys and take a metered cab, which is still pricy. The address is actually 16, not 19. The door to the front was open, and a sign was up saying the "front desk" was open 8am-9pm. Great, except it's 2 am, and I informed them of our late arrival when booking. Finally someone came out and checked us in. They requested a room deposit. The wifi was free and actually worked decently. The room was adequate. There were 2 beds, a TV, and a few things for the "mini bar". The bathroom was clean enough, but smelled of sewage. We had to close the door so it wouldn't permeate the room. My confirmation from Hotels.com said breakfast was included, but the woman at the front desk said it wasn't. As I didn't even see any breakfast set out, I figured "oh well", as I just wanted out of there. It's only shining feature is that it's close to the blue line subway. Would I stay here again? Not for the price I paid. I would if it was cheaper and only because of the location, and only if the bus or subway were running so I didn't spend an arm and a leg on a ride there.

2/10 Terrible

John, Ilkey

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location poor hotel.
We prefer interesting hutong hotels and stayed at the Schihai Shadow Art Theatre hotel last October. Compared to that this hotel was awful. Ants on floor and insects in bed,possibly because on ground floor. Service non-existent and breakfast inedible. Bathroom was just about usable. Best thing about it was nearness to Andigmen metro, the Lama Temple and Ditan Park which is amazing.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice experience in courtyard style hotel.
We had a pleasant stay at this courtyard style hotel. The layout of the hotel is similar to pictures. The deluxe room we booked was just right, not too small (which is the norm in Asia), but the bathroom was tiny and could use a bit of updating. The place had an authentic feel to it, so don't expect it to be like a modern hotel. Overall it was clean and comfortable for us AND no funny smells coming from the bathroom. The staff spoke basic English and they can arrange tours for you. The prices seem fair, but we didn't take any. Our booking included free breakfast and they offer a variety of Asian and Western choices. The hotel is located in one of the Hutongs where taxis can't/won't go there, so make sure to get their phone number and have the taxi drivers get directions directly from the hotel. We got there using the airport express and then subway. The directions provided by one of the other reviewers was really helpful and accurate.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Traditional courtyard hotel
Although the Chinese like everything modern this hotel located in the hutong district provided a traditional Chinese experience. Rooms are located on two floors around a red lacquered courtyard. Rooms with bathrooms are small but comfortable. Good value for your money.

2/10 Terrible

Dan, UK

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awful hotel
I booked this hotel because it was cheap and close to the metro. That's where the good things end. It was hard to find because it's located in a back alley. The hotel has a grandmoms house feel, when she is a pack and nothing gets replaced or dusted in years. The sheets was cheap, bugs where in the room, no attractions was nearby, the breakfast was awful, and the room was dirty. The staff speaks English when it's convenient for them. To matters worse they told me I could not have guest over longer than a hour or else they would need a passport and be charged. It is a courtyard hotel and I caught the staff peeking through the window twice. There is no privacy this place felt like a punishment not a vacation.

6/10 Okay

Jennifer

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

4/10 Poor

Alvin, California

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Be Careful!
I was walked to a nearby hotel around 5:00pm. The guy manning the check in counter informs me he has no room for me. With no further ado he walks me around 10 minutes to another hotel. Just be aware that since it is a small place, it may be a frequent occurence.

8/10 Good

M.C., Hong Kong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The effort is definitely there
The Pros: Staff did their best to be helpful, including complimentary room upgrades (at least in my case) and assistance with navigation of the public transit. Rooms were stocked with universal power outlets - Any type of plug will work. Complimentary slippers for room use and additional pairs for bathroom use, and free four-in-one toothbrush set. Breakfast was very tasty, and included. The Cons: Location was a bit out of the way (five minute brisk walk to the subway once you find it the first time), and the neighborhood does not seem very wealthy. It is located in the hutongs so it will be hard to find at first. The bed is on the harder side, and it can get cold during the winter months.

8/10 Good

Lars, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Really good value hotel :)
We stayed here for 3 nights. Very helpful staff, who had already arranged all our pick ups for our tours by the time we arrived. Room sizes were really good. The area is a bit out from the main part of Beijing and we was a bit worried about the location when we arrived. However, there are a few shops located about 25 minutes away and it was really nice to look around and find things like tea sets so much cheaper than in the more central places!

8/10 Good

Natalie, Washington DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
great location, cold in winter
first the good, great location, interesting area, close to lots of food and multiple subway stations, very polite and helpful hotel, the bad, nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find, taxi driver had to call a bunch of times, finally found it and then they let me go to their sister hotel, all owned by same people, about 10 min walk away, i think that in the fall or spring the rooms are great, but in the winter, they are freezing! had to sleep with two blankets, two sweatshirts and two sweatpants, i would definitely stay again in fall or spring, but not in a beijing winter!

8/10 Good

Jennifer, New Zealand - Auckland

Awesome location in the hutongs and super close to the subway and one of the trendy hutongs

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
It is like the little hotel that needs more work
The Good - Staff was very friendly and helpful. Their English was excellent. The breakfast was consistent and more than sufficient. The coffee was excellent. The Not So Good - The location of the hotel is quite close to a subway stop, but difficult to initially find. My driver called the hotel six times before they answered the phone to get directions. One night the cook never showed up to cook dinner and on another night they were out of rice. They also seem to miss it on little things. I found quite a few typos in their service book (like Fired Rice vs Fried Rice). Things that show (to me) carelessness. Also, I broke a cheap bathroom glass and they charged me 10 RMB to replace it. I found that just another cheap irritation. Would I stay there again? Maybe, but probably not. unless I read all five star reviews. For sure I like the idea of staying in the small personalized hotels in a huton, but I think that this one still needs improvement.. It is like the little hotel that is trying, but isn't quite there yet.

8/10 Good

Catherine, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A traditional experience
The hotel and rooms were beautifully traditionally decorated. The room was small but comfortable and had everything we needed. The bathroom was a little old but clean. The hotel is in a great location, really central. It's a little hard to find down an alley but worth the hunt, just look for the big red flashing sign.

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Staff & service
Facilities: Basic; Value: Inexpensive; Service: Courteous; Cleanliness: Clean;

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel in a great location.
Easily accessible from the airport. Great restaurants for local cuisine nearby. Nice market for souvenirs also within walking distance, as well as a few very interesting Beijing tourist attractions e.g. Lama Temple, Drum Tower, Bell Tower.

10/10 Excellent

Venkatesh, New Delhi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent traditional style Chinese Hotel
Its a really nice hotel situated very close to the subway station. The staff and the management of the hotel are all extremely cooperative and nice so being a first time visitor to Beijing --- its a great experience. I was travelling to Beijing for work and it was my first time in china so the assistance of the hotel staff proved really useful in all spheres. for tourists to Beijing a week at this hotel gives the perfect platform to explore this great city. Its convenient for south Asian visitors as well. the staff are very nice but if they speak better English that would be very helpful to the ordinary foreign visitor who does not know Chinese. there are a number of 7/11 style stores open 24/7 so getting things to eat or items of daily use isn't a problem. the BIG CHALLENGE with this property is locating the hotel within the hutong.. its almost impossible to do so in case you don't know Chinese or are unfamiliar with Beijing. Its near Andingmen station but landing at Andingmen without knowing where exactly to go isn't a good idea... do have a phone wherein you can get someone to check in Chinese with the hotel staff on how to get there else its going to be really difficult.

10/10 Excellent

Wendy, Ottawa, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A little hard to find as it is tucked away in an alley but the minute you walk in the doors you will feel like you are back in time .This is a great hotel with great service, it's small so you can get to know other guests and the staff as well should you choose. I loved walking through the hutong and seeing this different way of life come alive.i felt very safe walking in this neighbour if you want somewhere quiet and authentic this is it!

6/10 Okay

Scott and Helen, UK

Liked: Cleanliness
Good location for getting about & ok hotel
4 night stay as first stop in China. Room size smaller than expected based on internet pics but this is the hutongs! Room and communal area a bit worn. Some staff very helpful, others not, maybe as a result of our lack of Chinese! Breakast good for inclusive at this price range. Location to metro excellent for airport and site seeing. Hard to find initially from map - take west inner exit from Andingmen metro station, cross bridge and walk west along ring road then drop down - hotel now has red neon sign.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Julie, Tahoe City

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Old school Chinese hotel
I enjoyed it as out of the western ordinary. Certainly a different cultural experience, but neat and fine for me. A bit dark in the rooms and only the overhead lighting, or better yet the bathroom is for bright enough for reading.The courtyard works well in the daytime. It is convenient but obscure on a back alley. The walk to the Andingmen station is very short and the local neighborhood is more traditionally Chinese in atmosphere. The young woman at the desk spoke english well and was helpful.

6/10 Okay

Peter, Wales

Liked: Staff & service
A taste of Beijing
It was worth staying there just for the decor. Staff friendly and helpful. It was good that the Hotel could arrange tours to the main tourist sites. Room could have done with somewhere to put your clothes, a wardrobe of sorts would have helped! The Hotel proved to be so exclusive that even the local taxi drivers couldn't find it! But, as part of the Beijing experience would not have missed it for the world!

10/10 Excellent

Matthew, Australia - WA - Fremantle

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, bike hire, laundry service, clean rooms and linen

8/10 Good

John, Gunma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A gem in the hutongs
A big red neon sign will show the way but you must find the road that comes off the Second Ring first. Not far at all from Andingmen MRT station, deep enough inside the hutong to keep things quiet . Good staff ( English is fine) , a great experince , relax on the roof , have a beer, rent one of the bikes. Stayed twice and will try do so again.

8/10 Good

magali, Australia

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Facilities: Above average; Value: Affordable, Economical; Service: Respectful; Cleanliness: Messy, Lacking, not perfectly clean;

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
72 hrs in Beijing
For the price they charge you. This is a great place to stay at. Real close to the subway, which was easy to use as a way to get around in the city. The hostess new English and there food menue was tailored for foreigners. Will stay here again on my next trip

8/10 Good

Tomasz, Dublin, Ireland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Traditional accomodation at a reasonable price.
If you are not very keen on modern, concrete tower block hotels and are looking for a more traditional/authentic accomodation in Beijing at a reasonable price The Imperial Courtyard would be a good place to book. It is located in a traditional hutong area of the north inner city very close to a subway station. It may be hard to find - do not use magnified map from Google maps as it took us two or three blocks away from the actual location. We had to resort to a help of a rikshaw driver who (only after calling the hotel for directions) was able to finally take us there. The hotel is built around a central courtyard/lounge/reception/dining area with the rooms accessible staright from the courtyard or a gallery around it. We had some noise issues in another similar place we stayed but there was none here. Overall, the design is really pleasing. The hotel is well mainatined, clean and the staff speaks good english. There is (quite unstable) wifi service throughout the place. Our room was fine with a decent bathroom; all facilities in working order. The only small complaint I'd have would be that even though our room was relatively small, the bed itself was absolutely massive, taking maybe 70-80% of the available space. With our backpacks and other things around it was kinda hard to move.