Prime Hotel Beijing

Great location

This hotel is well-located in the downtown area of Beijing near shopping, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.I particularly liked the concierge service and the help of the doormen who all spoke English well and were good at helping me find places that I wanted to visited.

Great food, service, location

Breakfast buffet was mix of American and Chinese dishes, variety of juices. Room wasn’t quite as cool as I would have liked but other than that, the service was great, the front desk people were very friendly, and spoke enough English that we had no trouble communicating at all. Location was 5 minutes up the street from a world-class shopping street with indoor malls and a blocked-off, pedestrian-only street section. Short taxi ride to TianAnMen Square and the Forbidden City. Better value for the money that Italy was.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

At most tourist attractions that sell sourvenirs, bargaining is expected. Offer about 1/3 of what they’re asking. Never offer more than 1/2. If you’re willing to walk away, you can often save 50% to 75% on the price of sourvenirs.

Is air conditioning important to you?

This hotel has a lovely lobby and rooms are nice size, beds comfortable. Our complaint was the air conditioning. We found that many hotels say they have AC but actually have central AC that is set the same throughout the hotel. Thermostats don’t work. Our room was 80 degrees at night. To please us they worked to get it to 78degrees. If you like to sleep in a cooler room, this is not the hotel for you.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Check the hotel you choose to find out what type of AC exists. Make sure they have thermostat that you can control.

Great chinese hotel experience

We loved this hotel. Very oriental in feel, the towels were a little worn and the bathrobe left much to be desired. Good location, very helpful and polite staff and we even enjoyed the meals we had at the hotel. This was our honeymoon and we really liked the comfort of the hotel. Non-smoking floor was important to us and there was no residual smell. It may have been 5 stars once, now it is 3.5. The chinese restaurant on property is smoking, however they were kind enough to seat us in the french restaurant and serve us chinese there. We would definitely stay here again.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Take taxis. They’re cheap. From the airport, the cost was $15. Around town, with the chinese language map from the hotel, they are much easier than walking.

Excellent.!

The hotel was lovely, the food was very good, and the staff was very pleasant and helpful.

Traveler's tip on dining

There is excellent Peking Duck to be had a short walk from the hotel. Ask the concierge.

Not So Prime

Just returned from my first trip to China. Booked a suite for 3 adults and tried to arrange for an extra bed prior to travel. The Prime did not respond until the 3rd email. When we arrived, we realized there was no extra bed so called downstairs and was told it would be an extra daily fee. Went downstairs to complain and were then told that we already paid for the bed via Expedia and it would be brought up asap! We were in the room one day when Housekeeping arrived. Watched in horror as they rinsed off the dishes in our sink as opposed to bringing new coffee cups! Apparently no one uses disinfectant/cleaner in China! Our bathroom was simply wiped down with water! Air conditioner was on the fritz and our supposed nonsmoking floor always smelled of smoke. Complimentary breakfast buffet was good, though.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Beware of hidden charges. While kitchen/fridge minibar items were clearly marked with prices/pricelist, items in the bathroom were not so clearly marked with prices. Unknowingly had to pay extra upon checkout for bathroom amenities which we thought were complimentary.

convenient location, clean

Spa is poorly equiped

Traveler's tip on shopping

Avoid the spa and massage, ran by poorly trained people.

Good for business travel

Good value. Close to pedestrian street and other local attractions

Great location and service

Hotel staff is very courteous. Centrally located. Rooms are very clean and well maintained. Worth to pay the premium rooms

Traveler's tip on shopping

Go to the silk market only for the souvenirs type of goods, quality is not good. Silk better at the mall by the Temple of Heaven

Beijing Prime Hotel

The hotel was nice. Not all of the facilities advertised were available. We had a few issues, but the staff worked hard to correct the issues.

Traveler's tip on shopping

Shopping is close by - my wife loved it!

Great price for the accomodations

The room was very spacious and comfortable. Buffet meals in the lobby dining are very reasonable price. Good location within walking distance of The Forbidden City and Tianamen Square. Shopping and restaurants close by. Will definately stay there again.D

Everything I wanted

The hotel was in a great location. Everything we expected: beautiful, luxurious, good price, good food, good service. Everyone was helpful and anxious to give good service. Most spoke English. The only thing not as good as I hoped was that some of the gym equipment was in disrepair.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Walk down the street to the primo shopping area. Next to hotel is a little authentic Chinese restaurant where we ordered trout. They presented it to us live, to show us it was fresh. Spring rolls were great. We stayed at club level. Worth the price.

Good Value

The hotel is dated, with interiors being kept they way it should be 30 years ago. Not on par with Western standards on interior renovations. Hotel service is great, but staff speaks very limited English.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Location is great, 20 minute walk to Forbidden City, Wangfujin shopping center, and a subway station which was recently completed.

Great for the Money!

Service, like in most of China, was great. The people in the travel industry will go out of their way to help make your travel experience a good one. About a 15 minute walk to the Wufangling shopping area and the closest subway station. You’ll get approached several times by very friendly people to go to their apartment and they’ll write your name in Chinese characters. They’re just trying to sell you their art. Funny though, when I didn’t buy the art, they refused to accept payment for writing my name in Chinese characters. Only negative about the Prime Hotel was the laundry costs. $6 to launder a t-shirt! You can buy a new t shirt for $1 after climbing the Great Wall Mutanyeu!Overall, loved the Prime Hotel, Beijing, and China!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

It costs 100 RMB to rent a bike from the hotel. But, if you’re staying there several days and plan to bike around (great biking lanes) they you can buy a new one for about 300 RMB (not from the hotel but the concierge staff there will help you with anything you need) and give it away (or sell it cheaply) when you leave.

Near to Forbidden City and Tianamen Square

One of the historic hotels; established by Mao Tse Tung many years ago and updated. It is an older hotel, with rooms smaller. Non-smoking room was smokey (lots of people smoke in Beijing). Very attentive to service. Restaurants and Breakfast buffet are good.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Could check out the Crowne Royal, or the Wangfujing Grand Hotel, which are in the same area. Watch out for "art students" or "professors" or being invited to go to a tea house with a stranger, as these are usually scams to hit you with a fee for "guiding" you to the Forbidden City, or stick you with a bill for expensive tea.

Perfect location for Beijing sights

The hotel is in a great location. The beds were sort of hard, but I found that to be in the case in all the chinese hotels I stayed in. The sauna was broken during our stay, but other then that we were happy with the hotel and service.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

This is a great hotel for a first time traveler to Beijing becuase it is very close to the forbidden city and lots of shopping.

Good hotel in a great location

This hotel is older, but reasonably well maintained. Room was large with all the amenities, however temperature control is poor. I was there in the winter when it was freezing outside, but the room was too hot even without the heat on. Thank God the windows opened. I would not recommend this hotel in the summer.

Good service, No much english

Hotel service is actually very good. The only thing is that the language is a problem here, since most of the employees dont speak english. But they are always available and trying to be of help.

Impressive hotel at reasonable prices

Rooms were as good as pictured. Amenable staff with earnest interest to provide courteous service. However, be prepared for smoking neighbors with shared room ventilation. The halls also had an unusal smell that could not be identified. Situated along walkable distances to the Forbidden City and BeiHai Park and Jingshan Park, the hotel was well located to central attractions.

Value Priced

Prime Hotel is centrally located to major Beijing attractions. Hotel is clean and neat. Restaurants are also well priced.

Beijing Beauty

I was nervous to book a hotel on-line fearing you never know what it will really be like until you get there. I was overjoyed with the reception from the doormen and all the other very professional courteous employees. Our room was very eye pleasing and the bathrooms were absolutely gourgeous. The hotel is in close proximity of shopping. Take advantage of the tours they offer for local attractions the price was well worth it. The dinner buffet was fabulous and an unbelievable low cost. I would definitely recommend this hotel. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance for any of the massages they offer - but next time I will make time for one.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Wear comfortable shoes because the tours are walking tours. Try to book a massage they are very reasonabley priced.

Great location, sub-par service

This hotel was very centrally located. Great for walking to the Forbidden City and Beihei park. The rooms were comfortable and the staff running the desk were very friendly. Unfortunately, the food was quite poor. The breakfast buffet was convient for a quick bite before touring, but the food was overdone or tasteless for the prices they charged. Probably the worst experience I had was the spa in the hotel. The staff did not keep the rooms warm enough and at one point left me completely exposed during the massage. It was very uncomfortable. At the end of the massage, the staff refused to charge the bill to the room and escorted my friend and myself back to our room demanding cash. We had to call the front desk and have them talk to the spa staff to use our credit card. It felt uncomfortably like being treated like a criminal. Overall, the location was great and the rooms were pleasant. However, if you plan to eat or get a spa treatment in your hotel on your vacation, you’d be better off finding another hotel.

Excellent Value

We picked this hotel because of the reviews we read on Expedia. It definitely lived up to expectations. Excellent location: walking distance to Wangfujing shopping area, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, etc. Perfect room: clean, neat, very nice bathroom (though I acknowledge that we got a free upgrade because they were overbooked) service: nearly flawless throughout. All of the staff, including the waitresses spoke English

Traveler's tip

DO NOT take the English speaking tour to the Great Wall that the hotel concierge service recommends. The tour guide didn’t really try to explain as much as we think he should have. I learned more from overhearing other Chinese speaking tour guides. And we were taken to a jade factory as well as a "Chinese medicine store" that pretended to have the same name as a highly legitimate drug store chain. If you want to go there, I’d suggest renting a taxi for a day or taking the bus.

very happy

hotel was extremely comfortable and clean ,even had a computer with internet access in the room.staff were all curteous and friendly and all spoke English ,most of them quite well.buffet breakfast was exceptional with both western and chinese food .location was good with subway a short walk and forbidden city only 10 min easy walk.all in all we were very happy with the Prime Hotel.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

beware of booking a mini bus trip with guide to specific locations like the great wall.we spent 80 percent of our guided tour visiting state run factories where you could buy supposedly cheap jade ,ceramics etc . and only got to spend about one and half hour at the wall which was nowhere near enough.better to organize your own transport there and steer clear of guided tours.

Serene

The room was just lovely! Very comfortable. The colors and lighting in the room were beautifully serene. The sunlight streaming through during the day made it so joyfully peaceful if you love to curl up in a plushy chair and read. The room service was reasonable and very good. The pool is good for lap swimming and never had children in it. The desserts in the lobby restaurant were a tasty treat. We even had a computer in the room and were able to pay a nominal fee for internet. Housekeeping service was great. The concierge service was very accomodating. I even had a fantastic massage at a reasonable rate at the hotel. They have reduced the massage services from the menu they provide in the room though. And there was no longer a sauna, steam or whirlpool as listed. The hotel is close to everything. We would definitely stay there again. But the room air was always on high and stayed mostly comfortable in late October. When it got too warm we opened the windows and it was great. But I read the reviews about the rooms in summer being so hot, and I can only imagine just how true this was! Don’t stay here in weather warmer than 75 degrees, it will be awful.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Book a car with the concierge, but don’t go to the Great Wall at Badaling. It is touristy and too crowded. Go to the Great Wall spot a bit further away from the city. It is worth the money for the car and the extra time!