Huangshan Sinotrans Jianguo Hotel

I wonder what "5 stars" means, closer to 2. No one speaks english, but they can afford to laugh at you if you try to speak chinese. The room is dirty and food is just average. Very unpleasant visit. Try to avoid it.

Stayed at the hotel for three days and two nights with ten other friends in three double bed and five single bed rooms. The room size was the size for both types and the price similar, ie you split the cost if you have two persons staying in it. Most of us are happy with the room as they were rather spacious and clean. The location was good as it is practically the last hotel at the base of Mt Huangshan before you enter it. Had the opportunity to run around the hotel area. If you turn left of the hotel, you get to see the entrance gate of the mountain, some landmark monuments and tourism office. Turn right, you can visit the local market and shops and restaurants. Took some really nice shots of the village with the mountain in the background. The breakfast for me was good as it had hot noodle soup with Chinese condiments to be added. Spread was ok although the service could be better. Got locked out of my room one day as the card didn't work but the room service had it sorted out rather quickly. All in all, a comfortable stay with nice clean room and nice external environment.

Chinese five star hotels are, at best, three stars elsewhere and this one is no exception, however it’s probably as good as it gets in Tungkou / Tangkouzhen. Our ‘mountain view’ room might have had a view if the windows had not been fogged and the dismal lighting just seemed to add to the gloom which was probably a benefit because it made the very grubby carpet difficult to see. Also there are no such things as non-smoking rooms in Chinese hotels so get used to the smell. There are no English language TV channels and whilst our mini bar fridge was well stocked it didn’t work. Our twin room was otherwise comfortable and adequate for a short stay and most other things worked as expected including the plumbing which was a pleasant surprise. The WiFi worked very well and the buffet breakfast was extremely good. The staff were friendly and very helpful but they have little English language. Apart from breakfast the hotel restaurant was also satisfactory for other meals. The only reason for staying at Tungkou is Huangshan and this hotel is a good base from which to visit the mountain – being the last stop before entering the mountain precinct. The hotel has a very helpful tour desk however, once again, it’s Chinese only but you could probably fumble through with English if you’re tolerant and your needs aren’t too complex. There is one other ‘five star’ hotel in town which looks about the same from the outside so it probably is and the rest looked downright seedy. The SHJ Hotel is not a paradise but we slept comfortably for our few nights, the staff were pleasant, the tariff was moderate and we will shake off the cigarette smell eventually.