Old Beijing Square

I dropped by this hotel to ask the staff for help with something and they went above and beyond to help me!! And they wouldn’t accept the money I was offering them as thanks. The staff are very friendly and care about the people. I would recommend this hotel

I picked this hotel from Australia as I felt many of the hotels were too western & I wanted something which had a cultural feel. I selected well. The hotel is set in a Chinese style courtyard, it is single story & all rooms are around a central courtyard which has a lounge & large breakfast table & other areas to relax (a bit like a YHA). It was actually owned by a Chinese general - so some history there. The rooms are small, and there is very little English TV, but clean. I found you had to go out into the central courtyard to stretch your legs and get some space. At first this was confronting, but by the end, we loved it and when we went to other places on our trip, we actually missed the friendliness of the place. Breakfast is simple - toast, pork buns, eggs & ham/bacon. The staff are beautiful and make you feel part of their family. Their English is good and they are willing to help you in many ways. They will also do a Chinese tea ceremony if you ask. Location wise, it is great - in the middle of the hutongs. Quite scary at night to arrive, but during the day it is fine & there is much renovation going on. There is also police stations around the corner, so you don't have to worry. It is a 5 min walk to the main road where you can get food, or there is Mr Shi's dumplings (with a choice of over 100) a few doors down. The Bell tower is not far away. The train station is also about 5-10 mins away - a must to know so you don't have to walk everywhere. To get to the main road, walk out the front door and turn left onto the hutong street. When you get to the main road, you can still walk ahead and there is a little food area a further 5 mins along. Another option is to turn left at the main road, then keep an eye out for the next right hand street - this is a long alley way with many little shops & food shops too. To get to the train station, walk out the front door and turn right onto the hutong, then a sharp left, this takes you to another main road after about 10 mins walk. Turn right. There are also little grocery/ fruit shops along the little hutong streets. If you are yearning for fresh bread & wine, there is a shop not far from Mr Shi's which has "Milk, bread, wine" or something similar on the door - but be warned they don't speak English! We found the best way is to have a map & point if you want to get anywhere. This hotel was a delight and we have some very favourite memories from here & got to know the Chinese people. My suggestion is if you are considering this hotel & only want to lock yourself up in the spacious western style room with all the comforts of home - don't stay here as you will hate it. If you are open to cultural experience & meeting people & happy not to watch TV for a few nights - this is the place for you.

The hotel is renovated from an old Hutong style house, and it definitely maintains the ambience well. The rooms are very comfortable and furnished nicely. Breakfast is simple, but it does the job. We opted for their lunch twice. It was customized to our dietary needs and was quite good. The staff speaks limited English. But they are always ready to help. Many thanks to one of their staff members - Jenny - who helped us with most of our queries. Overall, highly recommended! One tip: The Hutong area is primarily a network of narrow alleys.If you are leaving the hotel to catch a train/flight, call the taxi and KEEP A LOT OF BUFFER TIME. We missed our train because of the traffic jam in Hutong area.