Beijing Hyde Courtyard Hotel

I really liked the hotel. Within walking distance from two metro stations: Qianmen and Zhushikou. The second one has fewer stairs and is closer. Interesting hotel with history in the center of Beijing. Cozy, small rooms. Small bathroom but very functional. I recommend.

This is an authentic style small hotel on one of the many hutong streets in the Qiamen section. A giant Buddha, red lanterns, couches and plants in an indoor courtyard all greet you. The rooms are small, but have a kettle to boil water (or make instant coffee) and plastic slippers for the shower are provided. The Chinese style buffet breakfast changed daily, but always consisted of four hot dishes (rice, egg and tomato, vegetables, breads), side dishes of nuts, vegetables and two or three hot soups. It certainly filled us up for the day. The location was perfect, in a narrow hutong alleyway off the bustling and amazing Qianmen pedestrian street. Tiananmen Square is a 15 or so minute walk away, as is two metro stops on line 2 and line 7. The only problem was they charged us an additional 11% tax over our Booking.com fully paid reservation, and they charged it in US dollars. Not nice!

If it was possible to give a place 0 stars, this would be a contender at the front of the queue. The hotel itself is in a very good location but unfortunately that's where anything positive about this place ends. The hotel itself and the rooms are falling apart. Half the lights dont work, wallpaper is peeling off the filthy walls, the bathroom has more cracked tiles than a mosaic and enough black mould in there to warrant a hazmat suit. The place is noisy with paper thin walls and the front desk staff are rude (especially the young lady who works there, not only rude but also will help you with nothing). The general smell of the place leaves much to be desired and most of the corridors are used to hang other peoples laundry which is drip drying all over the floors. If you literally just want somewhere to sleep maybe this is for you, but its the most overpriced hotel for what it gives you. Personally as painful as the prices are in Beijing its most likely worth paying a bit extra to stay somewhere else.