Mingyuan Xindu

Our room was nice, and the hotel is near shops, restaurants, and the beautiful People's Park. The buffet was good and offered a few Western dishes. The staff, upon request, prepared a boxed breakfast for us prior to our early morning departure - no charge.

This hotel is in dire need of renovation and modernizing. From the worn and tattered rug in the lobby, to stained, worn, and taped together carpeting throughout the facility, time has taken a toll on what once may have been a luxury property. When we checked in we asked for a non-smoking room. We were given a room on the 8th floor...and then were told that's a smoking floor. After much wrangling with check-in personnel who didn't always understand English, we were given a room on the non-smoking 4th floor. Imagine our surprise when we opened this room's door to find it was already occupied by someone else! (How can a modern hotel not know which rooms are assigned and which are not?). I am writing this from a room in a separate building that is allegedly non-smoking. The lobby and hallways of this building smell of stale smoke. Our room has carpet that is stained and coming up at seams. Wallpaper is coming apart at joints. The bathroom mirror has a thin film on it...evidence to me that it is rarely cleaned with an ammonia based window cleaner. Heavy drapes, stuffed furniture, and old carpet make the room smell musty and dusty-allergies have struck with full force. The restaurant food is so-so, and strictly Chinese. The "milk" offered for coffee is Carnation evaporated milk! This is our 5th trip to China and this is about the least enjoyable place we've ever stayed.

Theres is nothing much to add regarding the facilities of the hotel. Beautiful lobby but rooms need renovation. However..... The politeness of the staff and there helpfulness is second to any hotel I've stayed in. At one point we got a bad case of "Delhi-belli" from a restaurant in a shopping mall a few 100 yards from the hotel, and 2 of us were hospitalised. The Assistant Manager (English name, John) stayed with us for almost 10 hours to make sure we were taken goos care of. and in the wee hours of the night and until our discharge, a bell-boy from the hotel was standing next to my bed, to make sure I was never wanting. And we loved the breakfast. You could have eggs cooked to order, and there was a grandiose variety of local dishes. If you can live with the far below standard, but otherwise clean and OK rooms, it worth the money.