Best Western Harbin Fortune

I arrived at this hotel at approximately 2am on Saturday, December 19th. The temperature was -18 celcius outside, I had just come from the airport, and, as one might imagine, I was looking forward to getting to my room. Unfortunately, that never happened. When I spoke to the receptionist, she phoned the manager, and then informed me that I couldn't stay. I showed her my booking confirmation, and, through a translation, she told me: " Oh, we welcome foreign friends, but it's a special time." So, I was being turned away with a valid booking because I'm not Chinese, or at least don't look Chinese. This is nothign short of racism. Bear in mind that this is not some small, independent operator, but an apparently reputable, global group. And they turn people away based on their ethnicity. I can safely say that I will never set foot inside any Best Western property again. Before anyone makes any excuses about Covid, I have been living in China for a while. I arrived back in China last March, and I have dall the documents and data through apps to prove it. Anyway, there is never any excuse for such discriminatory, blatantly prejudiced behaviour.

China is famous for hospitality, but even by certain European standards, the staff here are disinterested in their guest. The rooms are not just dated; they are worn down with rotting wood in the bathrooms, etc. Beds are uncomfortable but they do have fresh linens. Internet is good when it works. In my case, the hotel was nearly empty but some large party with a lot of yelling drunk men was placed into the room next to mine and the staff did nothing.

This is a place I have stayed three times over the past 5 years, organised in relation to work at a local university. The rooms are clean and staff courteous, but have little English. The Chinese food is good, but there are some oddities for Westerners: juice at breakfast is not juice but is in fact orange or lemon cordial. The bread is full of sugar - it's more like cake. Take your own coffee bags from overseas: the coffee is dreadful. I normally stay in a larger room, with power points hanging out of the wall; but the most recent stay was in a smaller room, and only one globe worked in the indirect lighting. The problem with this hotel is that it could be great: it's just very badly managed with a lack of attention to maintenance within the rooms.