Dolton Hotel Changsha

I stayed here at the beginning of February so it was quite chilly outside and very nice to come back to a nice and warm hotel room every night. I stayed in a room with two twin beds and the room had plenty of furniture and places to put my stuff down. The room was a little dated but it was still comfortable. The beds were comfy and the pillows were just right for me. The shower and sink had enough pressure and plenty of hot water. In the evening it was hard to get the water just right as it was hard to get below scalding hot sometimes. Only real complaint about the room was the toilet as it had a tendency to splash up a little bit when I flushed so I quickly learned to put the toilet seat down! The hotel had breakfast included during my stay and it was still fairly inexpensive. The breakfast is largely Chinese style but there was enough for me like fried eggs, rice, bacon and rotating dim sum. I checked out the floors with amenities during my stay but I'm not sure if much was opened for the CNY break. The games room and rec room floors smelled quite smoky so I didn't hang out long. The pool and fitness center were closed during my stay and I wish that someone would have told me when I checked in as I found out when I went to go for a swim. There isn't much near the hotel itself but it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get to the Yuanjialing metro station and I found myself checking out lots of stops on line 2 during my stay. There are some cheap Chinese restaurants nearby and some convenience stores. Getting a taxi or a Didi were easy and "Dolton International Hotel" is the Didi address for pickup/dropoff. I would say the area is quiet but over CNY there were a couple of popular spots for setting off firecrackers and fireworks nearby and that started around 7 pm and could go as late as 1 am. In the morning some firecrackers were going off as early as 7 am and quite consistently. I lost a little bit of sleep but the free fireworks were nice. The service was pretty good at the hotel and there was enough English to get by. The cleaning staff are very eager to clean rooms by 11 am and complete a quick turn down around 5 or 6 pm. They deliver snack cakes, lots of water and fruit. I had troubles each morning getting back to my room after breakfast during my stay because my card would deactivate for the elevator but it was quickly fixed at the front desk. The hotel looks for green codes in the Changsha health app and asked me for a negative covid test. Once checked in they seem pretty relaxed about enforcing guests to wear masks in public areas. I had difficulties figuring out where to get a covid test in the city but found using the Changsha health app is key and you can walk into most hospitals to get the test done. The South Railway Station started offering free covid testing on January 20 prior to the CNY break and it is about a 20 minute metro ride from the hote. I also heard you can get a free test at the airport if needed. Either option you choose needs you to scan your health QR code from the Changsha app and the results should show up in 6 hours.

I spent 4 days here on a business trip. For the price it was a bargain. Although the first room they gave me was poor, they did change it for a better one. The rooms could do with a refurbish, as they are bit worn. But the service and staff were excellent. The breakfast compared to other hotels I have stayed in is above average from a western point of view. I would have no problem staying here again, it was convenient as the place I came to visit was about 200 meters away. If I returned to visit the remarkable city of Changsha as a tourist, then I would be happy to pay a little extra and stay in a more central location.

Must be a 5 stars when it was new however it shows its age and requires some renovation to compete with others. Service was good as well as the food. Located on major street but a few subway stops from downtown.