I've been staying at the IBIS in Wenjiang for two months now. My living space has not been completed yet, and so my brief stay at this hotel turned into an extended stay. They're renovating the building, so I like to think I've seen it all, as I've now lived in three rooms here.
The IBIS in Wenjiang is located off Fengxi road - a good landmark is a waterwheel at the top of the block. It's next to the Babiface nightclub, and near a Hongqi Chain convenience store, should you want to grab a snack. There are a lot of restaurants in the area. The whole street is touted as a "sanitary food preparation" demonstration street, which sounds promising. I don't think that it actually means anything, but the local restaurants are nice. Not much English-speaking to be had. There is not much by way of shopping or scenic areas nearby, but if you walk up the street about a quarter of a mile or so you can visit WenJiang Park, which is lovely (look for the Gloria hotel and it's Shark fin top - that's the most noticeable large building in the area). There is also more shopping up by the park.
What I like about this hotel:
Excellent wifi - that is a great feature of this hotel. They have solid wifi that rarely has any problems. Really well done on that front. I've been in classier places here in China with weaker internet. I can even play my PS3 here - I hook it up to the TV (each room has a new hi-def tv) and can go online and game!
Breakfast - Breakfast is 10rmb a day. When I started my stay, it was not that great. The food was lukewarm, and there was no variety. I had rice porridge, a tea boiled egg, instant coffee and maybe an apple every morning. For a month - it was bad. Lately, however, they've really gotten better. The food is improving considerably - now there are hot dumplings every morning, and fresh fruit and a wide selection of vegetables and noodles. I am so much happier now than when I started, and I hope this continues.
Staff - the staff at the front desk has also seen an improvement. When I started, there was one girl who spoke English. Otherwise, conversations were confusing and infuriating (they speak a Sichuan dialect here and don't always understand Mandarin, which I don't speak much of anyway). There has been a wave of new hires recently, most of whom speak at least rudimentary English.This is really incredible for Wenjiang, as Westerners are not common here.
Rooms - I have enjoyed two of my three rooms immensely. The beds are comfortable and clean, and the bathrooms are the same. The rooms are a little plain, but for a budget hotel I think they're really nice - on par with a Fairfield Inn back in the States. Western toilets in each room for those who don't like squat toilets. The third room, my first room, had a leak in the shower and consequently smelled of mold.
What I don't like:
Staff: Ok, the front desk staff is helpful, but vague. A lot of smiles, but not a lot of action. The cleaning staff is friendly, but also impolite. For example, it took three weeks before they finally started respecting my "do not disturb" sign on the door. Since the average traveler won't have that amount of time, be prepared for cleaning ladies showing up at 8am to see if you're still in the room. That can be annoying, even with all the smiles. Also, the cleaning ladies and all the staff do not understand English, so Westerners be advised.
Food: If it goes back the way it was, this can be a little bleak.
Noise: Because it's next to a night club, revelers will be loud on weekends. Not always, but enough you should know. Also, the walls are thin and Chinese people tend to get up early and talk to each other down the hall by shouting. Bring earplugs. Most nights are fine.
Amenities: No gym, no pool, no lounge except in the lobby. If you like your perks, this might not be the place to stay.
Additional Notes:
- Two free water bottles every day. When you can't drink the tap water, this service is of real value. And they're not just putting tap water in plastic bottles - they're legitimate.
- Free tea in the room. Also a nice feature - I roomed at the luxury Renaissance in Chengdu for a weekend, and they charged me five dollars US for a teabag!
-Slippers - they give you complementary slippers - wear them. The cleaning ladies take a dry sponge to the floor to sweep, but they don't mop and I know that guests spit on the floor. So wear the slippers, or do like I did and bring a pair with you from home.
- Underground parking - it's under construction currently.
- Walking - everything is within a mild walking distance, but this hotel is not centrally located.
If you're in Wenjiang, I would recommend this IBIS. It's a little out of the way, but having been here as long as I have, I can definitely speak with authority on the quality of this establishment!
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