Jiucheng Hotel - Luzhou

I spent one night at the Jiucheng hotel in the historic alcohol making city of Luzhou this week. The Jiacheng hotel is a modern 5-star rated hotel with a range of restaurants and facilities. Check in was quite quick, and I was soon in my room. My room was a king room on the executive floor (floor 12), and was well equipped with a mini-bar containing a range of extortionately priced western spirits and local Baijiu. There was an office desk, a PC, and a full set of stationary in the room. The room was clean and well presented, as was the bathroom which contained both a shower and a bath. Fast wi-fi was provided throughout the hotel, free of charge and without any complex requirements to get connected. A range of restaurants is available. We ate in a private room in a Chinese restaurant in the connected wing of the hotel, where the food and service was good. When in Luzhou I highly recommend trying the local Baijiu "Luzhou Laojiao" was was a delicious accompaniment to the meal. It is one of the best I have drunk in China. Breakfast was included in my rate and is served in the restaurant adjacent to the lobby, and is primarily an extensive Chinese breakfast buffet, but with a few western dishes available. Checkout was slow, as usual in country Chinese hotels. Staying here was an enjoyable experience and I would look forward to staying here again. The only negative (and the reason for 4 stars rather than 5) is that all areas of the hotel smell of cigarette smoke, and there is smoking going on everywhere in the hotel. Again, quite typical of many Chinese country hotels, but nonetheless a negative.

If you want a little luxury whilst staying in the city of Luzhou, then this is the place to be. I had previously checked all the other top hotels in the area, and to be honest the other hotels did not really come close. Further, if you compare this hotel to other 5 Star hotels in China, the price is reasonably low. However there are a few draw backs, especially if you are a Westerner. On the good side, the hotel is clean, tidy and ALL the staff i met were very friendly and approachable. I was lucky enough to be on the 12th Floor, the Executive level, where the rooms are large and spacious, with computer, printer and other nice toys. Bathroom had both shower and reasonable sized tub, and of course the bed was huge. On the down side, English is only spoken by a handful of the staff, which is understandable as there are few Westerners who travel to Luzhou. I was lucky enough that on two occassions, the English speaking staff went out of their way to make sure that i was completely understood and that I was totally happy, it can make all the difference. Food at the hotel is also a little tricky if you like Western food, as both the breakfast buffet and Western Restaurant only have limited amount of non-Chinese food. Further, try to get a room AWAY from the school side. The school is just a stone throw away, and has a 7:30 and 8:00 early morning chorus, so if you want to stay in bed...it can be a little difficult. Overall, if I were to return to Luzhou, this would be the place I would stay. It has an excellent location, where everything is within walking distance. Two final points, taxi's do not pick-up at the hotel door (unlike other hotels), so you need to go to the street to hail one down, and if you feel like taking a swim in the outdoor pool, then make sure you come in summer as the water was definitely not prepared during Spring.

Great hotel located in the small city of Luzhou. The rooms were comfortable, service was very good and hotel was quite modern with a "western" feeling. When you check in you can't help but notice the fabulous painting of famous aces in China, the lobby is grand and room are spacious. Definitely recommend you stay here if in Luzhou city Sichuan province