The St. Regis Chengdu

Hotel is a bit dated, but location is good, within walking distance of IFS and Taikoo Li. Additionally, the service is good but inconsistent at times, for example when I was checking in the front desk staff had a slightly rude attitude and it was only when I pointed it out that he change his attitude. When I first got in the room, it was good but the facilities are a bit dated overall and the room had a strong smell of sewage. I requested a room change and the hotel arranged a new room for me which was a lot better and looked newer. Atmosphere is good overall and value is good for a luxury hotel at around 760 RMB per night when I booked. It is pretty clean but some areas of the hotel are not clean. Overall, the hotel is good for a one or two night stay but it will not be anything memorable or outstanding.

I stayed at The St. Regis Chengdu expecting the level of service and trust associated with the St. Regis name. Unfortunately, my experience left me deeply disappointed. At check-in, I understood that I was receiving a complimentary room upgrade. I repeatedly asked whether the upgrade was complimentary and SPECIFICALLY stated that we would only stay that night if it was. I was later charged 900 RMB per night for four nights, for a total of 3,600 RMB. Which was a huge surprise bill as you can imagine and ruined my week. The hotel maintains that the paid upgrade was explained and that I signed paperwork confirming it. My recollection is very different. The representative told me that the handwritten 900 RMB amount was presented to me to "show me the value of the upgrade I was receiving as complimentary", not as a nightly charge I was knowingly accepting. I even tried to confirm verbally that it was indeed complimentary afterwards to which she reassured me. Due to the reputation of the St. Regis brand of hotels, I unfortunately took her words at face value. Had I understood that the suite would cost an additional 3,600 RMB, I would have declined immediately as I've never paid for a hotel upgrade in my life. I gave the hotel every opportunity to resolve this privately and in good faith. Their response acknowledged that there had been a misunderstanding and that they would improve their verbal and written upgrade procedures, yet they still refused to reconsider the charge. I have stayed nearly 300 nights at Marriott properties and have never experienced anything like this. What disturbed me most was not simply the money, but the loss of confidence in the hotel’s communication and billing practices. Guests should be extremely careful to confirm every upgrade charge in writing before signing anything here. A luxury hotel should make important charges unmistakably clear, especially when a guest repeatedly asks whether something is complimentary. I had hoped the hotel would handle this fairly. Unfortunately, they chose not to.

I stayed two nights at the St. Regis Chengdu on a great rate through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts. The location is convenient, with lots of small restaurants, cafés, and coffee shops nearby. The hotel (and the attached dying mall) appears to be owned by the troubled China Evergrande group but is managed by Marriott. This ownership structure may partly explain some signs of age and maintenance/staffing challenges, though staffing shortages have been a common issue at luxury hotels across major Chinese cities for years. The lobby is bright and well laid out with comfortable seating. Service is well-staffed with bellboys, a solid concierge, and butlers on hand. Check-in around 2:30 pm hit a busy rush hour, creating some lobby chaos with crowds checking in and out. The staff handled it professionally with a clear queue system and stayed composed. My room on the 26th floor had impressively high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows with nice city views, and a massive two-person desk — great for business travelers. The king bed was huge and soft, linens were high-quality and in excellent condition, and the room was perfectly clean (housekeeping is strong). The spacious bathroom featured a luxury Japanese toilet that automatically opens as you approach and closes when you walk away. It was fun the first couple of times but became irritating when it kept activating while simply brushing my teeth or moving around the bathroom. A couple of minor issues: The room had a faint “sweaty” smell noticeable mainly upon entry. There were no in-room coffee/tea facilities (butler service covers this), and water was stingy (only 2-3 bottles initially in hot weather). Refills via butler arrived after a couple phone calls (~15 minutes). My end-of-hall room was quiet except for one neighbor party that ended by 10:30 pm. As a Marriott Platinum member, breakfast was complimentary. It had decent variety (Western and Chinese options), but execution felt more 3-star than St. Regis level — items like passionfruit looked tired, fried eggs piled high in advance, and the atmosphere turned frenetic after 7 am (Saturday was noticeably busier and more chaotic than Sunday). Staff were helpful seating me in a quieter spot when asked - but if not asked, they seat each guest in the most crowded parts of the restaurant. The health club has a large, nice indoor swimming pool with plenty of seating and a full-time lifeguard (note: like many pools in China, you need a swim cap). There are also two outdoor pools that are pleasant on hot days but unheated. The gym itself is spacious, bright (floor-to-ceiling windows), clean, and well-equipped. Unfortunately, the shower facilities were surprisingly disappointing and well below brand standards — mildew stains, calcified showerheads, hanging plastic seals, and general poor maintenance even though I saw housekeeping actively trying to clean. This made me question overall operations and hygiene standards elsewhere (including kitchens). I tried the dinner buffet in the Western restaurant (~358 RMB) around 8 pm. It was subpar. Many dishes (especially seafood and sushi) were picked over or empty with little replenishment effort. The hot pot options were fun to try (spicy and non-spicy), and one baked oyster was excellent, but overall it felt more like a 2-3 star hotel buffet than a luxury St. Regis experience. I wouldn’t return, even if free — Chengdu has far better dining options. This property feels like it peaked 10-15 years ago. While the core luxury setup (high ceilings, big desk, views) and service professionalism are there, maintenance, food & beverage execution, and certain facilities fall short of what you’d expect from the St. Regis brand — especially at comparable prices to other top-tier hotels in Chengdu. I love the St. Regis brand in general, but I wouldn’t choose this location again unless significant updates happen.