U Hotel Urumqi

Have a very comfortable two night stay at the hotel. It's quite far away from the main attraction like baazar and CBD. Few good local restaurant nearby and quite close to subway. The reception service is quite slow

This hotel is now known as Universal International Hotel, or U-Hotel. The twin-room that we got was spacious with a bathtub and large bathroom. The lighting was good and there were ample facilities. Contrary to my expectations, there was a BBC channel. Breakfast was good too. There were plenty of choices (for Asians) and the restaurant was pretty amazing. Loved the warm soya milk and croissants. The only gripe I have was the security check and scanner placed at the hotel entrance. Be prepared to pass through the checks each time you enter the hotel. Security checks seem to be common everywhere in Xinjiang.

Been traveling in Silk Road in Western China for the last two weeks and trying to stay in the best hotel each city got to offer. So far this is the best. Starting from Lanzhou onwards, this is closest to true near 5 stars. Mind you, this did not say much. Do not expect this to be like Peninsular in Beijing or Ritz Carlton in Pudong Shanghai. But after you have stayed in some losers in Zhangye or Jiayuguan, you will think you have reached Nirvana. The service is good and they tried to find me a person who can speak some limited English whenever I talk to them. Dinner and breakfast buffet are good. Bedsheets are crisp and thick. I was told that hotel was recently redecorated. It goes by the new name of U-Hotel. You will have trouble finding it in TripAdvisor whom I think should have updated the name and information. One word of extreme caution. The air conditioning in the room is not very effective and have difficulty keeping it at 22 degrees Celsius. In October now in Urumqi, this is not a major issue. But if you going to Silk Road in summer, which you shouldn't, I will advise you not to take a west facing room if you want to survive the fierce afternoon sun.