West Lake Hillview International Hotel

Stayed at this hotel as part of a group tour through China. Big room with a very comfy bed, plenty of shelf space and excellent room lighting. Breakfast provided plenty of choices but no omelettes. Shower pressure was good and plenty of hot water. On the neg side, aircon wall control did not adjust room temperature so the room was quite hot to sleep in at night and the windows were dirty.

The hotel has two pavilions, and I stayed at the second one further up the hill, so I can only comment on the rooms there. PROs: Rooms are very spacious Rooms have balconies that open to the Hangzhou hillside, giving a pleasant ambience with views of nature. There are jacuzzi tubs in the rooms, and the bathrooms are huge with their own balconies. Relatively quiet. Beds are comfortable and I got a very nice night of rest. CONs: Rooms are a bit old. The jacuzzi tub is nice, but in serious need of maintenance. I only dare take a bath in it but don't dare to turn on the jacuzzi function for fear of what might pop out of the jet streams. For a hotel of this caliber, there should be more attention to detail that cheapen the experience. For example, on the table in the rooms are anti-drug placards and pamphlets about AIDS prevention. It makes you wonder what kinds of activities goes on here. I'm sure the hotel is relatively safe by these standards, and putting these notices here may be required by law, but how about putting them in more discrete places, out of plain sight? In summary, I wouldn't complain if I was here on business and was arranged to stay here on someone else's expense, but if you are here for vacation and want more enjoyment, I would advise looking elsewhere.

There are so many things that were wrong with this hotel. Here's a quick summary: * no one spoke English * front desk did not know how to exchange money * rooms were blisteringly hot, and A/C was deficient * meeting room was even hotter * buffet breakfast was poor - one day coffee, but no cups - next day, cups, but no coffee - * lunches were worse - cold mushroom soup? really? * front façade and lobby were well maintained - nothing else was * both phones in my room had broken handsets