The Regent Beijing (Beijing Li Jing Jiu Dian)

Description:

• In the five-star hotel ghetto of Wangfujing, this latest addition to the neighborhood would give the nearby Peninsula and Grand Hyatt some stiff competition if it weren't for the less-than-impressive service. The staff, in a throwback to China of the early 1980s, are surprisingly gruff and unattuned to English-speaking guests. But if it's pure hardware you're going for, The Regent, which opened in 2007, sparkles with newness and fine amenities. The rooms, spacious and decorated in wood, beige, and purple tones, have an understated elegance with nice Chinese antique accessories -- and flatscreen TVs to boot. The beige marble bathrooms have freestanding bathtubs that are some of the most comfortable in Beijing and separate shower stalls. The hotel is full of resortlike amenities, like the fantastic Serenity Spa, and the health club, which features a 32-meter long swimming pool that laps along its edges like a tide. An impressive lobby lounge atrium and several top-notch restaurants round out the package.

  Facilities: 5 restaurants (Chinese, Italian, International); cafe; bar; indoor pool; health club; business center; tour desk; 24-hr. room service; spa; babysitting; same-day dry cleaning/laundry service; executive-level rooms; nonsmoking floor; currency exchange

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2009
•  Recommended 2010