Beijing Hotel NUO

This hotel is beautiful and right in the heart of beijing - walking distance to tiananmen square and the forbidden city/ jingshen park, quianmen street, etc. We opted for one of the older, more traditionally furnished rooms and it was beautiful. The room was very large and well appointed; everything you needed. There’s a kettle and coffee/tea, etc., plus a mini fridge. No smart TV and only very limited channels (this is the norm in china), but otherwise very comfortable. The beds were comfortable and everything was clean. It's true what they say about the air-conditioning not working in china. There are settings and you feel like you're doing the right thing, you hear a fan turn on, but no actual cooling takes place; however, this was true of all of the hotels in china. The bathroom was large and well laid out with everything you needed: soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. The shower was good with lots of hot water and good pressure. The breakfasts were excellent with everything you could want, from traditional chinese to more western-style breakfast items. One of our mornings there, we were heading out to the great wall, and had to meet our driver at 7:30am – the staff gave us take-away boxes, and we filled them up with breakfast items. They also gave us take-away coffee cups – very nice! The staff at this hotel are amazing! Especially all the guys at the concierge desk (“enrico”, “vince”, and “sky”) . . . they were so helpful. Our first night in beijing, we arrived a little later than we’d hoped, and enrico not only gave us a recommendation for a good noodle restaurant nearby, but actually walked us over to the restaurant in the mall next door to the hotel. He said it was confusing to find, and he was right – especially being our first night in china. Another night, “Sky” recommended a restaurant called “beijing pie” - it was probably the best food we had in china! The restaurant’s moved locations recently and it's a bit tricky to find, but we followed Sky’s instructions and got there no problem.

A hotel with a grand tradition and excellent location, and a very effective concierge service. Our room was beautiful and well furnished, although some of the furniture was a bit worn-out (while it is nice to have illuminated wardrobes, the illumination becomes a problem when the wardrobes' doors cannot be closed properly and the light shines through the whole night). The staff is friendly, however, trying to communicate with them in English was difficult in a surprisingly high number of cases.

The staff were very friendly and I think just enjoyed talking English. The suites were a little dated but really nice and large. Didn’t use the pool but there was one and it looked good. Was in a really good location to town and shops, nothing was very far away.

Fantastic location with fabulous staff. They really helped us reserve admission to the sites on more than one occasion. Breakfast was amazing and they surprised me with a beautiful cheesecake on my birthday. Highly recommended for a visit to Beijing

The good parts: The location of the hotel is fantastic. It is just next to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square on one direction and Wangfujing on the other. You can avoid the subway rush hours by having walking access to the major sights in Beijing as far as the Temple of Heaven. The (Elite) room was one of the best I have ever stayed in. It was a good size with a huge bathroom and a TV with over 70 channels. The shades and blinds were electric, and every part of the room screams quality and style. What is best was how everything was put together. Imagine coming back to the room with the blinds rising silently, and the television switching on itself to welcome you. I love how complicated things like shower knobs in the shower room are simplified to just a button and a temperature control. The room air conditioning system was also one of the best I have ever encountered in Beijing. The execution of quality in the Elite room was simply spectacular. Staff were generally very good and willing. I particularly like the gentleman manager at East33 during breakfast hours and the lady manager at Writers Bar during happy hours. The not-so-good parts: The hotel advertised that the room came with Executive Lounge benefits. The benefits came but there was no lounge in the hotel. Guests with these benefits join everyone else at breakfast at East33 restaurant, and happy hour was served at the only other restaurant/bar: the Writers bar where they order from a fixed menu. The menu has 8 food items and a reasonable selection of quality wines and cocktails. The initial experience was great because the Writers bar is a grand hall and food items were made ala carte and guests were served restaurant-styled. After more than a couple of days, however, the menu became repetitive. There are no other common items like breads or cheeses. There is also no afternoon tea provided. The housekeeping was the only average among the stellar staff. They were fast and completed housekeeping before noon, especially when the makeup-room button is pressed, but are often oddly clueless. They turned up at 4pm wanting to turn down the room for the first couple of days. I told them to come back after 6pm. They never did and stopped offering turndown services after that. On my checkout day, they slip a note under my door at 10am wanting to do housekeeping because I had the DND lighted. For a 5-star hotel of this grade, they are not very willing to replenish the bathroom amenities, and would only do so when the items were clearly running down. The curious parts: The hotel is actually connected to the Beijing hotel next door and most locals think they are the same hotel. There is an annex building behind which is shared by both hotels. Some facilities (like sports/recreation) are also shared. Beijing hotel Nuo occupies the older and more historical building, but the Beijing hotel next door is much bigger and popularly known. The brand 'Nuo' is a local collaboration with Kempinski. I only knew after I signed up. The perplexing absence of the 'lounge': This is the first time I experienced lounge 'benefits' without an actual lounge, and I was curious if it can work. I could after all, work on the nice table or relax on the comfy sofa in the room, sipping coffee made from one of the 8 nespresso pods provided. Can the function of the lounge be split into different parts borne by the restaurant/bar, quality staff and great room? The answer was clear as the days went on: they cannot, because these doesn't come together to elevate the experience of a guest seeking an executive or club experience. The best staff and restaurants cannot replicate the function of a club who takes care of the guest who may need a more intimate place to work, have a conversation and not to worry about things like food and water, or needing information. Without a lounge, I had to approach different group of staff at different places for different things. I found myself on the street one day buying water (four bottles for two persons is not enough for a day), wondering why I needed to do that if I had 'lounge benefits'. Most of all, I feel that the hotel should not term the benefits as 'lounge' because there is no actual lounge, leaving the onus on the customer to check before booking, which kind of defeat the purpose in the first place. Kempinski should know better. Overall: For a person who needs to work a bit on a trip, Beijing hotel Nuo is a curious experience. It has some very good qualities like the staff and the room, as well as a fantastic location. Guests who do not need a club lounge can consider giving them a chance and try them out. I would probably not return.