China Hotel

“🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Excellent Stay in Guangzhou”

We absolutely loved our stay at China Hotel Guangzhou. The location is perfect — right next to the metro, making it easy to explore the city. The rooms were clean, spacious, and very comfortable. Food at the hotel was delicious, with good options for all tastes. Overall, a fantastic experience, and… more

We absolutely loved our stay at China Hotel Guangzhou. The location is perfect — right next to the metro, making it easy to explore the city. The rooms were clean, spacious, and very comfortable. Food at the hotel was delicious, with good options for all tastes. Overall, a fantastic experience, and we would happily stay here again!

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“Great service, convenient location.”

We stayed here for a week as a family of 4. Upon arrival, the staff were great, fast check in and help with the bags to our room. The room was big and clean, on the 15th floor, we had access to the premium lounge too. The gym was well equipped and quiet. The location is great with plenty of wester… more

We stayed here for a week as a family of 4. Upon arrival, the staff were great, fast check in and help with the bags to our room. The room was big and clean, on the 15th floor, we had access to the premium lounge too. The gym was well equipped and quiet. The location is great with plenty of western restaurants around (McDonalds, Dominos etc) and next to the metro and park. We had an early departure and the staff were at our room at 4.30am to help carry our bags to the car they had waiting.

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“China Hotel Guangzhou”

As one of Guangzhou’s three legendary hotels, the China Hotel Guangzhou bears the most imposing and magnificent name. Yet today, its reputation is less prominent compared to the other two. Nestled between the classic status of the White Swan Hotel and the prestigious reputation of The Garden Hotel,… more

As one of Guangzhou’s three legendary hotels, the China Hotel Guangzhou bears the most imposing and magnificent name. Yet today, its reputation is less prominent compared to the other two. Nestled between the classic status of the White Swan Hotel and the prestigious reputation of The Garden Hotel, it appears relatively understated. However, when it comes to historical depth, it may well have the strongest background of the three. In the early stages of China’s reform and opening-up, Guangzhou faced a severe shortage of tourist accommodation. During the Canton Fair, finding a room near Liuhua was nearly impossible, forcing many foreign businessmen to sleep in the lobby or corridors of the Dongfang Hotel, or even be accommodated in distant suburbs. Confronted with this challenge, then Vice Governor of Guangdong Yang Shangkun and Vice Mayor of Guangzhou Liang Shangli decisively promoted the introduction of foreign investment to plan and construct a batch of modern hotels to address the urgent need. The China Hotel emerged precisely in this context. In 1980, Hong Kong’s six major property groups collaborated for the first and only time in history on a development project. The consortium included five major Hong Kong-based conglomerates and securities firms: New World Development, Cheung Kong Holdings, Henderson Land Development, Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Hopewell Holdings, along with Sun Hung Kai Securities Investment. Gordon Wu, Cheng Yu-tung, Li Ka-shing, Fung King Hey, Kwok Tak-seng, and Lee Shau-kee jointly invested US$125 million to initiate the construction of the China Hotel on Liuhua Road. This cooperation pioneered the BOT model in China’s hotel industry. The Guangzhou municipal government provided the land, while the Hong Kong side was responsible for all funding. Profits were shared equally, with the Hong Kong side managing the hotel entirely, and ownership reverting to the Guangzhou municipal government after 20 years. In its early years, the China Hotel was managed by New World Hotels. In 1990, it was rated as one of the first three five-star hotels in China. In 1998, New World transferred the hotel’s management rights to the Marriott Group, making the China Hotel the largest hotel under Marriott’s portfolio at the time. In 2004, ownership of the China Hotel was transferred to the Guangzhou municipal government, converting it from a joint venture to a state-owned sole proprietorship, while Marriott continued its management. In 2018, after the 20-year management contract with Marriott expired, the hotel was officially taken over by Lingnan Group for management. Today, the China Hotel occupies 19,000 square meters with a total floor area of 168,000 square meters. The main building stands 19 stories tall, reaching 62 meters, and comprises a hotel, residential units, office spaces, and a shopping mall. The hotel offers 1,013 guest rooms. At its peak, it featured 11 restaurants with over 2,100 seats, equipped to host large banquets and high-end conferences. Designated as a historical building in Guangzhou, the China Hotel’s facade is adorned with a majestic gilded mural, which has become its distinctive hallmark. This monumental work, themed on the “Maritime Silk Road,” was created by sculptor Pan He. Covering a total area of 1,300 square meters, the mural used 48 taels of gold in its production. The artwork vividly recreates Guangzhou’s openness and inclusiveness as a millennia-old commercial hub. The hotel’s logo incorporates a red lantern motif that forms the Chinese character 中, symbolizing celebration and auspiciousness while paying homage to and perpetuating Chinese cultural heritage. As an iconic product of the early reform and opening-up era, the China Hotel was one of the first five-star hotels in Guangzhou to open its doors to ordinary citizens. In an era of material scarcity yet brimming with hope, it almost single-handedly shaped the local imagination of luxury. Although the lobby has been renovated, its overall layout and decorative style retain the essence of the 1980s and 1990s. The dazzling giant glass chandeliers and the murals adorning the walls reflect the initial convergence of Lingnan cultural elements and modern hotel aesthetics, capturing the aspirations and stylistic ambitions of an age ripe with opportunity.

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“Better training is needed”

Went back after 23 years, got engaged while staying at the hotel, visited again - got a nice room, but at check in they just gave us our key and sent us up. We had both provided our passports at check in and a credit card. The lounge was a room benefit but when visiting were told only 1 person was … more

Went back after 23 years, got engaged while staying at the hotel, visited again - got a nice room, but at check in they just gave us our key and sent us up. We had both provided our passports at check in and a credit card. The lounge was a room benefit but when visiting were told only 1 person was allowed??, because they claim I had only booked for 1 guest??? Why not mention this at check in, there were clearly 2 of us, had 2 passports, same family name??? Then sent in laundry, they picked it up no issues. Just before running out noticed the message light flashing, called and they said as they only charged my card for the room I had to pay for the laundry? Again at check in why would this not be mentioned? Location is convenient have metro stop at the hotel, 2 parks nearby, just had issues that could so easily have been addressed at check in - do some couples really check in together and only want access for 1 to the lounge??

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