The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou

“A Sojourn at the Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou”

There are hotels one merely tolerates, and hotels one is glad to have known; and I am pleased to report that three nights lodged with my family at the Ritz-Carlton of Guangzhou placed the establishment, without hesitation, among the latter. Taken all in all, the experience proved eminently satisfac… more

There are hotels one merely tolerates, and hotels one is glad to have known; and I am pleased to report that three nights lodged with my family at the Ritz-Carlton of Guangzhou placed the establishment, without hesitation, among the latter. Taken all in all, the experience proved eminently satisfactory, and the value—that quiet arithmetic one performs at the final reckoning—outran our expectations in the most agreeable way. We had engaged a river-view room looking out upon the Canton Tower, that slender and faintly theatrical spire the citizens so fondly call the “Little Waist.” At sixteen hundred yuan the night, the rate stood as a singularly competitive bargain among the sumptuous—and, it must be owned, occasionally over-proud—houses of Zhujiang New Town. The hotel has kept its doors open for upwards of a decade, and wears the passage of years with a certain dignity. Its manner is not that of the newest fashion, forever straining to dazzle; rather it breathes the settled, monied respectability of the old American East Coast—polished, formal, a touch patrician, and pleasantly nostalgic. If the fittings are no longer of the very latest cut, the pricing has the refreshing honesty to confess as much; and when all is weighed together, the value is strong indeed. The true glory of the house, however, is its service, wherein the venerable Ritz-Carlton standard is very much alive and in full command. The staff are schooled to a pitch of near-perfection—composed, attentive, professionally alert. Every soul in their employ, on catching a guest’s eye, offers a ready smile and a courteous inclination of the head; and assistance has a way of appearing before inconvenience has found time to introduce itself. This spirit—warm, disciplined, quietly efficient—was, beyond all cavil, the finest part of our stay. In the matter of victuals and chambers the house is no less dependable. Breakfast is a veritable cornucopia, a most diplomatic alliance of delicate Cantonese dim sum and the hearty staples of the Western table, appeasing the divergent palates of an entire household with admirable ease. The room itself was of generous proportion, furnished with every practical comfort, and wanting in nothing—orderly, convenient, and altogether restful. Its situation, too, is of prime advantage. The hotel stands in the very thumping heart of Zhujiang New Town, sharing a neighbourhood with the Guangdong Museum and the Guangzhou Library, each a bare five minutes’ walk away—a boon alike to daily excursion and to cultural edification. The surrounding table is equally generous: directly across the thoroughfare rises the Linjiang Avenue branch of the celebrated Guangzhou Restaurant; a short amble reveals sundry outlets of Honeymoon Dessert; and toward Liede Village lie morning teahouses and local eating-houses past all numbering. One need not wander far to taste the true savour of the city. In sum, though the décor may whisper faintly of a decade passed, the peerless service, the capital location, and a tariff most advantageous combine in splendid harmony, and more than atone for those gentle signs of age. For a family calling upon Guangzhou—children in tow—I should pronounce it a steadfast and comfortable luxury choice: one that offers dignity without fuss, convenience without commotion, and a hospitality that still remembers the old art of making a guest feel properly cared for.

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