Atour Hotel 2Nd Zhongshanroad Zhongshan

“Nice Little Hotel !”

This nice and cozy hotel apparently was opened in the middle of last year. We drove past it many times and look quite attractive and interesting from the outside. My 2 friends were visiting so I decided to look at the reviews in CTRIP and 99% of the reviews were positive, so I decided to book. Th… more

This nice and cozy hotel apparently was opened in the middle of last year. We drove past it many times and look quite attractive and interesting from the outside. My 2 friends were visiting so I decided to look at the reviews in CTRIP and 99% of the reviews were positive, so I decided to book. The front desk staff were most polite and helpful and offered us tea while checking in. The room is very clean and not too cramp, and everything was functional with free mini bar (coke, sprite and beer). There is a quite big supermarket (Aeon) across the road with a few small uninteresting eateries there. If you want yum cha (dim sum), there is a Chinese restaurant 10-min walk away on the 4th floor of Dasin mall where the Carrefour supermarket is located. For what we paid (RMB 430 inclusive of service charge), we thought this place offers comfort and good value for money. Our room does not include breakfast but we just wanted to have freshly brewed coffee in the morning. We went to the Cafe at 11:00 am and we ordered 3 coffees but they did not charge us which was a surprise. One reviewer here mentioned the poor location but this hotel is in fact situated in the middle of town (Shiqi District) and the Hilton Hotel and mall is just less than 10 min ride away. I will definitely recommend this hotel if you are not looking for 5-star luxury. If there are anything negative, I would say our room on the 2nd floor faces the main entrance (and road), and the traffic noise was quite bad at night, so be sure to ask for higher floor or rooms facing the backyard.

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“Boutique, not luxurious, but I'll stay there again”

I was joined by my siblings on a root-finding trips back to China recently. We stayed in hotels in Hong Kong, ShunDe, Zhongshan, QingYuan, and Jinglvlun tourist town. Our brief for the travel agent was to choose 4 star hotels and non smoking room near the centre of actions. This is obviously a bo… more

I was joined by my siblings on a root-finding trips back to China recently. We stayed in hotels in Hong Kong, ShunDe, Zhongshan, QingYuan, and Jinglvlun tourist town. Our brief for the travel agent was to choose 4 star hotels and non smoking room near the centre of actions. This is obviously a boutique hotel. Upon arrival, we were disappointed because it is nowhere near the center of town, the grounds look undeveloped, and the entrance is not luxurious like other 4 stars hotel.It rated itself as 3 stars and the tariff is charged accordingly. However, once inside, one finds a tastefully designed and decorated hotel. The room size is good (estimate 36 meters sq), thought not much view to speak of because of where it is. The room is tastefully decorated and clean. The bed was soft and comfortable. The towels and sheets where fresh and crisp. The breakfast menu was predominantly Chinese (as all hotels in China are) but it does have some limited choice of cereals and a nice selection of very delicious pastries. At this point, I shall let you in on an insider advice which I suspect no other reviewer would have mentioned. This advice applies to all of China. That is: : within China, there is now a large population of late middle age, middle class, uneducated travelers with a bit of cash to flout. They are noisy, inconsiderate, and boisterous. They smoke where it says "No Smoking". It is a nightmare if you have a few of these on your floor next to you. There is nothing anyone can do about it. (some says these are the "Red Guards" who have grown old and who have come across some money.) These travelers can't afford 5 star hotel and don't like western decor. They also look down on 3 star hotel. This turns out to be a bonus. May be for this reason, I don't see those inconsiderate local travelers here. Most of the guests are young people who seems educated and polite. While on the subject of politeness, the biggest asset of this hotel seems to be the attitude of the staff. From cleaner to floor manager, to receptionist, all are friendly and helpful. They keep offering you tea and water and nothing seems to be too much trouble. Two of the receptionist saw me struggling with the computer trying to find a map to further our root-finding journey and they went out of their ways to assist us. Without their assistance, our trip could not have been the success it turned out to be. Sure, the hotel is not located in a city center, it does not have luxurious grounds, entrance, impressive foyer, gym, or view, so it is rightly rated as a 3 star facility. However, it is quaint, clean, tasteful, tranquil, casual and relaxed. Above all, the staff provided 5 star service rarely matched by any other 4 star hotels in China. For this reason, I'll have to rate this hotel 3 1/2 stars. It is well above average for a 3 star hotel and good value for money if you don't mind the drive and don't expect luxurious trimmings

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