New Century Grand Hotel Kaifeng

“New century review”

Lived in Hotel for work from May 2 to July 1, 2017. Lived in 3 different rooms. Hotel staff 5/5 although few knew English. Food 4.5/5 with 3 restaurants, room service and a bar there's lots to choose from. Rooms 4/5 everything great except mould in shower and sink. I recommend bringing flip flop… more

Lived in Hotel for work from May 2 to July 1, 2017. Lived in 3 different rooms. Hotel staff 5/5 although few knew English. Food 4.5/5 with 3 restaurants, room service and a bar there's lots to choose from. Rooms 4/5 everything great except mould in shower and sink. I recommend bringing flip flops or going to the market and buying some bathroom cleaner. Occasionally the A/C stopped working, they have a portable one while trying to fix it then have me another room at my request. My co-workers say this is probably the best hotel in Kaifeng.

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“Magnificent Hotel but”

The hotel is about 3K from the centre of "Old" Kaifeng in a largely new business area within walking distance of a large modern shopping mall. The room we had was fine but despite being non-smoking had the distinct obour of cigars. The wall of the shower was mildewed but it wasn't an issue as it w… more

The hotel is about 3K from the centre of "Old" Kaifeng in a largely new business area within walking distance of a large modern shopping mall. The room we had was fine but despite being non-smoking had the distinct obour of cigars. The wall of the shower was mildewed but it wasn't an issue as it was enormous as was the whole room! Outside the hotel has a lakeside walk alongside lotus & lily covered waters which was a really nice way to spend some time in the early evening. The views over the lake from the room were great, The Chinese restaurant was really good with some of the best dumplings we ate on our trip. Breakfast again was really nice with a good mix of western & Chinese food on offer..

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“Grand spectacle, less Grand outcome”

Kaifeng is not on the foreign tourist’s radar so we weren’t expecting anything special here but the outcome was OK - with some qualifications. Being a Chinese domestic brand it falls short of the ambit five-star claim but takes a passing shot at four – at least by occidental standards. Set on a sm… more

Kaifeng is not on the foreign tourist’s radar so we weren’t expecting anything special here but the outcome was OK - with some qualifications. Being a Chinese domestic brand it falls short of the ambit five-star claim but takes a passing shot at four – at least by occidental standards. Set on a small estate not far from the middle of town and fronting a pleasant lake that has been adorned with some fetching traditional architecture, this modern – perhaps a decade or so old – hotel is assuredly the best Kaifeng has to offer. It displays all the usual oriental ‘first impression’ spectacle but you need to engage soft focus on the detail because that’s where it falters. The service is fine and English is passable but the entire place would be much more comfortable if you were a smoker. In the end this is a very good hotel because it’s better than we expected for where it is and not what it offers. The good: save for a fumble with our reserved no-smoking room, reception was slick and polite. Once we got into what we had reserved, our non-smoking*(see below) king room was clean, spacious, comfortable and in a fair state of repair. Everything expected was there and it mostly worked as expected. The king bed was comfortable, the linens fresh and crisp and there were enough pillows for each of us to find our preference. The bathroom was equally roomy and well-appointed and the entire suite exhibited less wear and tear that we have come to expect from domestic hotels of this vintage. The room (8722) opened to a pleasant balcony with a delightful outlook across the lake and over the hotel’s expansive water features – which would be even better if they had been cleaned. The included wifi worked well on all our devices. The included breakfast taken in a splendid atrium fronting the lake and water features was a fair quality buffet of mostly local staples but see below for the dining experience. The not so good: the turn-down maid serviced our room despite the “do not disturb” sign and the problem with that seemed to be lost on them – even in Mandarin. Our “non-smoking” room on what is supposedly the only “exclusively non-smoking” floor (8) had cigarette burns on the furniture and was provided with a convenient ash tray – decorated with a few mints. We’re not usually offended by cigarette smoke but the air in the hotel’s Chinese restaurant was as murky as the atmosphere of Saturn. The Japanese restaurant was better. The configuration of the breakfast buffet is set up more to impress than to work so gathering your food selections does entail quite a bit of navigation and the traffic conditions are every bit as chaotic as Kaifeng’s roads. Some of the breakfast room furnishings are lamentably worn and soiled which means that you need to focus on the view so as not to depreciate the experience.

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