Zhuzhou Huatian Hotel

“Overall ok”

It was my second stay in this hotel. In general all is ok. The equipment in the room and bathroom would appreciate some renovation but the level is acceptable. Breakfast is very chinese but you will what you need... except cheese, marmelade and normal bread for example. There are few people speakin… more

It was my second stay in this hotel. In general all is ok. The equipment in the room and bathroom would appreciate some renovation but the level is acceptable. Breakfast is very chinese but you will what you need... except cheese, marmelade and normal bread for example. There are few people speaking English in the hotel. In general level ok.

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“Good stay with langage barriers”

The hotel is a Chinese five start hotel which may need some renovations. The rooms are space and well equipped - internet is Chinese hotel standard.... Unfortunately reception does not speak English very well which may cause inconvenience at check out

“Trying their best to be western friendly”

This hotel has a local reputation for being a 4 or 5 star hotel. I don't have any other experiences for comparison in Zhuzhou, but for a westerner it really not realistic to say this is more than a 3 star hotel. The hotel boasts many amenities that seem to be a bit overstated, at least in terms o… more

This hotel has a local reputation for being a 4 or 5 star hotel. I don't have any other experiences for comparison in Zhuzhou, but for a westerner it really not realistic to say this is more than a 3 star hotel. The hotel boasts many amenities that seem to be a bit overstated, at least in terms of accessibility. There are many restaurants listed, but at any given time, I only observed two that were actually open to the public (three if you count the bar, which as a dinner menu). The others seemed to be reserved for group events. The staff are very courteous, but language can definitely be a barrier, both at the front desk and at the restaurants. Usually they have a supervisor behind the desk that speaks at least functional English to assists guests. Regardless, things got done even if communication took a little longer. I have to give them high marks for trying their best. I had a room on the 17th floor. It was spacious and clean with a comfortable bed, modern bathroom, and reasonable amenities. You need to pay attention to some of the price lists around the room. Many of the small items that are usually included in the price of the room at a western style hotel are only available for an extra charge. The TV has about 3 English channels, one of which is CNN, so at least you can stay up to date on current events. The refrigerator didn't work in my room, and ice was only available through room service (strangely delivered in a small bag). The lights always seemed somewhat dim and the light switches themselves were a bit confusing. They leave two small bottles of water per day, two that are available for at a rather exorbitant charge of 15 RMB. I strongly suggest visiting the supermarket across the street, that has large, 2-L bottles of water for 2 RMB. I was very careful about drinking, and brushing teeth, with only bottled water and I never had any ill effects. The restaurants were reasonably accessible to westerners. At the Huatian Food Street restaurant, we needed a little help in ordering, but otherwise found it fairly easy. Unless you're an experienced China traveler, I would suggest sticking mainly the noodle dishes. Just one browse through the selection will reveal a number of items that are certainly not very familiar to western palates. Imagine various types of bird feet, duck heads, things made with any number of animal organs. It's not for the faint of heart. The buffet at the main restaurant is a probably the easier option. Most things served are recognizable and relatively easy to eat. This is the same venue that serves breakfast. Breakfast was more or less serviceable. Sometimes there are fried eggs and most days you can find boiled eggs and a strange form of ham-like "bacon". There's not much in the way of cereal. Usually, there is fresh fruit. I stuck mainly to watermelon and bananas. The leisure facilities in the hotel are ok. I didn't try the foot massage lounge, and I really don't know what the chess lounge is all about. The gym doesn't open until late morning, so I had limited opportunity to use it. The one time I did use it, I found it to be too warm and humid and with very outdated equipment. It was better than nothing, but I can't say it really facilitated a very good workout. The outdoor pool looked like it might have been nice, but it was closed for maintenance during my visit. The hotel location is decent. The mall across the street has a supermarket that is easy to access for travel needs. There aren't a lot of restaurants in the immediate area and, unless you have a Chinese speaking companion, it's going to be an uphill battle to try to figure out how to order anything. So, the hotel restaurants could be the best option. At times when it isn't raining (it rained every day we were there), it can be nice to walk across the bridge to visit the downtown area, or the other direction toward the TV tower. The tower is located in a park that is quite nice. There is a mall there too ... even a Walmart and McDonalds. For a westerner, Zhuzhou can be a bit difficult. But, I thought the Huatian probably made it about as easy as possible. I couldn't help but notice a brand new Hilton being constructed in the downtown area. When that is complete, I assume that they will eclipse the Huatian in terms of being the most western-friendly venue in the city. For now, this hotel seems to be about as good as it gets for a western traveler.

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“Not Average - Good !”

Stayed here for nine nights during a business trip. My room was perfectly reasonable. The air conditioning worked and the room was spotless. Very few of the Hotel Staff understand English. This Hotel caters more for Chinese visitors rather than European visitors which is fair enough. Most of the di… more

Stayed here for nine nights during a business trip. My room was perfectly reasonable. The air conditioning worked and the room was spotless. Very few of the Hotel Staff understand English. This Hotel caters more for Chinese visitors rather than European visitors which is fair enough. Most of the dishes available at breakfast are Chinese and most of the restaurants offer Asian food. If you fancy a European dinner after days of Asian food you can try a bar meal. The European menu in the bar is not all that it seems ! I ordered Minestrone soup, Goulash soup and Russian soup on separate occasions. Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were all identical ! They still have no smoking foreigners tables in the restaurants which is quite bazaar as smoke from adjacent tables does not respect the no smoking signs left on the foreigners tables ! The Hotel staff were very pleasant in spite of the language barrier. This hotel is relatively inexpensive compared to other 5 star Chinese owned Hotels.

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