We were upgraded to a true suite, which was spacious and trendy-looking. The living room area featured a sofa, chair, and coffee table, desk, and TV, along with a roomy powder room (half-bathroom). The bedroom area was smallish, but had its own TV, and the door could be closed for complete privacy from the living room. The bathroom, while complex (even with its own TV), didn't feel very spacious, and had an odd combination of glass doors. For example, the water closet area containing the toilet had a door, but the entire space was enclosed in glass, so it wasn't as if two people could use the bathroom at the same time. The walls of the bathroom were frosted glass, and while they provided a good level of privacy, the opacity still allowed you to see light and shadow coming from the bedroom. (This was an issue at night, when one of us got up to use the restroom and the other tried to continue sleeping, but was awoken by the bright lights. Still, I had heard that some of the room in this hotel had completely glass walls in the bathroom, so we were glad for the privacy that our room afforded.) The bathroom also had an odd door/sliding panel into the large closet in the bedroom. Robes (two types, both fluffy and silky) and slippers were provided, as well as a full-size umbrella (which we needed, unfortunately), and a safe were present. Even with the quirkiness, it was a great room and I would book it again. Two complimentary bottles of water were in the room when we arrived, and were replenished at evening turndown.
Our room looked out over the skylights for the indoor pool, as well as overlooking the small outdoor patio off the pool area. Attendants and a lifeguard were present at the pool. The fitness center was attractive, although not dense with equipment (I didn’t actually use the center, so take my comments lightly). The décor of the guestrooms and guest floors was very zen and modern looking, and the public areas were quite attractive and buzzing with activity.
This hotel is located in a complex of three other hotels also owned by the Accor brand: the Sofitel is the highest level of comfort, followed by the Grand Mercure, Mercure, and Ibis. According to their website, the lesser-branded hotels were still permitted to use all of the facilities in the Sofitel. There were myriad restaurant options in the Sofitel, both in the East Wing and in the West Wing. The lobby bar has a pianist performing in the evenings (Lobby Lounge, open 7:00 to 1:00). There is no smoking indoors at this hotel that I could tell. There is a Chinese restaurant (Chinois, open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 to 2:30 and again from 5:00 to 9:30), Japanese restaurant (Koi, open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 to 2:30 and again from 5:00 to 9:30), Moroccan restaurant (open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 to 2:30 and again from 5:00 to 9:30), and Cuban restaurant, as well as a classy-looking coffee bar/shop (Cafe Ren, open 10:00 am to 11:00 pm). There is a buffet and a la carte Mediterranean restaurant in the lobby that is open 24 hours. We had difficulty deciding amongst the restaurants so we decided to ask the concierge to see copies of the menus; oddly, the concierge was unable to comply, instead telling us to go to each restaurant individually and ask for the menu.
There are a few shops in the hotel, the largest being an art gallery. There are two ATM machines in the Sofitel itself, however, they are owned by different banks and dispense different total amounts of money each day (one dispensed up to 2000 RMB, but the other dispensed 2500 RMB). The location of the hotel is near Renmin Square, which appeared to be more of a triangle; there weren't many shops or restaurants visible adjacent to the property, but it was raining quite heavily during our time there, so visibility was not ideal. Walking directly out the front gate of the hotel, crossing the busy street, and turning right, we saw one restaurant, one very small store that sold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and a larger store that sold wines and harder alcohol. The main street was a bit difficult to cross, although we attempted to do so at various points in front of the hotel, none of which were easy or felt safe (again, it was raining heavily, which obscured our visibility as pedestrians).
I would definitely stay here again when visiting Xi'an, although I might also consider the new Hilton because my spouse is a loyalty member, however, the Hilton seemed like a smaller stand-alone property, not like the sprawling Renmin Square complex of the Accor brand. (I heard from my private tour guide that the former Hyatt is no longer associated with that brand.)
No comments:
Post a Comment