The interior is nice and fresh looking and it is situated in a good location with shops and food places near by.

My room was small but really good in terms of comfort and cleanliness. It was also very nice and quiet with thick walls.

The reastaurant on the ground floor was ok. Plenty of selection but didn't always look that appealing. However, you could find enough to ensure you ate well before or after embarking on some major sightseeing!

There are plenty of shops inside the hotel selling gifts, Chinese Tea, snacks etc and a swimming pool and spa, beauty salon, business centre with internet access. All are a little over priced and you can only barter the prices in the souvenier shops!

All in all I would definitely recommend this hotel. My only complaint was the laundry service. My clothes came back ironed but not washed and one of my tops had a faint mark on it which it hadn't had previously!! As you can imagine I was pretty hacked off to say the least. However, the general manager (a young lady) was very helpful and understanding and ensured that I didn't get charged but lets face it, that was the least they could do really.

I chose this hotel because I needed an inexpensive place to stay in unfamiliar territory - a trusted name like Holiday Inn fit the bill, and having a "Holiday Inn Downtown Beijing" sounded charming. I wasn't disappointed at all, as my expectations were not that high.

The rooms are small, clean and basic. The pool was a perk, though I only used it once.

The staff at the cafe was cordial, if not overbearing in their attempts to accommodate. Ordering a drink involved three people, but they were all smiling and graciously offered their hospitality quickly. The same goes for the front desk and bellhops - always ready to help.

The hotel offered a day excursion to the Great wall, a Jade factory, and a few other places. I think I paid less than $50 for the whole deal - including lunch. Well worth it.

Nearby is a supermarket (near the exit of the subway) that had everything I needed at a fraction of the cost of NYC. Smokes were $1 a pack, Evian .50 for 2 liters... amazing. The room had a fridge, so I stocked up on beer too. :)

Across the street (near the hospital) is an excellent restaurant. Not fancy by any means, but the food is delicious. A full dinner for two with beer cost about $4.00. Venturing out into the city revealed so many places to eat, but beware - English is hardly spoken.

In closing, I recommend the Holiday Inn. I found the weekly rate hard to beat. I think my bill came $150 or so.

This hotel is conveniently located for the shops and the metro. it is currently undergoing a much needed renovation which was noisy during the day but didn't carry on at night or start early in the morning. The rooms show their age. Ours was ok, the carpet was a bit stained. Others in our group had rooms that were more delapidated and my parents had a room with a window that backed onto a storeroom which they did not notice on arrival at 2 a.m. The food is good. A wide range of styles for breakfast and in the reasonably priced evening buffet. They could do with a non-smoking area or better ventilation in the restaurant. I would be happy to stay there again.

My experience could not be more different to the last review. The room I had was excellent, small but new. The staff were great - limited English but they did their very best to accommodate my needs. The hotel location is not the best, but for the price it is pretty good. Very close to a metro stop and taxis are very cheap by western standards so it was easy to get out and about. Overall, if you are coming to Beijing you could do a lot worse that the Holiday Inn Downtown.