we had a really lovely stay in this hotel. The staff were excellent and certainly worth the upgrade to Club. The rewards for upgrading are worth it in many many ways, you certainly get value for money from a dedicated check in area, to better rooms, quieter breakfast area, club lounge facilities, free drinks and endless supplies of dim-sum and pastries galore!

You also get free laptops and internet connection - and the staff cannot do enough to please you. they remember you by name and treat you very special. The concierge on the main desk were thoroughly helpful and patient and their advice was spot on and helpful.

Beijing itslef was an experience !!! Glad we went before the Olympics kicks in. Language is still a great difficulty, but do try and go on a number of tours as you will really find out alot more than you thought.

Taxi's are chep, food is cheap and there are lots to do and see...great wall was a bit of a let down, but its still a wonder and worth the visit.

The hotel was very nice. Room itself was quite spacious. In fact the bathroom was nearly as large as the sleeping area. Both were nicely decorated. Can't comment on the bed as pretty much anything would have been fine after the flight there.

Staff was very eager to please. At check in there was an issue with my rate being different than what I booked and they worked very hard to resolve the situation. (Tip. Always, always bring a copy of your confirmation and rate with you when you are traveling in China. There seems to be an issue in at least 50% of the hotels I stay in.)

One of my party used the fitness center and said that it was wonderful.

Prior to my departure from the US, I contacted the hotel and requested that they please e-mail me the hotel name and directions in Mandarin to me. They complied immediately and included a nice map that I was able to show to the taxi driver at the airport.

For those of you needing a Western food/coffee fix:

1. Exit the front door of the hotel and walk to the left.

2. At the street take a left.

3. Walk to the end of the block and turn right.

4.Walk a block (approximately) and you will see several restaurants on the left. Starbucks, TGI Fridays, an Irish style pub, etc. There is also a mall and other hotels nearby.

This is a brilliant hotel and felt truely five star (by european standards) to me. It made our holiday and was very reasonably priced. As soon as we arrived - with the wind roaring outside, the doormen ushered us in and brought us little hot towel. A very simple thing but a reflection of how every single member of staff was welcoming, helpful and really made you feel looked after.

The room was spectacular and food excellent (breakfast is an enormous buffet with every continent represented - my favourite was waffles with maple syrup and dim sum!).

On the taxis thing - this whole thing is a red herring. Generally, none of the taxi drivers have a clue where they are going - so you'll often have trouble with taxis going anywhere (they don't have the same street naming / numbering as in the west). However - we had the INTERCONTINENTAL card and without exception, the taxi drivers found their way there (which is more than I can say for most destinations in Beijing!). Generally - my tip is always have a mobile and the phone number of the place you are going so you can put the cabbie on the line and let him work it out.

Pool and spa is excellent and we enjoyed a lovely - soothingly painful! - chinese massage.

We stayed in a delux room. I did not see the standard rooms but for the extra cost - I'd recommend to anyone to spend the money (everything else is cheap as chips out there).

In short - the hotel was an oasis of calm and civilisation in a city that westerners can often feel quite lost and alone in. The hotel made our holiday and I could not speak highly enough of it.

The Intercontinental is a great hotel. It is new, clean,, and well run. Service was excellent and rooms are large. Bathrooms are extremely well appointed. It is in a relatively new business district, so taxi drivers may not know its location. However, it is worth the extra drive.