For my trip to Beijing in March, I stayed in the Grand Mercure Dongcheng for three nights.
The location of the Grand Mercure Dongcheng is great. It is located fairly central of Beijing and about 5-7 minute walk from Beixinqiao subway station. Also not far from many of the tourist hot spots. Such as Forbidden city, Tiananmen square and Temple of Heaven are about 3-5km from the hotel which is not far when you’re on the subway. Around the Beixinqiao station there are loads of local restaurants that are open till very late in the evening, you will also find a Subway and KFC.
On arrival at the hotel I was really impressed. It was just how it was in the pictures online and didn’t disappoint. The hotel was laid out very well, it was very spacious and inviting. The service provided by the staff from the moment I stepped into the hotel was brilliant. I arrived at the hotel at 6am and check-in was not until 2pm…arghhhh, I had 8 hours to kill! The staff were lovely and realised that I had been travelling for so long that they said they would get a room ready for me in the next hour and there would be no early check in charges…win, win situation! I decided to leave my luggage there in their locked luggage room and have a walk around the area. I found quite a few restaurants that were still open and decided to go in and get myself some breakfast…instead I ended up getting a spicy baby lobster dish, which was one of their specialities. First time I’ve had something like that at 6am as my breakfast but I was not disappointed, it was super tasty.
After my ‘breakfast’ I arrived back at the hotel and my room was ready. It was only a temporary room and I was told that my actual room would be ready in a couple of hours. This certainly did not bother me at all as really I shouldn’t have got a room till 2pm. The lovely staff upgraded my room and I stayed in the Executive room with a king size bed…exactly what I needed after 24 hours of travelling. My room was lovely, spacious and clean. There was a desk area which I decided to use to charge all my electronics. The bathroom was massive and I fell in love with it. I had a walk in shower, bath tube, (toilet of course) and a SOFA in the bathroom!! I was very happy when I found my very own bath robe and slippers. Due to limited baggage allowance it’s not always possible to take these little luxuries. There were bottles of shower gel, shampoo and soap provided. I didn’t get to try them as I am quite particular with what I use and always take my own Lush products along with me.
I didn’t eat at the hotel apart from the breakfast, which was brilliant. They provided so much variety, local dishes, cereal, eggs, bacon, pastries, juices, tea, coffee…the list goes on. When I travel abroad I like to explore and try local restaurants and street food so avoid eating any other meal other than breakfast in the hotel. I find in hotels you lose a lot of the local culture.
My stay at the Grand Mercure was very pleasant and I would definitely stay there again. Big thank you to the staff for upgrading my room. If I am ever back in Beijing, I will definitely stay here again and would recommend it to you all. To visit the Grand Mercure Dongcheng hotel website please click here.
