Lavande Hotel (Beijing South Railway Station Majiabao Subway Station)

The hotel was a bit pricey given the location, but I thought this meant that it was going to be excellent. Friendly staff, very close to metro station, and only one mile from the high speed railway station. But I was quite disappointed that I booked a non-smoking room and that clearly was not the case. The hallways reeked of smoke. I am asthmatic and got sick for the rest of my one-month trip in China. I attribute it to this hotel stay. The bathroom and shower were covered in brown smoke / cigarette grime, and as soon as you turned on the showerhead and the mirrors started to fog up, the whole room smelled of smoke. I didn’t want to open the window because it was really cold outside. But I slept there for just one night and woke up with an extremely dried out throat. The heat completely ****** out all the moisture from my nose and throat. For four days, I recovered from a sore throat due to the lack of moisture and humidity in the room, not to mention the insufferable cigarette smell. I also got back to the hotel around 10:30pm and planned to do some laundry because it said it was free. Turns out the laundry room is only open 9am-9pm. That was a little weird, since I’ve never experienced a do-it-yourself laundry room that had limited hours at a hotel, especially near a train station. The staff was very kind. And it worked for my needs. But I spent a LOT of money in this room and left sick for the next month. Now that I’m back home, I am planning to to the sinus doctor next week, to which I will mention the inhalation of secondhand smoke that started way back in January.

Great new automated hotel, delicious breakfasts, close to the metro, 24-hour grocery store nearby, and very clean.