MANDARIN ELEGANT HOETL

To be honest, the suite was spacious and comfortable, and parking was very convenient. The hotel's front desk staff were warm and friendly. However, what was quite disappointing was that the hotel's public areas fell far short of what I'd expect from a four-star hotel. The carpets in the hallways were dirty and dingy, looking like they hadn't been cleaned in years, with visible debris and dust that hadn't been properly vacuumed. The hotel was also plastered with photos of the owner and various perhaps minor celebrities, ostentatiously displaying the self-satisfaction of a seemingly wealthy township entrepreneur. It felt more like a rural production team office than a four-star establishment. To get to the indoor heated pool and gym, you had to walk through a messy, cluttered reception area on the third floor that reeked of a wet market and housed a noisy restaurant. These facilities were comparable to those in a typical residential community in a mid-sized to large city, which is a far cry from a four-star experience.

I'm a local, and this hotel has been here for years. I've only eaten at Jin Wenhua but never stayed overnight. This time, I chose the Mandarin Oriental for a staycation and booked three nights. On the first night, after showering, I opened the vanity cabinet to get a towel and found two dirty ones. So I used a bathrobe to dry off and went down to the front desk to ask for new towels. I told them the two towels in my room were filthy and asked for clean ones. She asked how many I wanted. I thought I'd shower that night and again in the morning, so I said four. She replied that they usually provide two, so I said, 'Oh, just two then.' I don't understand, if my room originally came with two towels, and you gave me two dirty ones, why not just replace them with two clean ones? Why ask how many I wanted if you weren't going to provide them anyway? The bathroom also had off-brand tissues for 3 yuan a pack and disposable towels for 20 yuan each, both for a fee. This hotel positions itself as high-end, comparable to the Wanda and Ritz-Carlton in the same city and location. However, apart from the price, it doesn't match up to those chain groups. It just proves what a big mistake it was for me, with my top-tier memberships at Wanda and Jinjiang, to try a local brand instead. I was planning to check out after one night but stayed for two since it was already 4 AM after my shower. The next day, while packing before checkout, my glasses fell under the bed. When I reached for them, I also pulled out an umbrella wrapper left by a previous guest. I was speechless. When they asked how my room was at checkout, I was too embarrassed to answer. Honestly, I've traveled for years, staying in places costing over ten thousand a night and hostels for 50 yuan a bunk. For a hotel in Taicheng positioning itself as high-end, your service and hygiene are worse than a youth hostel. If you priced it under a hundred yuan a night, I wouldn't complain about the service or cleanliness. Don't try to scam overseas Chinese.

We stayed at the hotel on the second day of the ***** New Year. The room was spacious, new, and tidy, with a street-facing balcony. It featured a smart toilet and intelligent lighting controls. The check-in lobby offered an afternoon tea set with exquisite dim sum and a variety of drinks, plus a play area for children. The buffet supper had a wide selection, which was perfect as we came back from watching the fireworks that evening and enjoyed a complimentary supper directly at the hotel. The hotel is located in a bustling city area, making our trip with elderly parents and children very convenient and comfortable.

The service was attentive and accommodating, and the breakfast offered a good variety. On the second day of Chinese New Year, there was a lively lion dance performance at the entrance, creating a strong festive atmosphere. The only drawback was that there weren't many elevators, so I had to wait a few minutes during peak hours.

The hotel itself is decent, but I was told by a staff member at breakfast that the table tennis was free. To my surprise, when I went to the front desk, they said it was 50 an hour! Even sports stadiums in Guangzhou only charge 20 an hour. It's fine if it's not free, but 50 an hour is a bit of a rip-off!

The environment has a large balcony.

The room itself was decent in all aspects, but the elevator and hallways had no air conditioning, and the lobby's AC was practically nonexistent, which definitely brings down the score. On the bright side, all the staff I encountered were very enthusiastic!