Extremely, extremely, extremely disappointed with this stay. It made me not want to visit Yangzhou again for a long time.
I’d had my eye on this hotel since my last trip to Yangzhou a few years ago, and I’ve been following it closely for the past two years. I booked it several times but had to cancel due to typhoons or family emergencies. So, on this trip to Zhenjiang, I insisted on coming here for the experience. I’m not sure if it’s because my previous stay in Zhenjiang was so good, or if my expectations for this hotel were too high, but the final result was incredibly, incredibly disappointing. It severely affected my family’s mood for the entire trip.
The entire room felt cheap. For a room costing nearly 1300 a night on a Sunday, I don't think it should have been like this.
The space was cramped. Apart from the bed, there was only a narrow TV cabinet in the room, barely enough space for one chair. Perhaps they included the balcony area to reach the advertised 35 square meters, but there was no view from the balcony. The room’s air conditioner was a Hitachi, the hairdryer was a Xiaomi, and the toilet was neither smart nor a brand like Kohler or Toto. There was no carpet on the floor, only plastic mats around the bed. There were also some cracks in the floor tiles and the bathroom wall tiles. The corner of the mirror cabinet was moldy, the bed frame was cracked, and there was a layer of dust. The entire room had a faint smell of disinfectant, and the laundry basket had a very noticeable odor of foot odor. When going upstairs, I even saw a cleaner placing clean towels on the floor, then putting them into a cart after glancing at me.
In my family’s words, it was worse than Home Inn or Hanting from 10 years ago.
Regarding the facilities, as a hotel primarily focused on families, it does have many amenities, including a children’s play area and a petting zoo. However, everything costs extra. Even the two electric coin-operated rides in the breakfast restaurant cost 20 RMB per use. There's a small petting zoo with herbivores, but the free feed provided is fish food, and hay costs 20 RMB per bag. There's an outdoor sandpit, but it's very, very dirty, with a dark layer of grime. The sand digging toys also require scanning a code to pay. I understand there's a premium for a resort near Slender West Lake, and I understand there's a premium for these facilities. But since the accommodation fee is already so inflated, shouldn't the prices for the children's facilities at least not be significantly higher than outside amusement parks????
As for breakfast, the variety wasn't small, but the taste was very ordinary. Almost everything, my child took one bite and then didn't want any more. Clearly pre-made food, completely inconsistent with the overall price point. Of course, it's also possible that we've just had much better food at previous accommodations.
I can honestly say that having stayed in so many hotels across the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, I've never had such a terrible accommodation and breakfast experience.
Finally, about the service: the service was actually quite good, and responses were quick. This is the only reason I’m not giving the lowest possible rating. After checking in that day, we dropped off our luggage and went for dinner, only returning around 8 PM. Upon seeing the room's condition, the longer I stayed, the more uncomfortable I felt, so I raised my concerns with the butler. The butler immediately contacted us and offered to change rooms. However, it was too late, and we really didn't want the hassle. Here are two details I hope they note: 1. I contacted the butler via WeChat, but the front desk called the room directly. It was already 9:30 PM, and my child was getting ready for bedtime, so the phone ringing startled him. 2. I ordered takeout, and a staff member helped deliver it. However, I wasn't in the room at the time. Without contacting me via WeChat or phone to ask for my permission, the staff member directly swiped their card to enter the room and placed the takeout on the mini-fridge. When I returned to the room and saw the takeout suddenly there, it startled me.
The hotel's shuttle service was very responsive, and staff were proactive in helping with luggage. Upon checkout, we received a souvenir gift, including a massage hammer, a small unicorn doll, a box of nougat, and a paper-cut ornament. They also proactively asked if my child wanted to feed the animals. It's clear they tried hard to make a good impression, but our mood for the entire trip was so thoroughly ruined that it's difficult to have any positive impressions of the hotel beyond the staff's service level.
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