Holiday Inn Aqua City Beijing

I am writing this review based on my experiences staying at other Chinese hotel brands, which have generally provided a more pleasant stay. While we were aware that this is an old hotel, we had higher expectations because it carries the Holiday Inn brand. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the maintenance and overall experience. The room’s design feels outdated, with dark carpeted flooring and a small TV that doesn't suit the room's size. Additionally, the room is dimly lit. While the room is spacious and features a large bed, these are the primary highlights, and there is little else to recommend (based on Executive Room size) There is no free flow of bottled water for guests, unlike other hotels we have stayed at, which provided this as a standard amenity. The hotel's location is linked to a mall, but it isn’t much of an attraction. The more happening areas are about a 10-15 minute walk away. Security could be a concern, as anyone can access any floor without needing a card in the elevator. Additionally, the air conditioning and heating are centralized. During the year-end period, we were unable to use the air conditioning and had to open the windows for ventilation, which let in cool air but also considerable traffic noise. On a positive note, cleanliness is well-maintained by the housekeeping team which is commendable. I'll share a video on direction from FuZiMiao MRT station to this hotel. Hope it'll be useful to some of you.

Positive : 1. Connected to mall. Very convenient to walk around especially on the rainy days. 2. Clean room and bathroom. 3. Near famous attractions places called Confucius Temple People Market and QINHUAI River. It’s only 7-10 minutes walk. Negative : 1. Most of the staff unable to speak English. 2. Inside our room there is smell of cigarette smoke. There’s a tray inside our room and there’s no balcony. So it means they allow guest to smoke inside their room?

Amazing view for NYE however the place was way oversold with zero control. We almost got crushed against the glass wall outside on the 17th floor which then turned into a fight with a group of people screaming at each other 6 mins before midnight. Major safety hazard 17 floors in the air. Absolutely the worst NYE party I’ve been to. Luckily no one got hurt but you couldn’t see anything there were so many people. Don’t go there are other nicer places in the city. Way to overcharge and ruin NYE Aqua, seriously one day someone will get hurt there. If not oversold it could have been a nice event, based on the reviews year over year seems to be the norm for them.

The food is pretty good,the view without doubt stunning but the service inflexible and communication poor.We booked a table for 5 and were sqeezed at a table for 4.Temperature so cool we were all freezing.But the worst for just giving 1 star was we payed 5000 HKD deposit for reservation. We spent about 3200HKD that night and were rejected to refund the difference.Simple fraud.