Best Western Grandsky Hotel Beijing
Beijing, China
 
Beijing, the original and current capital of the vast, colourful country known as China. It is also a growing hub for a number of airlines, which gives me the first opportunity to visit this metropolis and utilize my airline's stopover services.
 
To be honest this was a hotel reservation that was paid for by the airline I used, as I was on my way to Hong Kong from Toronto. It was a confusing experience at the airport, which wasn't this property's fault at all, because the airline had three separate desks handling various transfers.
 
We met our shuttle driver at the Arrivals zone at Terminal 2, Beijing Capital International Airport, in the evening during an incredibly chilly December. He was the first point of contact from this hotel, representing this property well, even producing a business card in English while I had trouble reading Simplified Chinese text. No problem, he said, although he wondered why I was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt in freezing conditions. Bah. When you're a Canadian you need a nice wintry experience to make you feel at home.
 
Although we were transported in the dark, the ride from the airport terminal to the hotel was very quick - perfect when needing to connect to an extra early flight next morning. There were many different shops and restaurants that line this district, plus this property offers a connection shuttle in case you need to be closer to the centre of Beijing on business.
 
Check-in was frankly only easy because we spoke enough Chinese to go through the process. The staff in their efficiency barked for various things like our passports, boarding passes and information about the next flight. But hey, we (as in all the connecting passengers from this airline) wanted to get to our rooms quickly. A sign on the wall shows the wifi network and passport which made the idea of being stuck for eight hours overnight that much easier.
 
The room was a very modern design, with a number of power outlets for our various devices. If you're in a specific industry and in case you need a data port for your computer (at some point in recent history you had to actually ask for, and plug in, a cable into your laptop to retrieve anything from the outside your hotel room), that plug also exists here. Beds are comfy and soft; refreshing considering traditionally, many people in China prefer a firmer mattress.
 
Two great points about this place: 1. There is both a shower and a bathtub in the bathroom, both spacious in this spacious room. Along with the bath foam, this makes for a delightful soak.
 
2. There is a hotel restaurant in the lobby, which serves up great Beijing-style Chinese dishes, though the prices and menus were in Chinese. They placed a menu in the room which was very convenient. Great for people like us when we want Beijing specialties in a crunch. We were too late to order Peking duck though, which required an hour from ordering to delivery to our room.
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