This hotel in Taiyuan is the right choice

InterContinental Taiyuan

Thanks to Lucky Air for taking me to Taiyuan. I booked a basic room for 800 yuan as a Diamond Ambassador. The river view room wasn't ready, so I was given an executive room (which didn't seem like an upgrade).

1. Room hardware: 6/10
The building exterior looks very old - hard to believe it's a 2018 hotel. No view or scenery except for a construction site. However, the room facilities are quite modern - screen casting available, controllable curtains, and the signature comfortable InterContinental bedding. The two sofas are decent. The bathtub is a bit difficult to use. Cleanliness is just average. Overall passing grade.

2. Breakfast: 7/10
Breakfast is decent, especially after returning from Tokyo - the comparison makes it seem incredibly good. They have knife-cut noodles (delicious), large meat dumplings (delicious), and freshly made jianbing (not good). The baked goods are fine, though the pastries seem to use the wrong butter. The fruit selection is lacking with only two types, and just one type of freshly squeezed juice. Considering the price point, I think it's adequate.
Overall, there weren't many guests, so the experience was quite pleasant.

3. Service: 8/10
This is difficult to evaluate. I can't say there was no service - they had various remedial measures. But I also didn't feel the service in many areas.

First, they did ask about my needs during pre-arrival. When I expressed interest in experiencing a suite if available, they declined but offered the option to pay an upgrade fee. In the end, I was upgraded to a river view room without paying extra, which was decent.

The front desk staff had attitude and was efficient. When my room wasn't ready, they offered solutions and promised to send a large fruit platter (which was good). However, they didn't recognize my Ambassador status or my 40 nights. When I asked about the lounge hours, they directly asked if I had lounge access privileges. When I asked if they couldn't see my status, they said no (this was unsatisfactory - never encountered this at other hotels). There was no introduction to hotel facilities or inquiry about late checkout needs - poor service.

The lounge service was generally good, probably because there were more staff than guests, haha! When I asked for a Coke, the intern asked if I wanted it hot or cold, which made me laugh. They offered turndown service (surprising!) and turndown gifts (even more surprising!) - quite rare for a hotel at this price point, so thumbs up. The checkout process at the Ambassador section was noticeably better. When we had issues using our dining vouchers, they quickly processed them manually. When leaving, I asked about special room key cards, and though they didn't have any, they gave me a mascot tag - nice touch.

Post by Bell@Elena567 | Apr 29, 2025