Crowne Plaza HUAILAI by IHG

Back at Crowne Plaza Huailai, everything felt just as familiar and welcoming as before. The crabapple blossoms in the courtyard filled the air with their fragrance, and the park was brimming with the vitality of spring. The room was clean and tidy, and it was so relaxing to sit on the balcony in the afternoon, sipping tea and watching the sunset. The hotel staff were warm and attentive, and the breakfast was excellent, featuring my favorites like Jianbing Guozi and fresh river noodles.

This was my second stay here! This time, it happened to be when the crabapple blossoms were in full bloom, and the hotel was surrounded by beautiful scenery. I didn't get a chance to enjoy it much due to work, but I'm planning to bring my kids this weekend to experience the hotel's water park! The front desk service was as excellent as ever. I left some belongings in the room after checking out, and luckily, Xiao Lei from the front desk contacted me immediately! It saved me a lot of inconvenience. Overall, the hotel is great, highly recommended!

The hotel's facilities are generally good, and the breakfast is also excellent, plus the price is affordable. However, this time I encountered a company called 'Beifang Dalu' holding an event here. There were so many people, and the smoke smell was overwhelming. As soon as I checked in with my luggage, I ran into them all leaving a meeting, and everyone was crowding the elevators. With my suitcase, I couldn't even compete and had to wait for a very long time. Upon reaching the 5th floor, it was also full of their people, and it was extremely noisy. The next morning, they started making noise again around 7 AM, shouting loudly in the hallway. I really hope the hotel can separate individual guests from large groups in the future, or at least inform guests before check-in. If I had known, I might have chosen a different hotel. It really affected my stay and quality of rest too much.

The hotel's setting is truly lovely. On a clear day after the rain, you can enjoy distant views of the reservoir, and there are geese and ducks by the small lake in the garden. The non-motorized children's play facilities are also well-maintained. However, the rooms are a bit on the small side, and the decor isn't quite up to 5-star standard. The big slide at the children's water park has very limited operating hours. What's more, a relatively easy slide surprisingly requires kids to be over 1.5 meters tall to use, which frankly underestimates how capable children are in the water these days.

It's not as good as it used to be; I was quite disappointed this time. They used to have an inflatable castle, outdoor activities for kids (and it's summer vacation now!), and fishing, but all of that is gone. Right at the entrance, there was a discarded piece of paper, full of hair and fingernail clippings. The complimentary Wild Duck Lake was closed due to flood control, and we weren't informed in advance. Instead, we got tickets to a 'Desert Movie Scenic Area,' which was a complete rip-off. They don't even charge an entrance fee; once inside, you just pay for dune buggy rides and camel rides – there's nothing else there. The go-kart track was swarming with mosquitoes (possibly venomous ones), so we couldn't even use it. Sigh...

The hotel is very close to Beijing, almost feeling like it's just beyond an entry checkpoint. The hotel grounds are lovely, boasting many crabapple trees. We visited during their fruiting season, and the trees, laden with bright red fruit, were absolutely beautiful. While the hotel's facilities were a bit dated, it was impeccably clean and the rooms were quite spacious. The Huanglong Villa, which was included in our hotel package, is definitely worth a visit; the mountaintop grassland there in early August was breathtakingly beautiful.

Facilities: The hotel offers excellent facilities. The kids absolutely loved the children's playground, swimming pool, and water park. Cleanliness: The hotel was very clean, and our room was spotless. Environment: Surrounded by mountains, the views were beautiful. It was incredibly relaxing to stand on the balcony. Service: ZOEY from the front desk provided warm and thoughtful service. She was particularly attentive to the needs of children and seniors, which we greatly appreciated!