Dining
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Reviews of Hutong Inn

3 out of 5
Hutong Inn
No.17 Zhangwang Alley, Jiu Gulou Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing, Beijing

Reviews

6.8
Rating 10 - Excellent. 35 out of 264 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 97 out of 264 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 88 out of 264 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 25 out of 264 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 19 out of 264 reviews" "

6.8/10

Cleanliness

6.8/10

Staff & service

6.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2018

2/10 Terrible

Fay, New York, USA

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Terrible hotel, the worst I ever experienced
The WIFI is often off, computer keeps telling me there is no WIFI. The TV displays are not clear, only few channels to choose. No elevator to use. You have to carry luggages by stairs. The soaps for clean your body are small as finger nails, hard to grab.
Stayed 28 nights in Jan 2018

4/10 Poor

Sam, bristol

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointed with hotel
Well i never booked this hotel to begin with for my holiday, but had to transfer and was told it was an upgrade by expedia and had a view out of the window. But when i arrived there the building looked like it was being redone and in the lobby it was terrible, there were air conditioning systems everywhere and metal beams on the floor, there was alot of rubbish outside of reception and flooring falling apart in the lobby so i was already very disappointed and not happy. The staff didnt speak any english so language barrier was difficult, but once we got to our room there was no view out the window just bricks and rubbish and when using our shower it would flood everytime and when we were given new towels we even had one towel given to us ripped in half. We were very disappointed and would not recommend this hotel to anyone and also several times our key card didnt work so had to get staff to let us in our room, not worth booking with this hotel
Stayed 11 nights in Feb 2018

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

Jing

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
It's good for the price.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2017

6/10 Okay

Lora, Boston

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
So-so hotel but in a fantastic location
I've stayed at the Beijing Hutong Hotel (Zaoyuanju) many times over the past 8 years and it hasn't changed. It's a cheap hotel, with only so-so conditions (small rooms, sometimes smelly, bathroom doors that don't close, etc.), and few amenities except that it's in probably the best place in Beijing if you value being down a hutong that is right next to the metro and a stone's throw from the Drum Tower, with a lot of wonderful restaurants, coffee places, etc. The thing I noticed on my most recent trip, when I came with 5 family members, is that the staff has become increasingly unfriendly and difficult. They must have made a pact lately to try to be unhelpful to guests. They are surly, seem unhappy, and instinctively say NO if you ask them anything. If you speak Chinese, that helps, as it did for us. In the end, we were able to get what we needed most of the time (like changing a room when it smelled like a broken toilet) but if you need a fair amount of help or advice, and/or are picky about good service, this probably isn't your place.

2/10 Terrible

Daniel

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Did not stay pace was out of business, last min. Nighgmare to get another hotel

6/10 Okay

suz, australia

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close to subway
It was great location in old Beijing but the staff didn't help they cause a lot of problems when we had a tour as we booked else where. Bed was rock hard we were in a non smoking room how ever it stunk of smoke . Heating was good hot water was great.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
In nice hutong near attractions. English spoken
In nice hutong near many attractions (drum and bell towers and shopping). Receptionist spoke great English which was helpful. Be careful as they charge you for what you use in the room (bottled water for example).

2/10 Terrible

Idayat

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Horrible
Horrible horrible horrible horrible

6/10 Okay

xanatos

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Nice place for tourist, not what's promised.
It's a great place. Lots of stuff to do within walking distance and close to public transit for further things. Clean room. Staff is somewhat helpful. Downsides. You don't get what's promised and they try n charge you more. When I booked I was promised free coffee n tea, free breakfast and a complimentary bottle of water. Got non of that. Coffee n tea is in lobby n about 5rmb a cup. You have two bottles of water in your room which I was charged 10 rmb for and my free breakfast they wanted me to pay 20 plus yuan for. I just went to waffle place on corner for 9 n way better food. Over all nice place n I'd stay again but watch out for the nickel and Dimon on stuff that's supposed to be included.

8/10 Good

Ryan

good for your money
We enjoyed our stay here, the only issue was that there was no breakfast when we were there early December. The staff were nice and the room was clean and cosy. The area is good for he sights.
Response from Grace on 4 Jun 2016
Thank you for your support,and welcome to come again

6/10 Okay

ina juul

Disliked: Room comfort
Nice littel place in old traditional chines style

2/10 Terrible

Annual TN Traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Absolutely Disgusting
The room that my mother and I stayed in was absolutely disgusting. As soon as we opened the door, we were hit with an unexplainable odor. The smell was so strong that even after opening the windows to let it air out for an hour, you could still smell the awful odor. We were woken up several times at night from the smell. The beds were so disgusting that both my mother and I slept on top of the covers with all of our clothes on - we just used our jackets are blankets. The walls around the bed had mold to the point that parts of the wall were black and soft to the touch. The beds were rock hard. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. I have stayed at hostels that were more appealing than this accommodation.

6/10 Okay

teik chooi, Penang, Malaysia

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location
Generally ok. Hotel condition is that good as expected. But, location wise is good

10/10 Excellent

Paul K.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great base for seeing the sights
Stayed for a week with a Chinese friend. Surrounding lane-ways are part of old Beijing and it's near the Drum Tower. Bus stops two minutes away, subway 5 minute walk. Staff pleasant but with little English. Hassle-free stay

6/10 Okay

Saulat

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness

6/10 Okay

Emil Ravnholt

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Jianye, Guangzhou

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel is a GOOD choice.
1) The hotel is located in a good place where it is close to subway, Forbidden Palace, Royal Summer Palace, etc. 2) The hotel workers are nice.
Response from Grace on 11 Jun 2016
Thank you for coming here,abd hope to see you again.

4/10 Poor

HangYee W.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
STAFF SERVICE NOT GOOD
Because I use my orbucks, I need not pay .I stayed there for two night. When I check out and hurry to go airport , they said I have no reservation and did not pay any money before. They requested me to pay again. My phone is not work in China, and they cannot phone for me. At that moment ,I almost cry, why they did not ask me when I check in, then I still have time to follow up. No choice, I should catch my flight. I almost ready to pay again. Lucky, at last they find my record, I need not pay again. Next time, when you check in ,make sure they had receive your reservation and bill.

6/10 Okay

jose traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
in the heart of the old city
great location, lots of little shops, in the old city

8/10 Good

Natalya M.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
awesome family trip
Is was 3 of us and we come to see Beijing not to stay in the hotel.hotel is very clean and personal very nice,try to help you with anything. Also good location next to subway and lot or small food places and markets.if I goingredients to Beijing in the future, decently will stay in same pkace.

6/10 Okay

Brian wants to go

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Reasonable
Stayed two nights at this location. It's a decent place, clean and quiet. The room ventilation is not the best, but it is still comfortable. It is located in a quieter area, and still accessible to transportation, restaurants, and shopping. It's a budget stay, but I liked the quiet and less busy setting. And nice to be away from so much of the tourist crowd, a little more local feel.

6/10 Okay

Kayalir

Great location on a dime
No frills, cheap, convenient location. Close to subway and some great attractions.

8/10 Good

trip on the way

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Good choice for tourist
good position, acceptable price, nice service suggestion: add breakfast

2/10 Terrible

Timothy, United States

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Well Below Average
I was greeted in a disrespectful tone because of the attendants frustration with his sub-par English. The cleaning staff will make every attempt to NOT clean your room if given the chance. To open and close your room door you must push very hard when opening and slam very hard when closing (all rooms), which makes for an obnoxiously noisy environment. Expect families to jam numerous people in surrounding rooms to make for a disrespectful environment. Also expect the attendants to try and add extras to your bill. Don't let them. If you resist they will back off. The location is pretty good in terms of eateries and the metro.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
At $25 p/night, comfortable stay in great location
Overall, my experience here was comfortable enough, considering the incredible price I paid. I can't complain about the smell of smoke indoors, the low flow shower & toilet, the lumpy bed, or that the sheets weren't changed during my 10 day stay. It's what's to be expected when you pay $25. I don't change my sheets at home every day, so not a real issue. And after a day of touring the city, when it was time for bed I didn't notice the lumpy bed. If a holiday to Beijing means you're gong to spend a lot of time at the hotel and need these luxuries, don't stay here. Initially I thought I might be too precious for some of the things mentioned in other reviews, and considered paying $75 for a more comfortable looking hotel in line with western standards, but I'm glad I didn't waste my money. For $25 p/n in Australia you would expect a hostel with bunk beds and 10 other people in your room. When I walked into my room here, I was very pleasantly surprised. The key thing was you had your own room and bathroom, it was safe and in a fantastic part of the city. LOCATION - fantastic. Close to Gulou station - 2 different lines stop here making it even easier for you to get around the city. A big plus! Lots of great restaurants and hole-in-the-wall places to eat. Very easy to find once you know where it is. Give your cabbie the address in Chinese when you first arrive. SERVICE - English speaking ability varies from person to person, but I didn't have any trouble with them.
Exterior
Hallway
Hallway
Stairwell

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice hotel with this price
this hotel is located in Hutong, not far away from the subway station so it is easy for me to travel around Beijing, the room was big enough for one person, price was good,

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice hotel with this price
this hotel is located in Hutong, not far away from the subway station so it is easy for me to travel around Beijing, the room was big enough for one person, price was good,

2/10 Terrible

Penelope, Toronto, Canada

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Brutal!!
This was probably one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed in. It should be listed as a Hostel. It is dark and gloomy and smells really bad. The front desk clerk gave us a bottle of air freshener. This hotel is run down, mouldy, and everything is at the bare minimum. We had to ask for toilet paper and CLEAN towels. The maid actually only made HALF of the bed and didn't replace our used towels. The pillows under the cases were yellow and stained. PLEASE don't stay at this hotel.

8/10 Good

tripper, Qinghai

good location, fair price
We booked a king bed but on arrival were told that the hotel does not have king beds. We were given a twin room instead. The hotel is conveniently located near the subway station so it was very easy to reach most destinations in town for only 2 yuan. The room was not luxurious but practical and clean.

6/10 Okay

Sergio S., Los Angeles.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Fair price.
We stayed in this hotel for the Chinese New Year's. Most staff were friendly and spoke English. The hotel location is 5-10 min to the metro station, which is a great plus, and that makes it good to move around the city; it is 10 min away from the Beijing North Rail station that it can be used to go to the Great Wall (1h20m). All the tv channels are in Chinese, well, one french, and one Spanish, no english channels. The room itself was ok, do not expect anything fancy, we saw a lot of students staying in this place, mostly for its price. The room had a remote controlled AC/heater, a tube TV, and fast WiFi. I would stay in this hotel in the future for its value and location. Before I forget, bring your own soap, the hotel provides very tiny soaps which is a pain to use.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
stuck
bad experience

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hutong Inn
The room was clean enough and comfortable enough. There is smoking permitted everywhere, so it smells kind of smokey throughout. The bed was fine, room was fine, the desk staff there was less than friendly but helpful enough and good enough at English. Pros: great location, super close to the metro, bell tower, drum tower, and lots of good restaurants. Cons: shower was a steady drip (actually I can't even say steady because sometimes it stopped dripping at all out of the shower head as it was all leaking out the hose before it got there). When we woke up to check out on our last day, it was 5 am and our power wouldn't work. The person manning the desk had no idea what we were trying to say, after a lot of pantomiming, trying to find all of our things in the dark, they finally said "sorry", couldn't get it to work, and gave us an emergency flash light.

6/10 Okay

Nicholas, Philadelphia, PA

Cheap and very basic hotel
I stayed here for 4 days starting November 1st 2013. The hotel is very basic (I expected that considering I paid just under $25 per night). Don't expect a Hilton. When you check in, the staff will make copies of your ID/passport and pay RMB 100 deposit (you get this back when you check out). The room was small, cozy and clean. It was kinda cold, but there's a heater/AC in the room. The controls are in Chinese though, but there's a laminated paper "remote" in English for both the TV and AC. The shower has very low water pressure. Also, there's nothing separating it from the rest of the bathroom. Slippers are provided, as well as daily toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap etc). It is located in a Hutong (small side street). I had no issues finding it with Google Maps. I took the Airport Express and Subway line 2 there -Guloudajie stop and take Exit E (North-West Exit). If you take a taxi, ensure you have direction printed in Chinese and the hotel's phone number. I took a taxi while in Beijing and the driver had trouble finding it.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
During my entire one week stay at the hotel, my bed sheets were never changed. The hotel's idea of cleaning consisted of emptying the waste baskets and of making up the bed. I will not return

6/10 Okay

Traveler 26, Norway

Good location, but noisy in the morning
The location was great. I was going to the CNCC, and it was perfectly located between that and the center of Beijing. But, in the cheapest room, the window leads out to the hallway. so, no view out of the hotel. And in the morning there is a lot of noise from the cleaners and their walki talkies. I woke up to it almost every morning. a bit annoying. There is no complementary water bottle, even though it said so in the description of the room.. There are also no bathrobes. It's an ok place if you just need a place to sleep. beds are not soft, but I slept allright on them. The air conditioning worked allright. The shower has very low pressure, and there was mold in the cubbords in the batroom, and some on the tiles.

8/10 Good

Waygook Traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Beijing getaway
This hotel is great. When you see it from outside it looks very dingy but inside I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms were spotless and were cleaned everyday. Free soap, shower gel etc which I wasn't expecting from a budget hotel. It was the Mid-Autumn festival so we received free moon cakes in our room. The area around here is nice, there are a lot of nice little cafes, bars and restaurants to explore. A short walk away is Hou Hai along the lake which is great for nightlife and souvenir shopping. I recommend the Reggae bar there, they had a really awesome live band. You can even haggle the price of drinks at some of the bars when it's near closing time. The metro is close to the hotel. However, the directions I found online where completely wrong so it was difficult to find. If you can find exit G from the metro it's much better. Just go straight from there and it's one of the first hutongs on the left (opposite McDonalds and the youth hostel) The youth hostel bar is also very cheap and has special offers on every day. The only negative thing about this place is the staff. The guy on the front desk was quite rude and very abrupt with us when we asked about great wall tours. He was no help at all so we decided to book through another tour company.

4/10 Poor

bobZ

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

brock

It's ok for the price.
Overall it is fine. It's in a great location though and the price was right. The first room we were given was covered in mold though since it was an inner room that didn't look like it had been used in awhile. They moved us immediately and the room was fine. Nothing special, nothing great. An ok place to sleep which is all we needed after exploring Beijing.

6/10 Okay

Ondrej P, Beijing, China

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Room with no windows
The hotel itself was very nice, however, one huge disadvantage of the room was the lack of a window. After constantly using artificial light, I was happy I stayed only for 4 nights. Apart from this, I was very satisfied.

6/10 Okay

Javier, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Close to the subway station
I stayed there for a week and it was ok for me because I was backpacking Beijing. Close to the subway station, to a McDonald's, mini markerts, and lots of restaurants. Subway station is in the middle of the subway system so Everything was very near. Including railway stations. The area doesn't look so safe but for me it was safe because most of the people living there are elders that try to live a quiet life. I wouldn't stay in the hotel with my family because you can hear everything that happens in every room in every floor, like couples having fun, children playing, people watching tv, and it can be unconfortable for some people. For me that wasn't a problem at all because I just used the hotel for sleeping after very tired days. I recommend it for people going to Beijing looking for tourism and adventure. I would stay there again.

6/10 Okay

Jochem, Laren, NH, the Netherlands

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Nice located near Subway line 2 and Drum and Bell
The hotel is fine for the price. It is perfectly situated in a nice Hutong with lots of places you can visit at night.

6/10 Okay

woddo, Victoria, Australia

Only for the budget minded - backpackers style
Started off badly - despite the website booking 4 beds. for a mixed group, we got 3 the first night, but we were given a different room after the first night with bedding for 4. Bathroom so small that everything (including the toilet seat) got wet when we showered. Had trouble with the card mechanism twice. Staff tried to hard to help and some spoke a little English. I would recommend only if your budget is extra tight.

8/10 Good

Hector and Evella

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Value for Money
Convenient to subway station (Goludajie), walking distance to drum tower / bell tower and near to the restaurant. The staff are very helpful and can speak english.

8/10 Good

ankesh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

4/10 Poor

Christopher, USA

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
can't really complain for the price
Folks who are unfamiliar with the hutongs in Beijing will be weary of the area but just know that you're not staying in a 5-star hotel with a grand entranceway. The location is ideal as you're only 1.5 blocks from the subway and within a mile or so of most major sites to see (e.g. Forbidden City, Bell/Drum Tower, Temples, etc.). My biggest complaints with the hotel were the dirty linens, small/lumpy beds, poor TV reception and very spotty WiFi service. Guests will be frustrated with the WiFi as its only somewhat reliable in the wee hours of the morning and late at night when most guests are asleep. The room was dirty and it seemed like the carpet had not been vacuumed/cleaned for the past few months. The other reviews that mention the lack of toiletries are spot on. Bottom line - don't go in expecting a motel/hotel experience - this really is more of a hostel with private bathrooms.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
it's a nice hotel
good location, good pricing if you cannot afford a luxury hotel

6/10 Okay

Mario, California, USA

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Upgrade if you can.
You get what you pay......HOtel is in a great historic part of Beijing.....Lots of food places.....However the worst hotel bed I have ever slept on...The floor would have been just as great. I could not get the room heater to work. All controls were in Chinese. Very small rooms, and small bathroom. But for the price, well you get what you pay for.