DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing

We wake up and both find it incredibly hot. A glance at the aircon reveals: 29°C. Aircon broken?

After our trip through south-east Australia, we have a three-day layover in Beijing. As we want to enjoy a lounge, but won’t be in the hotel very much, we choose the DoubleTree Beijing. Affordable, but with all the benefits of a Hilton hotel with Executive Lounge as well as the DoubleTree signature cookie!

DoubleTree Beijing

The DoubleTree is what you would expect: a good hotel with luxury appeal, but not the absolute best. Although there is a difference in hotel brands – as you can read in the review of the Conrad Bali – the DoubleTree Beijing is a fine hotel.

We booked a Deluxe room and were upgraded to a suite on the 22nd floor. Have to say that this is partly because the hotel’s air conditioning is not working. The suite on the 22nd floor comes with lounge access, which is also nice.

The hotel dates from 2008 and it shows here and there (we visit in 2024). The rooms feel slightly dated, there is some mold in the grout anyway, and here and there corners on the wall and parts of the ceiling are damaged.

DoubleTree Beijing bedroom

We spend the first night of our stay in an Executive Room. We arrive late after our trip and when we wake up, we both feel that it is very hot. This turns out to be true, as the air conditioning indicates 29 °C degrees…Oh no…

A call to reception yields, besides the necessary apologies, an upgrade to the suite on the 22nd floor. With mobile air conditioning, although that doesn’t make much difference.

The 60 sq m suite consists of two rooms, one part furnished as a sitting room with desk and a small kitchenette. The other part is furnished as a spacious bedroom with a bathroom equipped with bathtub and walk-in shower.

Fortunately, the room has windows that can be opened and during our visit, the temperature outside is better than inside. In fact, it is winter and that helps to keep the room cool.

Hilton Honors Membership

I am a member of the Hilton Honors membership and am a Gold member during our visit. If you want more information about Hilton Honors membership, read this detailed explanation.

Because of my status, apart from the room upgrade, we also get access to the Executive Lounge for both our room and the room we are booking for my mother. This is where the benefits of the Hilton Programme come into clear focus, which is also why Hilton is one of my favourite hotel programmes.

Executive Lounge

The Executive Lounge at the DoubleTree in Beijing is open from 12 noon to 11 in the evening. During opening hours, you can take a seat in the lounge and grab a cup of coffee, tea, some soft drinks and a biscuit.

Between 6pm and 8pm, snacks, meals and alcoholic drinks are served. Food varies and includes a salad bar, fried snacks, meat and rice or noodle dishes. Small cakes, nuts and biscuits are also available.

The alcoholic offer is not very extensive and consists of Carlsberg (beer), spirits and a red & white wine, in which there is no choice. The chardonnay served is the only option. Although a fine wine, it is a pity that you cannot choose any other wine.

The lounge is usually crowded and may not be ideal for the sensitive ear. Indeed, Chinese dining habits, which include loud eating noises, are noticeable.

Breakfast DoubleTree Beijing

Breakfast is reasonable, but could be more extensive in my opinion. I myself spend four nights in the DoubleTree and after two out of four nights I’ve had enough of the breakfast buffet. The DoubleTree in, for instance, Malaka or Kuala Lumpur has a much more extensive selection.

Perhaps Beijing tends to have fewer tourists, so the offerings for Westerners lag behind those for locals, but that is not my preference in this case.

Remote working Beijing

Remote working – both in the lounge and the hotel itself – is difficult. This is the case throughout China, by the way. Many websites we usually use – including from Google – are blocked and you need a VPN to visit them.

During my visit, I use NordVPN and it works fine. Services like Maps, Youtube, Whatsapp and the like all work reasonably well. The speed does leave something to be desired and does not exceed 7 MB/s. It also drops out regularly.

If you want more information on how to use and benefit from a VPN, read this page explaining the advantages of a VPN. If you want to apply for your discounted VPN, click here.

Location DoubleTree Beijing

In a city like Beijing, it is difficult to judge location. Beijing is as big as a third of the Netherlands and has a population of more than 20 million. In my experience, there is no perfect location, as a 15-minute drive is more common than not.

At least the hotel’s location is not bad and is (just) outside Beijing’s central ring road. About a 40-minute drive from Soho, 20 minutes from Qianmen street and about 40 to 60 minutes (at rush hour) from the airport.

Price DoubleTree Beijing

We pay a total of 375 euros for our four-night stay (Dec 2024) including breakfast and including lounge access. That works out to an average of 95 euros per night.

Because of the breakfast and lounge, you can have breakfast until 10:00 and from 12:00 onwards, head to the executive lounge for a bite to eat and a drink. This means you basically have little to nothing to spend on eating out. Curious about what we did eat out? Then read Jeanine’s travel blog.

Conclusion DoubleTree Beijing

The DoubleTree is a fine hotel if you are staying in Beijing for a few days. The location is fine and the hotel offers lounge access if you have the right status or room and has a fine breakfast, though it could be more extensive.

The price-to-quality ratio is fine and the staff – although they speak little to no English – are very helpful.

If your budget allows for a slightly more expensive hotel, the Hilton and Four Seasons are beautifully located and, based on experiences of acquaintances, I can absolutely recommend them as well.