Silenceskys
March 22, 2025
Passing by Huai'an, I stopped by to experience the Xiaohu International Hotel, which was opened not long ago after 25 years. After staying there, I felt that the design aesthetics of this hotel are online, and the interior decoration is high-end and solid. In the current Huai'an, it can even surpass Pullman and Begonia Hotel and rank first. However, the soft furnishings and services are hard to describe. How can I describe it? It gives me the feeling that a certain wealthy and prominent family has just purchased a mansion and spent all their money to decorate it luxuriously, but suddenly becomes impoverished, with a feeling of running out of energy and being very divided.
.
The location of the hotel is pretty good. Xiaohu Park is just outside the hotel and it is also within walking distance to Hexia Ancient Town. However, because it is newly opened, the navigation information is not very accurate, and it is difficult to get a taxi here. If you go out to find food, you are basically one kilometer away.
.
Although Xiao Lake is right next to it, the hotel only has three floors due to height restrictions, so most of the rooms have no lake view. This time I stayed in a lake view room on the 2nd floor, but there was no "first-line lake view" outside the window. However, I went to the terrace on the third floor and felt balanced, which was about the same.
.
During this period, I was not satisfied with the room view and considered upgrading to a suite. However, the price difference required by the front desk was much higher than if I booked directly. Secondly, after viewing the room, I felt that the area and view were not ideal, so I continued to stay in this room.
.
Here I have to tell you a very frustrating thing. At that time, the lobby manager asked the concierge to take me to see a suite at the end of the 2nd floor. After I returned to the lobby, I wanted to tell the manager the result of my decision out of courtesy, whether to change rooms or not. At that time, she was on the phone, and I waited on the side, quietly without being disturbed. After the lobby manager answered one call, she answered another. I didn't say anything and continued to wait. What I never expected was that a lady at the counter next to me was checking in and asked if she could send breakfast. She took over and told the lady, "It's really not possible. The gentleman next to me just wanted breakfast and I refused."
.
I was immediately filled with question marks, thinking, how familiar am I with you? Are you using me to block the arrow? Even if we are very familiar with each other, I am a guest and you are an employee, is it appropriate to do this? Besides, my room rate included breakfast, and I didn’t even ask her for breakfast! I instantly felt that this woman was really a good tea lover.
.
Well, back to the hotel, the public areas are made of solid materials and are aesthetically pleasing, almost at the same level as quasi-luxury brands like JW Marriott and Conrad. Although it has just opened, there is still a noticeable smell in the corridors, which is no longer present in the rooms.
.
The room is nominally 43 square meters, and it actually feels quite large. It continues the neo-Chinese style design elements of the public areas, and the materials used are also very solid, with a large amount of stone, gold, leather, wood and other materials used, which are harmoniously combined and full of details, giving it the feeling of a luxury hotel.
.
But that's all. Let's talk about the shortcomings of this store:
.
1⃣. There is never a concierge outside the door, so there is no luggage assistance. The drop-off lobby is also problematic. The online taxis are all parked on the side of the road, and you need to pull your luggage back and forth by yourself.
.
2⃣. They are stingy, not only in room upgrade and breakfast refusing, but also in the very low soft furnishings in the room, Lipton tea bags, unknown brand hair dryers, unknown brand toilets, and only toothbrushes and combs as amenities, can you believe it? It’s not easy to use.
.
3⃣, the door has very poor sound insulation
.
4⃣. The air conditioner is turned off for a few hours but the room is still too hot to sleep
.
5⃣. There is no desk, and the coffee table is the smallest I have ever seen. If I put down my computer, there is no room for the mouse, so I cannot work.
.
Generally speaking, a newly opened luxury hotel will have the best service, catering and various courtesies, so that it can gain more praise, enter a virtuous circle, and do better and better business. The decoration materials of this hotel are basically impeccable, but at the same time the service is cold, and none of the aspects that can truly enhance the user experience are done well, whether it is the defects of the guest rooms or the mismatch between the software and positioning.
.
It feels like a large amount of money was spent on design fees, and when the decoration progress was 95%, it was suddenly all spent and there was no more income, so they could only deduct every penny from the residents through the software. Even the amenity box of a 100-a-night budget hotel wouldn’t contain just a toothbrush and a comb, right?
Original TextTranslation provided by Google