We had a wonderful, wonderful 5-day stay at the Park Plaza Beijing in June. This hotel is really a "sleeper" -- neither big and over-the-top, nor boutique -- but really everything a hotel should be. The location is terrific -- close to the major attractions, and easy walking distance to Wangfujing, good restaurants, and shopping. Our room had all that we wanted, including a very comfortable bed (especially compared to other places we stayed in China), very nice linens, plenty of pillows, a well-appointed bathroom, and quiet. But what really sets the Park Plaza apart from other hotels is the service. The staff was unfailingly welcoming, helpful, and so pleasant -- really bending over backwards to make us happy. And it seemed as if everyone genuinely enjoyed what they were doing ... helping to make our stay in Beijing a special one. We stayed in much more expensive and "exclusive" hotels in China, and they paled in comparison to the Park Plaza. This is a place that really understands the meaning of hospitality. I strongly recommend this hotel -- you won't be disappointed! (One caveat: the restaurant, while nice for breakfast, disappointed for dinner. There are many terrific dining options in the area ... just ask the concierge for a recommendation.)

After carefully reviewing tripadvisor comments I stayed at the Park Plaza for 6 nights in mid June. It really does deserve its number 2 ranking in Beijing. While not the most luxurious hotel it has all the modern amenities and comforts you could wish for (minus pool) at a great price. It really was a good deal compared to some of the other hotels I looked at : Peninsular, Regent, etc. I think the room rate outweighs the little luxuries of the other 5 -6star hotels. While there is no pool you can use the pool of the Regent which is the Park Plaza's sister hotel right next door. For about $10 you can use the beautiful pool, sauna, srteam room, jacuzzis and exercise room.I do think that the staff makes the stay even more pleasant. Concierge staff are very accommodating - especially Mr. Hong. A great young fellow. Hotel is tucked behind a main road and some taxis had a hard time finding it. Always carry the hotel business card with a little map on it. Beware some of the taxi drivers. They will drive you in circles and will plead they don't know where they are going. Hotel is a close walk to Wangfujing and of course all the main sites are only a $2-3 cab ride (unless you get the occassional round the world driver).

The best hotel we enjoyed during our month long journey through China. I give it the best rating primarily due to the comfortable beds; as most beds in China have such "Firm" mattresses that it feels like you are sleeping on concrete.....

Our room was very spacious with a comfortable king size bed plus a sitting area with a couch, chair & table + a desk. The bathroom was filled with all the amenities we could wish for and new toothbrushes where supplied each day. All was kept spotlessly clean. We actually got a non-smoking room a huge bonus in China.

There was the usual fridge, safe, writing paper, postcard etc.
We did not check out either the pool or the weight room.

However the cafe was great.
Breakfast that came with the room was a large buffet with both hot and cold offerings. There was everything on the buffet you could possibly want along with a chef standing by to cook your eggs for you to your specifications.
Two evenings we enjoyed a wonderful American Dinner of steak in the restaurant. I wanted to share the meal with my Dad as neither of us wanted a full dinner. When we explained this to the waitress it was not a problem and the kitchen actually split the meal and it arrived on 2 plates beautifully presented.
The non-smoking area was approximtely half the size of hte restaurant. It was a real bonus after being in Asia for a month to actually be able to enjoy a meal without having a smoker light up at the table next to ours.

The staff at the front desk were very accomodating about exchanging money.

There was a Starbucks next door and a neighbourhood shop just around the corner to buy inexpensive pop and junk food at.

About a 3 block walk brought you to a shopping area and there were lots of restaurants close to the hotel.

The only glitch as a very slow check in and I had to argue to get the room which we had reserved and paid for. They wanted to give me a room with 2 single beds instead of a superior room with a king size bed. However this is not so unusual when one checks in late at night....

I would definitely recommend this hotel as a good place to stay for anyone heading to Beijing.

Stayed in the Park Plaza in March for 4 nights, we had booked the hotel as part of a tour of Beijing booked through Dragonair. The hotel was lovely and very convenient for the Forbidden City and Wangfujing for great shopping and places to eat at night. The staff in the hotel were great, particularly the bell hops and door men who were always eager to speak to you in English and were always on hand to help in any way. Breakfast was included in our booking, and was a varied buffet. We also had drinks in the hotel at night, and the prices for cocktails were very reasonable. Don't miss the night market which is just a few minutes away, where you can buy scorpions, snakes, flies, and centipedes, all on a stick! If you are going to the Great Wall I thoroughly recommend that you go to the Mutianyu part of the wall, the day we were there were only about another 20 tourists, so it was great to get walking along without any overcrowding. We had one day off from our tour, and I decided I would like to go to the zoo, the door man advised us to get a taxi(which were very cheap) but I was determined to try public transport, big mistake! We then joined about 3 million people trying to get on the subway; we nearly gave up, but eventually squeezed on, not for the faint hearted. If you're an animal lover or like animals at all, avoid the zoo at all costs. The animals seem to be very badly looked after, we didn't see a keeper while we were there, and a lot of people were throwing things at the animals. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed Beijing, the sights; the people and the food were all fantastic!!!!!