BACKGROUND pentahotels is envisioned as “your neighbourhood lifestyle hotel”, and puts the emphasis on mixing fun with functionality, comfort with creativity and style with simplicity. With 13 hotels across Europe – mostly in Germany, it is eyeing expansion in Asia with 30 hotels by 2015. pentahotel Beijing is the chain’s second property in Asia – the first being in Shanghai. A third hotel in Hong Kong is expected to open by summer of 2013. pentahotels in Asia is managed by New World Hospitality.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Opened in March this year, pentahotel Beijing occupies a building that was previously a Courtyard by Marriott – remember this as most cab drivers in the city still associate the building with the latter. While the lobby and some of the guestrooms have been renovated in line with the pentahotels design concept, ongoing refurbishment remains and is expected to continue for a few more weeks. The property sports a comfortably trendy and minimalist style, and its staff have a friendly, down-to-earth manner.
WHERE IS IT? Located in downtown Beijing about 40 minutes’ drive from Beijing Capital Airport, the hotel is within walking distance of Chongwenmen Metro Station, on lines 5 and 2. It has direct access to the adjacent New World Department Store, and is also close to major attractions such as Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, as well as shopping sites such as the Pearl Market.
ROOM FACILITIES The hotel has 307 rooms, including 183 pentarooms, 60 pentaplus, 54 pentadeluxe and 10 pentagrand rooms. They measure from 29 sqm for the standard pentaroom up to 56 sqm for a pentagrand room. I stayed on the 15th floor in one of the newly renovated pentaplus King rooms, which measures 29 sqm. The room was painted dark green and had a contemporary and functional feel. It was equipped with a king-size bed, free wifi, an iPhone dock, a satellite TV, individually controlled air-conditioning, IDD telephone with bilingual message box, free internet, bottled water and safe. The room’s bay window was fitted with a mattress – I found it a nice cosy corner to relax after a busy day. The mini fridge is kept empty; guests can fill it up with drinks that they purchase outside. The bathroom contained standard toiletries, but if you are particular about your shampoo, conditioner and soap, you might want to bring your own supplies. While the room is cosy, it would do well to have better lighting, especially in the desk area where a lot of work is done.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS All dining outlets are found on the ground floor just off the lobby. They are grouped together in the pentalounge, an all-in-one gathering place, which includes café dining, a delicatessen, noodle bar, library, a living room and a games area. The menu list is composed of Asian and Western comfort foods, from Hainanese chicken rice to beef hamburger with fries. It was pleasant to discover that these tasty treats, as well as the hotel’s beverage offerings, are easy on the pocket – a bowl of noodles costs about RMB40 (US$6.38) and a cup of tea about RMB30 (US$4.78). Another plus is that there is no service charge.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES A range of business services such as faxing and photocopying are available at the hotel’s reception area. There are four Studio Rooms that can fit groups of between 24 and 40 people for meetings and seminars. There is a special coffee break area called the Timeout Zone that is fitted with a couple of LCD TV sets, a popcorn machine and a football table. The trendy Game Room – with its comfy sofas, pool table, web-connected computers and Wii consoles – at the lobby’s pentalounge can also be booked exclusively for casual events of up to 40 people.
LEISURE FACILITIES The hotel has a small but well-equipped gym for guests who want to keep up with their fitness routine. pentalounge is a place to chill out and enjoy the free wifi internet. For some shopping therapy, guests can go down to level 5 and use their room key for direct access to the New World Department Store. Also, the hotel has bicycles that guests can use, without charge, for exploring nearby attractions.
VERDICT A convenient downtown location that offers a cosy, at-home feel.
Fact File
- HOW MANY ROOMS? 307 guestrooms
- ROOM HIGHLIGHTS The comfy king-size bed, plus the bay window lined with a custom-fitted mattress that can double up as an extra bed.
- PRICE Best available rate for a pentaplus King room in mid-November is RMB700 (US$111) per night. The rate includes breakfast and broadband internet.
- CONTACT 3-18, Chongwenmen Wai Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100062, tel +86 10 6708 1188, www.pentahotels.com
Gigi Onag
