BACKGROUND The hotel opened in 2007 as Novotel and was rebranded last May into high-end business hotel Pullman. Both brands are members of the Accor Hotels group. Some renovation has taken place and staff have been retrained to offer higher-quality service.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The first impressions are that of a modern, bright hotel with well-trained staff, which includes “welcomers” stationed in the lobby at all times ready to answer any enquiries. Bellboys escort new arrivals to the check-in counter, leaving no doubt that guests are well looked after. The hotel is divided into the Eastern and Western Wings, with the Executive lounge located in the former and Executive floors on levels six and seven. Both wings have rooms that look out to their respective inner courtyards. The Eastern Wing one features a lot of greenery while in the Western Wing’s courtyard one can see the swimming pool and the roof of the lobby.
Rooms on the outer side of the both wings looks onto the airport and
its facilities.
WHERE IS IT? Just across the departure hall of the sprawling Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, although it is a good three minutes walk. The hotel also has an electric cart to transport both luggage and departing guests. This is the only five-star airport hotel here and it takes between 30 to 50 minutes to get to town, depending on the traffic and the route. From the eastern district of Tianhe, we arrived there in 50 minutes, but on the following day it only took 30 minutes to get to Shamian Island in the south-west of the city, although the distance is, in fact, longer.
ROOM FACILITIES The 30sqm Standard rooms and the 32sqm Executive rooms are very similar, both in size and layout. They have large TVs and Channel TV service which one can enjoy from a wide and comfortable armchair. There is Wi-Fi and broadband service, but they are only free in the Executive rooms. Guests in other rooms pay CNY1 (US$0.15) every minute or CNY60 (US$9) for 24 hours. The bathrooms are small and functional, with a small bathtub and a glass wall allowing a view to the bedroom. Guests benefit from an iron and ironing board in all suites and Executive rooms (they are delivered to other rooms on request) while an iPod dock is available in the Deluxe rooms, Executive rooms and suites. Every room is equipped with a “Pullman bed” that boasts bolsters, pillows and comforters specially designed for extra comfort. The desks and TV stands in the Executive-floor rooms look sleeker. The Executive Lounge has an impressive breakfast spread and great service. The hotel is very quiet thanks to the double-glazed windows.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS The 350-seat Tianyuan Chinese restaurant is nicely decorated and serves high-quality Cantonese and north-eastern cuisines. The 230-seat U8 Action Cuisine Restaurant serves international dishes all day. The pleasantly decorated and quiet Societe Lounge and Bar has free Wi-Fi and is a great place to work with a cup of coffee.
BUSINESS AND MEETINGS FACILITIES A 460sqm pillar-less ballroom and 13 meeting rooms are available; they are often used by meeting groups flown in from all over the country.
LEISURE FACILITES There is a 25-metre outdoor swimming pool, a gym and a spa offering massage and foot massage, and an outdoor tennis court.
Andrea Zavadszky
Fact File
HOW MANY ROOMS? The hotel features 460 rooms, including 45 suites, 58 non-smoking rooms (on request) and two special reduced-mobility rooms.
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS We liked the view of the airport from the window while the inner garden in the eastern wing is also very pleasant to the eyes.
PRICE From the middle of October internet rates with unrestricted change and cancellation but with no breakfast start at US$154 and from mid-November rates will be back to around US$97.
CONTACT Baiyun International Airport, Renhe Town, Guangdong Province, 510470 Guangzhou, China, tel 86 20 3606 8866, [email protected]
VERDICT: A pleasant hotel for short stays and the outstanding service would make a success of any meeting or product launch.
