I hastily booked a room the week before the Qingming holiday. With basic Four Seasons room rates soaring to an outrageous 8k-10k, yet still maintaining almost full occupancy, I couldn't help but wonder how such an old hotel manages it. After experiencing it, it indeed made me, someone not particularly fond of the Four Seasons, reconsider the brand.
Room (p1-p3): Before checking in, I was worried that a hotel opened in 2010 might be too outdated. However, I found that it wasn't at all; it's extremely well-maintained. The fixtures are gleaming, there's a smart toilet, a TV with screen mirroring, and a Dyson hairdryer. Most thoughtfully, the issue of limited outlets in older hotels isn't a concern here, as the hotel provides multi-port sockets by the bed, and even wireless charging.
West Lake boat breakfast (p4-p6): During the Qingming holiday, being able to enjoy a private boat tour with a guide without queuing speaks volumes about its value. Aside from the price of over three thousand being a bit steep, there are no other downsides.
Jin Sha restaurant (p7): Guests get priority seating, and the complimentary sauce left the deepest impression (it's a shame it's not for sale to the public). The crispy chicken was delicious and reasonably priced.
Hotel public areas (p8-p16): Few people and beautiful scenery. After stepping out of the hotel once and experiencing the terrifying crowds by West Lake, I truly appreciated how good the hotel was.
Of course, there are also minor drawbacks ❌
1️⃣ The semi-buffet breakfast had relatively limited choices, but thankfully the taste was decent.
2️⃣ The biggest problem! During holidays, there's traffic control around the hotel, so ride-hailing services can't pinpoint the location. The hotel also doesn't provide any shuttle arrangements. The only thing you can do is call a car with the guest and ask the driver to drive further (but this doesn't work during control, as drivers will be stopped).
Finally, I ended up paying an exorbitant 1,100 to take the hotel car to MixC. This charge was also strange; a private car for an hour in the city is 500, and to Hangzhou East Station is 1,100. The hotel staff insisted that going to MixC should be charged at the Hangzhou East Station rate, even though it was only a 40-minute drive within the city.
Original TextTranslation provided by Google