Pan Pacific Suzhou

This hotel offers incredible value for money and is truly excellent. The decor is tastefully elegant, and it's well-equipped with dining options like a noodle shop and a tea house. Plus, there's a side exit that leads directly into the scenic area. The garden views are delightful, and it becomes even more beautiful when lit up at night. I even had the chance to see a firework performance. This was definitely the best experience I've had in all my trips to Suzhou. The breakfast was also great. I expected it to be crowded during the summer, but the restaurant is quite spacious, so it never felt cramped, and they refilled the food promptly.

The hotel is beautiful, but Panmen Scenic Area was closed due to the typhoon. The hotel lobby is on the third floor, while the rooms are on the first floor. To get to the restaurant, you have to go up to the third floor, switch elevators, and then go down to the first floor. The food at the Chinese restaurant was excellent; I loved all the dishes I ordered, definitely worth trying.

Service: I travel 100 days a year for work, and in over ten years of staying at countless hotels, I've never encountered a hotel actively asking to call the police. I booked the hotel online and then brought my family. Since my child doesn't have an ID card, I registered their proof of identity at the front desk. When they asked me to take a photo with the security guard (xiaohai), I refused. I told them that if any public security officer had questions, they could come find me. Then, the staff member very assertively said that they could refuse my check-in. I asked for their reason. They produced an unsigned A4 paper that stated refusal if not registered, but the issue was that I *had* registered. Then they started telling me, 'If you don't believe me, I'll call the police right now.' I said, 'You'd better call them immediately.' I don't know if I'm just too ignorant despite staying in so many hotels over more than a decade, or if your hotel is just so 'impressive' that it can proactively demand to call the police. Then your supervisor came out and said that registration was actually enough, and you just lowered your head and said nothing. My request was simple: I said you needed to apologize to me, but you were still explaining yourself. Perhaps my entire trip's terrible mood stems from this one incident. For example, regarding the hotel scenery shown in the pictures, I feel there's nothing left to complain about, even the cabinet wouldn't close. These issues aren't related to being old; they're service problems. So I think this hotel is even worse than a guesthouse. I'm leaving this comment to state that I will be calling Suzhou's 12345 to file a complaint against your hotel. Remember to have a better attitude when you call me back. If needed, I can also call the police, you know.

The hotel itself is good, and I noticed many foreign guests staying here. I'm giving full marks (5/5) for hygiene and environment. The room was very clean, and the hotel environment was also excellent. The room facilities are neither new nor old, which is understandable given it's an established hotel. However, the service at this type of hotel really lags behind... 1. For such a large hotel, there's no proper hotel WeChat concierge to contact. This became even more frustrating when the room service phone line was busy. 2. Upon check-in, we weren't proactively informed about breakfast times, its location, or Wi-Fi information. Even though we had children with us (and noted it in the booking), no children's amenities were provided in the room. We eventually had to call room service to have them delivered. 3. The hotel only has one delivery robot, which couldn't keep up during peak hours. It took quite a while for takeout to be delivered to the room. 4. Some items in the hotel room felt rather superfluous, such as the in-hotel cultural guide. Perhaps foreign guests would find it more interesting. I suggest the hotel differentiate its target audience. 5. Rooms with bathtubs don't proactively provide disposable bath liners; you have to contact the front desk if you need one. 6. The hotel's own kids' play area is quite small, probably only suitable for children under three. 7. There's a queue and crowd control during breakfast peak hours. Other notes: The hotel's travel photography, Hanfu experience, and Qipao experience require self-booking, as the front desk doesn't make reservations for you, which is a bit inconvenient. There aren't many costume options in the experience areas, but it's okay for a try. The Hanfu studio and travel photography are from the same vendor, while the Qipao studio is a different one, and both services were good.

The place was incredibly crowded! Just look at this pool as an example. However, the hotel itself is quite unique, and the entire complex is beautiful, but the cleanliness was a major issue. Being an older hotel, the bathroom areas in particular had many unclean corners. Plus, on rainy days, there was a strong musty smell. It's also so big that it's often inconvenient and you can easily get lost. Even with robots for food delivery, it still took a long time to get our orders. Honestly, besides the scenery, there's no other advantage to this place.

An absolutely wonderful experience! The entire hotel was designed by Singapore's Temasek Group and is seamlessly integrated with the Panmen Scenic Area. The hotel itself is built around a traditional Chinese garden layout, cleverly concealing eight distinct attractions. Its back entrance leads directly into the Panmen Scenic Area, and with your hotel key card, you get unlimited access throughout the day, along with services like Hanfu rental. The hotel itself is impeccable, with top-notch amenities, including the pool and gym. The customer service staff are also very professional. I noticed many foreigners, especially Singaporeans, staying here. The only minor drawback is that the rooms are spread across multiple buildings, making the hotel quite large. On my first visit, it took me a while to navigate from the front desk to my room. Also, the front desk is on the 3rd floor, while the rooms are on the 1st and 2nd floors, which can be a bit confusing when coming and going.

The environment is fantastic, but the facilities in Xixia Tower are a bit old and the soundproofing isn't great. The repeated opening and closing of the balcony door next door in the early morning startled me. Other than that, it was very good. The hotel even prepared a cake for my family's birthday, which I appreciate!