Swimming pool has been closed for many months. Hotel is generally in a very tired state with no updates to rooms for many years (as evidenced by small flat screen televisions).
I lived nearby when this hotel was being built. I remember it going up and I remember it being a big deal. It's obviously seen better days. The carpet was filthy and even the bath towels were a bit ragged, they needed to be replaced 2 years ago. The giant window provided a wonderful view of the Summer Palace in the day, and at night it ensured that the room was frigid. In the loft, it was hot and below it was freezing and there was no way to resolve this problem. I could see this as an option if you're staying for a few months and need some extra space, but even then, the rooms should probably be gutted. It's the small things as well, the refusal to provide more than 2 bottles of water per day. The elevator not being level with the floor, the weird bathroom upstairs with an all glass wall (why?). The kids were looking forward to swimming, but the pool and gym were closed for renovation, there was no notification of this prior. The front desk was confused by the lack of a Chinese address when we were checking in, which was the only time in the entire trip this was asked for. This is also rather inconvenient for taxis, as it's extra driving to get in, and the pickup location is not visible. Most don't want to bother driving in to drop off. It's a place that has seen better days and those days were 10+ years ago. Shame it's not been maintained as well as it could have been.
The location is very close to metro and bus stations. However, the hotel is very old without proper maintenance. The TV is more than 30 years old (240p might be). The carpet is very dirty. The air conditioner is not working well. specifically in the winter, the room is really cold. But when you asked, they will provide you with an electric heater. The service is very friendly and well.
I had stayed in this hotel previously about 10 years back so I was glad to return. But the experience this time was lukewarm. The check-in was quite cold, and the staff sighed when I informed I didn't have a china number. Upstairs the room felt old and dusty, lacking care. This hotel needs a revamp soon to stay relevant.
A convenient location in the Haidian area, within a short walk from Suzhoujie subway station.
We like that this hotel provides a washing machine in some of their duplex rooms. I booked a duplex room but didn’t get one with a washing machine initially, but one of the staff at the reception, Ms Ni, made sure a room with a washer was reserved for me the next day. She was fantastic in her service! The hotel sends a pot of hot dessert to our room every afternoon, which is a very nice gesture. The dessert soup always tastes good! And we look forward to it every day of our stay at Ariva.
