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Reviews of Tiananmen Best Year Courtyard Hotel

3 out of 5
Tiananmen Best Year Courtyard Hotel
1 Denglong Ku Hutong Nanchizi, Beijing

Reviews

7.2

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 20 out of 101 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 47 out of 101 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 16 out of 101 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 12 out of 101 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 6 out of 101 reviews" "

6.6/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

6.0/10

Amenities

6.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Dry nice family run small hotel. Right by Forbidden city. Old Beijing area. Hotel located in the quiet lane. Owners are very friendly and speak English. Gave great suggestions on the vegetarian restaurants around. The hotel is basically their home. We stayed upstairs - large room, old, very old shower but otherwise good budget hotel.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Hunter, Durham, NC

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Probably one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at! The staff was above and beyond at helping us navigate specific things around Beijing, and overall the location is one of the best in Beijing as well!
Stayed 8 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 8 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018

8/10 Good

Timothy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Charming slice of old Beijing near Tian Anmen
This is a very small, privately-owned suite of rooms off of one of the Beijing hutongs near the Forbidden City. Very friendly staff. Not easy to find. 10 min walk to Tian An Men Square. If you want to experience old Beijing, this is a good experience for you. A small number of rooms surround a nice open space with tables and chairs. You will have everything you need (wi-fi, TV, shower), but not a luxury hotel. No breakfast. It's a good way to support local businesses and to see the inside of Beijing in a way you won't if you go to a larger international hotel. I recommend it.

6/10 Okay

David

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
close to forbidden city but still over priced
Pictures on line are very out dated but bed was clean and shower was good. hotel was in very old part of town and taxi had hard time finding in dark. Had to venture down dark alley with bags would not recommend to female travelers alone but us as a couple it was ok but little over priced for condition and area.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Benito, Los Angeles and Madrid

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Xiao was very nice and spoke perfect English. We didn't want a western type of hotel and that's what we got, a typical Chinese hotel inside the forbidden city! Not for everybody only for those with an open mind willing to try new experiences.

8/10 Good

Shane, Portland OR

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Enjoyed the hotel and my stay
Hotel was very old and nostalgic and I loved that; others may not like it as much. Area was great - central Beijing, right next to Tiananmen. Hotel staff was super helpful and friendly.

2/10 Terrible

Madi, Shanghai, China

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Travelers Beware! Do not stay here!
Easily the worst hotel I have ever stayed at in my life and throughout my months of being in China. They advertise breakfast and free wifi? They have neither of these things. coffee maker? none. Free toiletries in the "luxury honeymoon suite"? More like half used bottles of shampoo and pellets of soap. The towels were mismatched and ragged with other hotel's embroidered logos on them! I arrived to a hotel in disarray and was FILTHY. Does not look anything like the advertised pictures. My room had no windows in it (unless you count the giant hole in the bathroom ceiling that was open to the outdoors). There were used tissues on the desk and trash in the bins in the room. The bathroom was disgusting and the shower was covered in mold (did I mention NO shower drain?). Under no circumstances would i recommend this to any traveler, no matter how "rugged" or "basic" your travel hotel requirements are. It became very clear during my stay that this in fact a family home that simply has a few rooms for rent. I was the only guest during my stay (NOW i know why!). This hotel is located on a back alley (not where the above map suggests the location is) and is not in a tourist friendly place. I did not feel safe taking my shoes off in the hotel room due to the bathroom. The sink faucet was broken and required you to pry the handle to turn on the sink. I wish there was a way for me to upload pictures of what this hotel REALLY looks like now.

4/10 Poor

Stephen, Singapore

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Does not fall below expectation
Considering the proximity of the hotel to Tian An Men and the Forbidden City, this hotel is OK if you don't mind the somewhat spartan room.

2/10 Terrible

Renan, Costa Rica

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No for westerners
No for westerners. This would be OK for internal chinese tourists but no for us. Strong odor coming from the bath drainage, believe me you don't want to be there. The location was OK to visit Forbidden City but it was really overpriced for the quality of this hotel. I will never go back and don't recommend this "Hotel". If you have booked and read this, you must change the plan now, otherwise will be too late.

8/10 Good

Jamin' Jamie, New York

Liked: Staff & service
Mostly Happy
Excellent location. Woman host very helpful. Very authentic Hutong-based experience. Old decor through out thats pretty cool. Internet OK- But no Facebook, Google, Twitter etc.. Chinese government has them blocked!! %$#! A bit run down, bathroom in our room was very small and felt unsanitary. They need to hire a better and more detailed cleaning staff. If your looking for cheap place to crash and authentic local Beijing experience to get the full effect at a good rate- this is your place. If you need pretty and all modern conveniences- move on.

2/10 Terrible

SB, Toronto, ON

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Horrible Experience
This hotel was not at all what I had expected; it was very different from what I saw in the pictures. For one, the entrance was in a dark, back alley and there was junk piled up in front of the hotel. My room was dirty (e.g. giant wad of hair in the bathroom, dirty plate and cups), and in need of maintenance (e.g. 12-in hole in the ceiling, 36-in by 12-in water damage spot on the ceiling, about six holes in the shower, 6-in by 3-in of plaster peeled off wall). Additionally, the room had no security and little privacy (i.e. glass wall covered by an ill-fitting curtain, unable to fully lock the door from inside) and the area just outside my room was being used for storage. I spent only 2-3 hours at the hotel, because Immediately upon arrival, I called hotels.com for a refund and to find me a new hotel. When I was leaving, the hotel informed me that they would not refund me for two nights, because that was their policy. Due to the shabby state of the hotel, however, I received a full refund from hotels.com. The location was excellent, but I do not recommend staying at this hotel.

6/10 Okay

Larry, Diamond Bar, CA

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Cheap but not clean
It is a nice hotel, too bad they are not doing the regular maintenance work. Drapery are falling down, tearing apart. The restroom is not very clean, but for the price we paid should be considered Okay. The location is super, very close to Tiananmen, one of the main attraction in Beijing. There is no breakfast, but you can get to try local eatery within the walking distance.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

4/10 Poor

Sandi

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel is way over priced!
You can stay at much nicer hotels that are 4 star and within the same location + breakfast included. The taxi driver could not even find the street. It is located in a one way alley. The walls and ceilings have hold mould on them. The pictures are deceiving. The courtyard is quaint, however, the rooms are not up to par for its price. The staff spoke English well enough to understand. I would rate this as a 2-3 star hostel.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Richard Sutlieff, Hing Kong

Liked: Staff & service
Excellent location
Excellent hotel, excellent service just could do with a little bit of TLC

8/10 Good

juan, mexico

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Is nice experiencie
It is a little hotel, great staff, is the Best warm you are in a home , the place is like a museum, very good ubícate

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Amanda, San Francisco

Liked: Staff & service
Nice location
Very good location. I walked to Tiananmen Square and Jingshan park. Exceptional service. I like the people there and the small courtyard feel of living local rather than big hotel. Cons: come with your expectation that this is not cleanest up to US standard.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome location near Tiananmen Square
A little difficult to find, but we'll worth the effort. The staff are super friendly & accommodating. Their English is good & their recommended taxi saved us a bundle on our return to the airport. The room was clean, the bed firm & washroom was ok. The location is within 10 mins walk of tinanmen square & forbidden city & the subway. It's about the same distance from a night food market that has venders selling all kinds of exotic street food (scorpion on a stick anyone?) & a great shopping area. Would recommend it to anyone looking for a hotel that's not cookie cutter bland, in a great location with friendly English speaking staff.

8/10 Good

Marilyn, NSW AUSTRALIA

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Great cultural experience
When my daughter wanted to stay here i was very hesitant but after my stay i would not stay any where else if i return to Bejing i loved the whole place so peaceful and very friendly,such a wonderful experience and very close to Tiananmen Square, good restaurants and many little local shops.Very cheap great bacon and eggs for breakfast.The staff were very helpful always smiling.I left my I Pad and a bag of Pandora charms in my room on my departure, on the way to the airport they rang our transport driver so they could let me know they then organised a taxi to take my items to the airport where our very kind transport driver waited with us to ensure i received the items how honest and helpful was that i could not thank both parties involved enough for their kindness and help provided to me.Free internet was also available. We stayed in a family room which was very tradional and opened into the courtyard had 1 double and one queen bed .

4/10 Poor

QQR, U.S.A.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not living up to most online reviews
We were very disappointed with the reality vs. the pictures and most of the reviews online. When booking at Hotels.com, we called to confirm a crib would be available. When we arrived, they told us it's not available because the one they had was broken long time ago - whose problem is this? We ended up rushing out to Wang Fu Jing and buying one. Room condition, esp. the bathroom, is very disapointing. Water will be all over the floor after a quick shower. We had multiple curtain hooks broken after one night. The towels are old and do not feel clean though we were told that they are changed every day. The best part is the location. So we tolerated the rest for four nights but decided not to go back ever again.

8/10 Good

Shawn, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What especially made this stay special was the staff,very polite and helpful. That location is just alongside the Forbidden City and Tianneman Square. Great if you like to experience local culture in the area.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close to Forbidden city, but thats all.
Bathroom cleanlinless a problem. Staff good. heating /cooling not great.

10/10 Excellent

carlos, new york

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
location
although this is the perfect location for the forbidden city. finding the hotel takes a bit of work. once you find it though you will be very happy.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect location!
Great staff and location!

8/10 Good

Family traveler, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent choice in central Beijing
I was sick for a few days while in Beijing and I think I coldn't had been in a better place to rest and recover in spite the hectic atmosphere of the city. Very well located, friendly staff and very cozy chinese atmosphere

10/10 Excellent

Bruce, Yarmouth, ME, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sweet place to stay...
The courtyard of the hotel is perfect for relaxing and interacting with other guests. It was a very quiet place, no street noise. Great location. Staff went out of their way to be most helpful. WiFi worked well. Tea available 24/7 gratis. Would definitely go back. -Bruce

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location and nice central common area. Quiet at night.

8/10 Good

Gary, Los Angeles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great for the true China experience
Wonderful boutique hotel with the ultimate "China" experience -- down a narrow, quiet hutong next to the Forbidden City, you find this exotic Chinese-style courtyard hotel. The decorating is authentic, and the rooms cluster around a comfortable covered courtyard. Our only complaint was the bathroom in our room (828) which was pretty basic-- we noticed other rooms had much nicer bathrooms, so ask for a room with a nicer one. The staff was friendly and helpful, and you will meet other travelers from around the world in the courtyard. It is quick walking distance to the Forbidden City, Tianenman Square, Wangfujing and other tourist sites. I highly recommend this for what it is: a unique, boutique, authentic Chinese hutong experience!

8/10 Good

MP, Dee Why, Sydney, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unique Hotel - Great Location
The Tiananmen Courtyard Hotel provided us a comfortable stay in a unique environment. The managers and staff both welcoming and helpful. The Hutong gave us a taste of traditional city living - not just another serviced hotel room. The location couldn't be better, only 5 minute walk to Tiananmen Square and the subway station, 5 minutes to the Forbidden City, 5 minutes to Wanfujing shopping mall. We'll now stay here every time we are in Beijing.

8/10 Good

Kieren, Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Value for Money. Friendly Staff.
We stayed a total of 4 nights (we left for XiAn then returned for one more night prior to our leaving China) at Tiananmen Best Year Hotel. Overall we really had a great time. The staff at the reception were ever so helpful and obliging. The rooms were spacious and clean. The location is great too - within comfortable walking distance from Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Wang Fu Jing Shopping District and very importantly, the underground station. We took the Airport Express from Beijing International to the city followed by the underground to Tiananmen East Station. Thereafter it was only a short walk away to the hotel. Because the hotel is off the main road, it is really quiet at night. If you do not (unreasonably) expect the standard of a 4-5 star hotel yet do not wish to pay for it, this hotel represents a great value for money.

10/10 Excellent

Becki

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Catriona, Manchester, UK

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Ideally situated near the Forbidden City
This hotel is difficult to find - it's even in the wrong place on the google map of Beijing! Our room was the "honeymoon" room upstairs, which I'd chosen as my husband is tall and a number of the other rooms had beds that looked more enclosed. It was a fair size, but the light had broken above the stairs (which were of varable sizes) so a torch was a necessity at night. It was very dusty, tho' the bedding was fine. We were there when it was cold, so it was good to have the electric radiators which warmed the room quickly.No safe in the room. It was nice to have good loose tea from a communal caddy which you took to fill your teapot. We also benefited from the book swop. The staff were all very obliging and willing with fair English. We felt welcomed each time we came in and their advice about a local restaurant was very good. We asked them to advise us on tripos tho the Great Wall and we were pleased with what they organised and felt it was good value.

8/10 Good

Eugenio, San Diego, CA, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Cute, but tricky location
Very difficult to find. It needs a good sign in the main street that leads to the small one wher it's located. We arrived early in the morning to leave our baggage and wanted to go to the bathroom. There is none available except in the rooms that were still taken. The manager was kind enough to let me use one off them.

6/10 Okay

gudogn, England, UK

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great location for a short stay
We booked this hotel because we liked to have a 'taste' of the chinese decor with the chinese lantern and chairs etc, the hotel is located in the old town and certainly decorated in very chinese style, however, the hotel is a lot run down than we have expected. The hotel itself is hard to find , the taxi driver couldnt find it even we stopped to ask the pass-bys and he finally decided just left us in the middle of the main road but we were fortunate to ask for a man who was kind enough to call the hotel for the direction for us. When we got to the hotel, nobody answered the door but there was a tel number stick on the door asking guestees to call check in , however, our phone didnt have the connecton so it caused a little worries,at the end, we manged to ask the neighbour who were also nice enough to show us the back entrance of the hotel. The hotel beds and sheets were quite old even they did look clean, the staff was quite all right, even they didnt manage to answer what were we asking for,mostly the directions to the tourist attractions, they tried to help. Location is fantastic, the nearest underground station is only few mins away and forbidden city is only 15 mins away. I would recommend to stay in this hotel no longer than 3 days, we only stayed there for two days so it was ok but dont think we could stay longer than that. After this 'taste' of the chinese decor, my husband and I decided to go back to our western style hotel, but...it was nice to have a go!!!!

8/10 Good

B

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very good place to stay
Very good place, incredibly welcoming decoration. The staff was extremely helpful and tried to make our stay a good one. We were just 10 minutes away from Tienanmen Square by foot. Bad points: the heaters weren't working very well, the water was sometimes cold and the breakfasts were quite small. Anyway, I would definitely come back for the very nice and patient staff

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

Sally and Peter, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A fantastic place to stay!
My husband and I stayed for 7 nights and loved the experience. The location is brilliant, being very close to Forbidden City and Tian'anmen East subway station. The Best Year Hotel gives you a local experience and was a sanctuary set in the centre of Beijing. The staff were wonderfully accommodating and helpful. There are great dining options nearby and Wangfujing St is about 10 mins walk with the famous snack street on the way. We stayed in the Honeymoon suite which was comfortable and spacious...great bed! The courtyard area is a lovely place for relaxation, with tea, coffee and drinks, including beer all very appreciated after a big day out seeing all the amazing sites around Beijing. We would definitely stay here again.

8/10 Good

Walter, Perth, WA, Australia

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Happy Stay
Our pick up at the airport, organized by the hotel, was waiting for us on arrival and drove to the hotel in record time. A great start. The appearance of the hotel was just as we expected from our research on Tripadvisor. We enjoyed our stay of 8 nights here very much. The location is excellent. Easy walking distance to Tiananmin Square, Forbidden City, Jinshan Park and Wangfujing Street. There is also easy acces to the subway which is very easy to use and only costs 2 yuan per trip. The pleasant atmosphere in the courtyard where guests seem to collect and swap stories of their days was delightful. It was very easy to meet people from different parts of the world as well as chinese tourists. The young folk managing the hotel were inexperienced but wanted to learn and improve the the quality of there guests stay. Breakfast was boring as it was the same every day. Although the hotel is advertised as having coffee/tea making facilities in the rooms there was only a kettle. No cups, coffee or tea. The rooms had a small fridge but they were all useless. I know I have put a few negative comments here but I would have no hesitation in recommending a stay at this hotel, it was a wonderful experience with very friendly staff.
Courtyard
Front door
Alley leading to front door

10/10 Excellent

Liberty

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
excellent location and very helpful staff
We chose Tiananmen Best Year Courtyard Hotel because we wanted to experience "hutong"/ courtyard living of traditional Beijingers, yet still be able to enjoy modern amenities and comfort. It didn't disappoint... My husband (who's Swedish) adored the courtyard decor and atmosphere and my 67-year old mom just enjoyed how homey it felt to stay in the common area with the quaint coffee tables, comfy rocking chairs and very reliable tea/coffee service. I absolutely loved the location -- it's in between Tiananmen and Wangfujing so it's 10-15 mins of easy walking to the Tiananmnen Square / Forbidden City and Wangfujing Night Market. Special mention should be given to the very helpful and genial hotel staff - Joey and Zhia who were very attentive to the guests' needs and eager to help to make our stay much better. All in all, we had a wonderful stay at this hotel and my mom intends to come back to Beijing and stay in this courtyard hotel again soon. Our only regret was that we pre-booked the Great Wall and Summer Palace tour on the internet before coming over, too late to realize that the hotel offers the same tours in much lower prices.

8/10 Good

Björn

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Very Chinese
Good if you want to live close to tiananmen square and the forbidden city and at the same time have a more chinese experience than the western style hotels.

10/10 Excellent

dgjohansson

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A great location and a great experience
This would not get 5 stars if it were a hotel – but it’s not – its more of an Inn or B&B. That considered – this is a 5 star place to stay in when in Beijing. Highly recommended! Rooms are simple, clean and cozy – most of them with doors and windows directly out to the inner courtyard where the common room is situated. In the common room you’ll find books to borrow, internet PC (free wifi also available). The staff is wonderful and there is people around 24/7 if you need anything. The staff speaks English at different levels, but it was easy to communicate with them. They serve breakfast up on order (30 RMB) and have 3 different menus to choose from. Since the cook up on order, it may take some time (10-30 min) between ordering and food on the table. Lots of small restaurants just outside on the main street otherwise where you can find a good breakfast for less than half the price of the hotel. The hotel also can arrange trips to the main sights if you ask. They also arrange pre-reserved taxi to the airport if you want (against a fee) The main thing with this hotel is to find it, Hotels.com doesn’t show the correct position on the map. It's about 200 to the east of given position. Don't trust the pics on the site either. Only 5 of 20 pics are from this hotel. Look for the red rooms with no windows. Print a pic of the street sign and write down the phone number and have the cab driver to call to get directions.

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Very well located near Forbidden city
Good budget hotel and very well located with very helpful staff. We would stay here again if in Beijing

6/10 Okay

Terry, Australia

Disliked: Cleanliness
Great location but no hot water
This hotel was very inexpensive so we did not expect luxury accommodation. The location is great with easy access to major sights, old city and subway. Staff are very helpful and speak English. The major disappointment was the fact that there was no hot water and having a cold shower in -6 C weather was a challenge that most people could not manage. Each time it was brought up staff acted surprised, but I do not believe hot water was even connected. I have generally found that you get what you pay for so we are not complaining. Unfortunately a local eating house at 31 Nanchixi ripped us off, charging eight times the menu price, and it was filthy. Beijing is a great city to visit.

8/10 Good

Silvana, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close to Forbiden City and Tian An Men
Excellent location, and very helpful staff. Also notable for the courtyard feeling and traditional furnishings. Free Wifi (though slow and flakey), also a computer available for communal use. When raining hard, courtyard (and our room) had some leaky spots, but ok when not raining. Recommended for those who 1) want convenient access to Forbidden City, Tian An Men, subway, Wangfujing, night market and 2) seek a traditional flavor to their stay in Beijing. Not recommended for those who want a western-style hotel.