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About the Conrad Tianjin

The Conrad Tianjin is located at No. 46 Tianta Road in Nankai District, right next to the Luneng City commercial area, and there’s also a subway nearby. Across the street is the famous Water Park, which is a huge park in the city and very worth a visit. On the other side is Tianjin’s landmark building, the Tianta, which looks especially nice when lit up at night. So I decided to use the two Hilton free night certificates that were about to expire here.

Booking with the Certificate

This booking used a Hilton two-night free night certificate, which expired on July 1, so the stay had to be completed before it expired. I therefore used the last weekend before expiration to stay there, eat breakfast, and walk around the area. Hilton’s app and website can now show certificate information and usage details, but unfortunately the booking still has to be made by phone. I recommend referring to the usage guide written by 101 to avoid a lot of pitfalls.

If possible, I recommend calling the China customer service line while in China, because it’s much faster.

  • US: +1-800-446-6677
  • China: +86-400-820-0500 (mobile), +86-800-820-0600 (landline)

Out of youthful ignorance, I first called the US number using Google Voice. A very cold-sounding older woman answered the phone. After verifying the phone number and email on the account, she calmly said it was fine when she heard I wanted to make a reservation with a certificate. I was actually pretty happy, thinking the booking was going smoothly. She asked which hotel I wanted, and when I said Conrad Tianjin, China, she said she didn’t know it and asked me to give her the address. I was speechless... Did I really have to spell out Tianta Road in Nankai District? Fortunately, I tried spelling out Tianjin again, and she said she found it. After asking for the stay dates, she started the booking.

What was very strange was that for five straight minutes, the woman seemed to be disconnected and didn’t say a word. I even thought my call had dropped, so I cautiously said “Hello” a few times. Very calmly, she said she was processing my reservation. I was thinking, booking a hotel shouldn’t take that long, right? With Marriott’s system, you just finish the booking and select the certificate at checkout... So I waited another five minutes in complete silence. Finally, she said it was booked. I even asked to confirm that the certificate being used was the one about to expire. I figured everything was fine, so I didn’t log in to check and just hung up...

I didn’t expect to log into my account and be completely devastated. What I had wanted was two consecutive nights at the Conrad Tianjin, but the woman had booked me: one night at Conrad Tianjin paid with points; and two nights at Conrad Tianjin, one night paid with points and one night paid with my certificate! She somehow turned it into a three-night hotel stay... She was also weirdly confident and absurdly calm... I strongly suspect the reason she was so slow was that she was learning how to deal with Hilton’s booking system...

So I went online to search for Hilton certificate booking and Chinese phone numbers... and I actually found them...

  • China: +86-400-820-0500 (mobile), +86-800-820-0600 (landline)

Communicating with the Chinese customer service rep was extremely smooth. First, we canceled everything the US representative had booked, then I gave her the dates and hotel again. In just two or three minutes, she had everything sorted out. At the end, she also reconfirmed the room and dates, and confirmed that the certificate used was indeed the one I wanted to expire. So everyone should call the Chinese line if possible and use Chinese. That said, after talking with a friend later, I learned that the US customer service rep she reached was very professional and completed the booking quickly. Maybe the quality of US reps varies a lot, so I’d recommend calling during US business hours, when you’re more likely to get someone experienced.

Pre-Check-In Talk

I have Diamond status from the AMEX Aspire card. After checking FlyerTalk, people said this Conrad Tianjin is pretty stingy and only upgrades according to the standard benefits. Diamond members can only be upgraded one level at most, from the base room to a deluxe room, with no real room for discussion. I checked the reservation and, sure enough, it had been automatically upgraded to the executive floor.

I was surprised to find that you could actually select a room directly in the app, but since I needed to arrive early the next day, if the room I chose hadn’t been cleaned yet, it would be a hassle and I might not be able to check in. In the end, I didn’t choose a room and just waited for the front desk to assign one.

During that time, I also called the front desk and said I might arrive at the hotel around 11 a.m. and asked whether early check-in would be possible. The front desk staff was very cold and gave the standard scripted reply that it depended on occupancy, then transferred me to the room reservations department without even asking for my information or which day I was checking in. The reservations agent did look up my stay information and just said it would depend on the situation on the day of arrival, and that she could make a note if needed. I asked whether there was any chance of a room upgrade, and the reply was that Diamond members could only be upgraded up to a deluxe room, with no exceptions. Overall, the entire interaction was very cold. I figured that, at the very least, I was Hilton’s top-tier Diamond member, even if it was a credit-card-issued “water Diamond,” and they didn’t need to be this indifferent. Since it was like this, I decided to let it go and deal with it at the hotel.

Check-In

On the day of arrival, we drove to the hotel and parked in the underground garage, which was actually quite spacious with plenty of empty spaces. Before going up to the hotel elevator, a staff member asked to check our health codes and travel codes. Because our records showed we had been outside the area, even though we were coming from a low-risk region with no outbreak, they still required a photo of the travel code, and everyone in our group had to show it.

After getting on the elevator, we were greeted by a children’s play area, which worked out nicely since we could leave the kid there to play while I went to check in.

What was very strange, though, was that the hotel lobby was huge and the overall style was grand, but it somehow lacked a lived-in feel. I looked around and couldn’t even find a single staff member. The front desk for check-in was also very inconspicuous; it was just that tiny room in the middle of the two photos below, which felt way too small compared with the lobby. Most importantly, there wasn’t even anyone there to guide guests, and I couldn’t see any signs on the walls. I searched around for a long time before finally finding the front desk... It was really speechless.

The check-in process was also very cumbersome. After confirming the room, they said it still hadn’t been cleaned and that check-in might only be possible two hours later. During check-in, I also had to show my health code and travel code. Because my travel code showed that I had been out of town, I was also required to provide a nucleic acid test certificate. I thought to myself, the places I had gone to didn’t even have any local outbreaks, so what was the point of asking for this? Later, they even asked me to show the plane ticket I had arrived on (which I happened to have with me), and they copied it for their records. I was honestly speechless.

After all that, I finally got the check-in done. Then they brought up my LD’s room booked with a certificate. Since he hadn’t arrived yet and would be coming later that night, they said the room could be opened, but I had to sign for it, and if he ultimately didn’t show up, it would have to be paid in cash. It seems China is still very strict about monitoring certificate sales. What was a bit funny was that after finishing the paperwork, the front desk staff made a call and then told me that both rooms could now be checked in... I thought just now you said it would take two hours—how did it suddenly become available? Also, from start to finish, the front desk never mentioned anything like “you are a Diamond member,” so maybe that status doesn’t really mean much?

What was also funny was that the lobby didn’t have any clear signs showing where the elevators were, and there were no staff members around, so we wandered around for a while before finally finding the elevator...

Stay Experience

Hilton seems to have rolled out a new “Clean Stay” program. In rooms that have been cleaned and are ready for check-in, this sign is posted at the door, and related information is also playing on the TV. Seeing the seal does feel pretty reassuring... but at least it could be removed after check-in, right? For the two days we stayed, this ugly sign just stayed there...

Overall, the room looked pretty good once you walked in. The bedroom and bathroom areas are connected, and can also be separated by a door.

This bed looks quite comfortable.

From the other angle, you can see the bathroom, but having the bathtub right in the middle feels a bit out of place...

This lounge area is pretty nice, a bit more user-friendly than just having a desk.

There was a welcome amenity on the coffee table, probably a perk for Diamond members or guests on the executive floor.

Two bottles of sparkling water, some fruit, one macaron (super, super sweet), one piece of chocolate, and one qingtuan.

Bathroom area: the double sinks are a plus. The rest is pretty standard. The bathtub doesn’t even make me want to take a bath.

This very prominent large cabinet is actually the mini bar.

Across the way are the Luneng Residence apartments, and below seems to be a small park in their residential compound.

The evening view was still pretty nice.

Also, it seems you can generate a digital key in the Hilton app. I tapped it and it went to pending, probably because front desk confirmation is required before it can be used. After that, I tried opening the door and it was quite convenient...

One small incident was that after check-in we found the air conditioning was not very effective, basically only able to bring the temperature down to around 27 degrees. We called the front desk, and they immediately sent two engineers to take a look. The two of them carried a ladder in and looked around, saying it was blowing cold air and there was no problem. We repeatedly pointed out that this room was much hotter than the other room, and even when the AC was set to 18 degrees the temperature still wouldn’t go down. The engineering duo said that if it really didn’t work, we should switch rooms, and then they left... The front desk didn’t even call to ask about the repair result. Since we had already unpacked a bunch of things, we couldn’t be bothered to move. This experience really didn’t feel like what you’d expect from a five-star hotel.

Night View

The night view outside the hotel was pretty nice, and Tian Tower lit up looked great.

The water-themed sculpture at the entrance was also nice.

Lounge

The lounge was on the same floor as our room, which was pretty convenient, and Diamond members could access it. The front desk said that due to the pandemic, the opening hours were 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm, but when we eventually went, the lounge told us it was 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. That meant just one afternoon tea and one dinner service, which felt like a big reduction. The overall environment was still very comfortable.

Afternoon tea mainly consisted of pastries, cookies, small sandwiches, and fruit, with some sparkling water and drinks in the fridge for self-service. The freshly squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice were very good.

Afternoon tea lasted until around 5:00 pm, and then the staff started preparing dinner. What was interesting was that any pastries that hadn’t been taken would be brought back to refill the trays or replaced with a fresh tray, then covered with plastic wrap and uncovered when dinner started at 5:30 pm. How should I put it... covering things with plastic wrap made it feel a bit low-end.

Dinner was more substantial. In addition to the earlier desserts, there were three hot dishes, one fried rice, three cold dishes, one soup, and assorted fruit, plus beer and some liquor available for self-service.

Dinner also had pizza, chicken wings, and curry buns, so I guess that counts as Western food.

By dinner time, the place started to get busy, and there were quite a few families with children and people coming in for a meal after work. I even overheard two people discussing membership benefits, probably business travelers from within China.

Overall, the lounge service was fairly on point: someone would escort you to a seat, ask whether they should pour juice for you, and clear plates promptly. They also smiled and said goodbye when you left. But the opening hours were really short—only six hours in total, and about an hour of that was spent preparing dinner...

Breakfast

Diamond membership includes breakfast for two, so we went to try it out. Breakfast is served in the hotel’s first-floor Western restaurant, and not far from the entrance is the children’s play area mentioned above, which is nice—kids can play outside after eating.

The overall environment was quite comfortable, but on both days the staff guided us to our seats and then immediately left, without even asking about tea or coffee... probably because they were just too busy. That said, they were still very proactive about clearing plates.

Breakfast in China is still pretty extensive, with Chinese items like buns, congee, noodles, and fried rice, as well as Western items like fried eggs, bread, sausages, bacon, cereal, yogurt, and waffles.

When in Tianjin, of course you can’t miss jianbing guozi and laodoufu, and both tasted pretty good.

Pool and Gym

The most worthy complaint here: the pool at this Conrad hotel is located on B1 and is actually open to the public... You can even buy tickets on Meituan. There were also personal trainers teaching kids how to swim in the pool. At most, there were a dozen or so kids in there splashing around and learning to swim. Adults were swimming back and forth too, and people kept bumping into each other. Then the lifeguard station was empty, and there was never anyone there. The locker room was also pretty ridiculous: it was basically taken over by people who weren't staying at the hotel, and there wasn't even a place to shower. We had no choice but to go upstairs in our wet swimsuits to change and clean up.

This was taken when there were still relatively few people. At the busiest time, there were probably 30 to 40 people there, packed in, chaotic and noisy, with not a single hotel staff member in sight.

Right next to the pool is the gym, and it's extremely hot there—walk a few steps and you're already sweating.

Summary

Maybe because I had just experienced the service and hardware at the sky-high level of the St. Regis Changsha, coming to the Conrad Tianjin this time felt like dropping several tiers. On the hardware side, the lobby signage was unclear, the air conditioning had issues (in fact, it wasn't just our room—the hallways and elevators were also very hot), and the pool was hard to put into words. On the software side, the lounge was still passable, but at other times staff were nowhere to be seen, and of course there wasn't much service to speak of. Calling the front desk also got us a rather indifferent response, giving the feeling of going to a government service hall to handle paperwork rather than staying at a hotel and being served. As for the pool, it goes without saying—it felt even worse than the pool at an ordinary public swimming facility.

So if you need to stay in Tianjin, I recommend skipping this one and choosing the Ritz-Carlton Tianjin or the Four Seasons Tianjin, both of which are fairly solid in terms of service and hardware.