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About The St. Regis Beijing
Known as an “ultra five-star boutique hotel,” The St. Regis Beijing is located in the heart of Beijing’s business, shopping, and embassy districts. It is adjacent to various embassies and major commercial offices, and only about a 10-minute drive from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The surrounding commercial facilities are comprehensive, and the location is extremely convenient. That said, compared with some of the newly built St. Regis properties, the exterior does look fairly dated—especially the sign, which feels very much like a style from 10 or 20 years ago.
The area around the hotel is very quiet since it is surrounded by embassies, and there are often armed police patrols, which makes it feel very safe. You can also walk to nearby Ritan Park, which is a nice place to stroll around if you have some free time.
FHR Booking and Benefits
This time we happened to stay for just one night, and using FHR for a one-night stay is a great deal. Since FHR gives the $100 Credit only once per booking no matter how many nights you stay, it’s best to stay just one night if you are not splitting the stay. FHR hotels in Beijing are generally pretty expensive, and The St. Regis Beijing at around $200 was one of the most suitable options. After taxes and fees, it came to about $230, which was almost fully offset by the FHR credit.
The FHR booking benefits are shown below. The most important ones are probably the room upgrade, breakfast, and the $100 Credit. I checked and found that the $100 can be used for the spa or dining; in practice, it just needs to be charged to the room.
Check-in
We arrived a little after 10 a.m., so the room was not ready yet. Thanks to both FHR and Marriott Platinum status, the front desk said we had been upgraded to a Diplomatic Suite, which seemed to be the entry-level suite category. We left our luggage at the front desk and went out for a walk. Around noon, the front desk called to let us know the room was ready.
For parking, you can drive directly into the hotel’s outdoor parking lot. The rate is 12 yuan per hour, and hotel guests get 50% off, bringing it down to 6 yuan per hour. Parking for a full day is still pretty expensive... but considering the location near Beijing’s 2nd Ring Road, it seemed acceptable.
One reminder: if your room is not ready when you arrive, the deposit may not automatically be attached to the room when you pay it. At checkout, the deposit also may not be refunded automatically, and you may need to ask the front desk to process the refund manually. I ran into this awkwardly myself: after the front desk processed it, they told me the refund would take 48 hours. After I got home and waited 48 hours, there was still no update. I had to call again before the refund finally went through, so it’s something to watch out for.
Suite
Although it is called a suite, it really is not very large overall. The decor also feels rather old-school and formal.
Entryway
This large cabinet has a nice antique look and works well for storing larger luggage.
Work Area
The work area has a standard setup with a sofa and coffee table plus a desk.
The welcome amenity was fruit and snacks, which felt a bit perfunctory.
Bedroom
Compared with suites elsewhere, the bedroom was much smaller. Once you put in one bed and two tiny nightstands, the room was basically full. Still, that is understandable given the location inside Beijing’s 2nd/3rd Ring area.
Bathroom
The bathroom was fairly standard and felt somewhat small.
They also specially prepared toiletries for the child.
Business Lounge
This St. Regis does not have a separate executive lounge, but it does have a business lounge. As long as you have Marriott Platinum status or higher, you can enter. FHR does not include this benefit, and it seems that even being upgraded to a suite does not get you access to the business lounge.
This business lounge is basically a place where guests can sit and chat, with supporting facilities such as computers and printers. There is one Happy Hour every evening with a few hot dishes, while at other times they probably just offer drinks and pastries.
- Overview of the business lounge
- The little cakes were quite delicately made
- Typical fruit...
- Happy Hour offered lotus leaf chicken and fried spring rolls, both served hot and quite tasty. Especially good for grabbing a bite after swimming.
- Small sandwiches and sliced sausage
- Drink fridge—you can also grab a few to take back for a late-night snack
Breakfast
Both FHR and Platinum status include breakfast, so of course we had to try it. What surprised us was that on Sunday morning we actually had to wait in line to get in. I had only encountered that before in Sanya... Later we learned that the hotel shares the breakfast venue with the residences/apartments, so it gets especially crowded.
- The Western section was all pretty standard fare
- The smoked salmon was pretty good, though it got taken almost as soon as it was brought out
Lunch (Celestial Court)
Since FHR came with a $100 credit that could be used for dining or the spa, we “reluctantly” went to Tian Bao Ge, the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, for a meal. Reviews on FlyerTea looked pretty decent beforehand. Also, it seemed like a lot of guests at this hotel were using FHR—when I asked the server to help estimate the total, she immediately understood that there was a $100 dining credit on the room folio. We ordered a few dishes and tried to stay right around the $100 mark. Supposedly, if the server doesn’t ask, they’ll first apply the Platinum member discount and then apply the $100, which works out very well. But if she asks and knows you have the credit, they’ll deduct the $100 first and then apply the member discount only to the remaining balance.
- Main dining area. There actually weren’t many tables, and the space was quite small.
- Beef tenderloin stir-fried with Hangzhou peppers. Very good. I originally thought these peppers wouldn’t be spicy, but biting right into them was definitely hot—in a good way. The beef was quite tender and didn’t taste overly processed or tenderized.
- Crispy skin chicken, which everyone online seems to recommend. The skin really was very crisp, and the meat was tender.
- Tofu braised with morels. Pretty average.
- Barbecue platter. Also fairly average.
- You can use the menu prices here as a reference. We definitely weren’t about to order any of the really expensive dishes—we were mainly trying to fill up first.
Pool and SPA
The pool was quite comfortable. It’s on the first floor of the hotel, but over on the apartment side, so it takes about three to four minutes to walk there from the hotel lobby.
Another special feature here is the natural hot spring, which is free if you’re staying at the hotel. I looked it up online and heard it’s clothing-optional, so I didn’t dare go in. There are separate hot spring areas for men and women, and you can see them on the way from the locker rooms to the pool.
Food, Drinks, and Things To Do
We walked around the area near the hotel a bit.
We also went to a trendy Yunnan restaurant nearby and had to wait four hours before finally getting in.
Even at 10 p.m., it was still completely full.
Honestly, this chicken cooked in a copper pot was pretty average, though it definitely was spicy.
If you’re visiting Beijing and care about value, you can also try some of the provincial government office restaurants in Beijing—but be prepared to wait in line.
Major attractions generally require reservations through official WeChat accounts. Supposedly the Forbidden City needs to be booked 7 days in advance, while the Temple of Heaven can be booked the same day.
Summary
This time we used FHR to stay at The St. Regis Beijing. We got to experience the hotel’s suite, breakfast, Chinese restaurant, and business lounge, and overall it was quite good—I’d definitely recommend it. The hotel’s location is fairly convenient for getting around by taxi, but if you have a Hilton free night certificate, you could also consider trying the Waldorf Astoria in the Wangfujing area, which may be better if shopping is a priority.
One thing to keep in mind: out-of-town cars are not allowed to drive inside Beijing’s 2nd Ring Road. If you’re applying for a Beijing entry permit, it’s better to apply for one valid within the 6th Ring Road; you can do this at most 12 times per year. So if you’re planning to drive to Beijing, pay attention to your hotel’s location when booking.