This property is technically my second option. I wanted to stay at the Hilton Suzhou but the rates were way too high for me to get that. Hilton’s footprint isn’t that good over here in Suzhou. I also considered the Pan Pacific but in the end, still fell back on my usual chain. It might be slightly out of the way but I figure the savings will be well worth it. The hotel is located outside the city centre. It is about a 20 mins ride and Didi is very convenient. The Hilton Suzhou Yinshan Lake is pretty new given that it is only open for less than 2 years. There is also a huge mall opposite the hotel with plenty of restaurants and a supermarket. Let’s see what my crib is like in Suzhou.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked directly with Hilton and got the base-level deluxe room. I will be staying here for 2 nights. I did not get any upgrade prior which seems weird given that the availability looks quite good during my time here. I took the high-speed train over from Shanghai which is very easy and fast. I then took a Didi over to the hotel. China hotels usually do not charge for additional pax if you don’t get an extra bed. This is true here too! The Hilton Suzhou Yinshan Lake has 282 guest rooms and suites spread across 8 categories. You can check out the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access | Room Size |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | No | 45 Sqm |
| Lake View | No | 48 Sqm |
| Premium Lake View | No | 54 Sqm |
| Executive | Yes | 46 Sqm |
| Executive Lake View | Yes | 48 Sqm |
| Deluxe Lake View Suite | Yes | 95 Sqm |
| Premium Lake View Suite | Yes | 145 Sqm |
| Presidential Suite | Yes | 305 Sqm |
Checking In
From Suzhou station. I got a didi which took around 30 minutes or so. I even got a Luxury ride in a nice BMW 5 since it is cheaper than a premium six-seater. I got to the hotel at around 1.30pm. Upon arrival, the driver and the bellboy came over to help me with provided me with my bags. I was warmly greeted by a friendly staff who proceeded to check me in. You can find the reception on the left side of the lobby area. I love the look of this place. It looks so new and glam. This is one of the nicest Hilton I have been to.
We took quite some time at check-in since there was an issue with the rates. There are some discrepancies between the rates on my confirmations and their system. Thankfully he managed to sort it out soon. I was also upgraded to the Executive Lake View room. This is the best non-suite room over here. It would have cost around 1200 CNY a night. Lounge access was also extended to 3 pax and I was provided with all the other relevant information for my stay.
Executive Lake View Room
I was assigned a room on the highest floor of the hotel. I got one on the 22nd floor. It is just a short walk away from the elevators. Immediately right upon entering, I was greeted by the sprawling view of the lake. The tons of natural light makes the place so welcoming and warm. To the right is the wardrobe area. It comes with a built-in luggage rack in the middle and a wardrobe on the sides. This could fit a mid-size luggage well.
The wardrobe comes with everything that you might need for the stay with plenty of hangers, bathrobes, bath slippers, an umbrella and an ironing kit. There is also a safe and the mini fridge is found here too which is left empty for your use.
Next to the wardrobe is the minibar area. There are glassware, packaged tea and coffee. Alongside are plenty of bottled drinking water provided. I am glad to see that they are not stingy on this aspect. I would love to see them providing a proper coffee machine.
On the other side of the entrance, is the bathroom. The bathroom is designed to have an entrance near the entranceway and the bed. Sliding doors can be extended for more privacy. This area is one of the nicest parts of the room. I love the finishes and the sink area. The stone circular sink added so much flair to the place. I love the little vanity area which comes with a stool. This is so handy.
The bathroom comes with both a standing shower and a bathtub. There is also a bidet toilet. The standing shower is spacious. It comes with both a hand held shower head and a rainforest shower head. The water pressure and temperature control is excellent. Amenities are from Crabtree and Evelyn in large pump-size bottles as per usual in Hilton properties. The tub is good enough for 2 pax. I appreciate them coming with a bath pillow too! This is not commonly seen at a Hilton.
The openness of the room makes everything feel so spacious and allows for great use of space. There is a coat hanger and the TV is also mounted on the wall. It is a good size for the room. It comes with a number of both local and international cable TV channels. The ledge below the TV allows for some small items.
In the corner, you can find a circular working desk. This will work well for both work and to dine from. The office chair provides decent back support for short periods of working. All sorts of plugs and power outlets are within reach. The Wi-Fi connection also works very well in the room. Do note that the usual restrictions applies.
We got a room with two twin beds. The sheets and bedding were comfortable. The pillows also offer great neck support. They also have a pillow menu that you can use to customize your sleep experience. Flanking both sides of the bed are nightstands with controls for the lighting and the power outlets.
Towards the window, you can also find a cosy sitting area surrounding a coffee table. It is nice to have such a spot in a non-suite accommodation. This is a nice spot. The area could fit 2 to 3 people well.
During the stay, the staff also brought over a full-size cake since we were celebrating my mum’s birthday. This is a classy touch!
Finally, coming back to the view, you have a sprawling view of the surrounding area including the Lake. This is nice. I also like that the blinds and sheers are electronically controlled.
Fitness Centre
The facilities are all located on the third floor with the gym open 24 hours. It is quite a nice place and well-maintained. The facility comes with a good view of the surrounding area and the swimming pool to the side. There are plenty of equipments ranging from exercise balls, bikes and treadmills. They also provide towels and bottles of water. This will come in handy during your stay since it is open round the clock.
Swimming Pool
The pool is similarly located on the 3rd floor. It is open from 6am to 10pm. It comes with an indoor heated pool and a kids pool on the side. There is a jacuzzi too. It seems to be one for exercising and working out rather than a pool for relaxing. Do note that you need to have a swimming cap to use the facility.
Executive Lounge
The executive lounge is located on the 21st floor and is open from 12pm to 10pm daily. It offers two services afternoon tea from 3pm to 5pm and evening cocktails from 6pm to 8pm. Guests will be able to enjoy breakfast in the restaurant. This is one of the nicest areas of the hotel in my opinion. I love the area. It is a nice space to chill or just a change of scenery if you want to work from. The lounge comes with a great view of the lake with plenty of natural light. It is equally nice in the evening too. It is not overly huge. There are seatings for like 50 pax or so.
Throughout the day, they have some soft drinks, coffee, tea and some cookies. These were really good and reminds me of the ones from Hong Kong Jenny Cookies. I didn’t manage to check out afternoon tea since I was out in the city. I did get back once on my last evening for evening cocktails. It was a pretty lovely spread. As usual in China, the service focuses more on the food rather than the drinks. The mini buffet can be a dinner replacement with plenty of hot dishes, soup, salads, fruits and cakes.
Drinks-wise, it is slightly more underwhelming. You can find some Tsingtao beer, red wine, white wine and spirits. This can be further improved.
Breakfast at All Day Dining
Breakfast is served at the All Day Dining, the hotel’s signature restaurant located on the ground floor. Breakfast is served from 6.30am to 10 am on weekdays and till 10.30am on weekends. I went down for breakfast at around 9am. It was rather crowded. Everything was served buffet style and you can find an assortments of items.
I will let the pictures do the rest of the speaking.
Most of the staff here are great with warm service. This is with the exception of the lady working the noodle station. She was plain rude. For context, they had both wantons and noodle soup. I got one each with the intention to try and also to share among my group. Her reply was, you can only take one, can you even finish that much? This got to be a first for me at a buffet.
Conclusion
At the very start, I was kind of regretting booking this property because I realised that it is out of the way from the city centre. This will not be ideal for most travellers. You do save a lot and it might be worth the effort since the transport isn’t expensive over here. Suzhou is not very good for Hilton. Most of them are slightly out of the way too. I love the spacious room which feels more like a junior suite instead. It is huge and suitable for small families. The hardware is excellent. The view is also excellent. To nitpick, the air conditioning can be better. I also appreciate the generous birthday amenity. Consider this if you are very in Suzhou!
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