MMadailuluLet's start with the hotel.
**What We Loved:**
1. The hotel offers an unlimited complimentary shuttle service to Xizha Scenic Area. We only realized upon returning that this is a perk for hotel guests; regular visitors who buy a ticket (150 RMB/person) would have to pay 10 RMB for the shuttle and cannot re-enter once they leave the scenic area. We went in to dine/drink three times, so we felt we got excellent value from this.
2. Upon entering the lobby, we were greeted with homemade welcome fruit tea that was perfectly chilled and incredibly refreshing!
3. The coffee lounge on the first floor put significant effort into its coffee cup selection, perhaps to encourage eco-friendly practices. Coffee lovers can find their favorite cup from a vast array of styles displayed on walls and tables.
4. If you're visiting with children, there are plenty of activities just at the hotel, such as lacquer fan painting, among others. Some activities require checking opening times and making reservations. Moms with young kids could easily spend their entire stay enjoying the hotel's amenities.
5. While the breakfast selection wasn't overwhelming, the quality was very high. On the first day, they even offered hot lattes with beautiful latte art ready for self-service – absolutely fantastic! (However, this positive experience significantly declined on Sunday after the peak arrival of Saturday's group guests).
6. The hotel management is quite generous; unlike many other hotels, they allow breakfast takeaway. If a family member couldn't make it down for breakfast, they readily provided takeaway containers. (I absolutely loved the lamb noodles at breakfast! While not quite matching the famous one in the scenic area, it was still of very high quality! See photo.)
7. The hotel's 7:30 PM pool party is geared towards children. Lots of kids had a blast, and the staff were very dedicated and attentive in entertaining them.
**Now, for the areas that disappointed us:**
1. On our first night, we returned late. The only dining options available were Zhiqing (offering simple main dishes) and Drama Commune (serving BBQ and lobster). We opted for Drama Commune, and even though there weren't many guests that night, the service staff seemed inflexible, slow to respond, and generally inefficient. We waited for an incredibly long time. I dread to think how they would handle the influx of group guests on the second night.
2. When it comes to the hotel hosting summer camps and group events, if they have the capacity to accept such large numbers, they should also have the corresponding service capacity. It was evident the hotel lacked the ability to cope, and the breakfast queue on the second day was incredibly long!
3. I won't nitpick about room cleanliness or actively look for issues that would make me uncomfortable, but the duvet – whether it was due to the humid climate or insufficient hygiene – felt damp to the touch, and if you pressed down, you could even detect a slight stickiness. This was a significant drawback.
In conclusion, it seems that staff training in some areas is insufficient, or perhaps the salaries are too low, leading to a team with lower adaptability. This is tolerable when there aren't many guests, but as I mentioned, service breakdowns occur when guest traffic surges. We extended our stay because our first night's experience was quite good, but I truly didn't expect the experience to deteriorate so much with a large influx of guests. Therefore, I recommend visiting during off-peak periods.
Finally, a word about the hotel's thoughtful parting gift – it was very impressive. This season, they gave out freshly harvested rapeseed oil. From the hotel balcony, we could even see people farming, and I wondered if they were growing produce for the hotel kitchen. It was only at check-out that I discovered these were seasonal farewell gifts!
I suggest that this kind of thoughtfulness should also be extended more to the hardworking hotel staff, enabling them to better cope with large guest numbers.
Whether the bed sheets were changed, the damp duvet, and whether the duvet covers were always fresh... this aspect was truly a bit unsettling. Otherwise, everything else felt quite good!
Also, a big thank you to my butler, No. 05, who replied promptly to messages and was incredibly accommodating to all requests. Truly grateful!
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