Absolutely wonderful hotel in a prime location. Room was beautifully decorated, facilities (including free evening cocktails) were excellent and the breakfast buffet was possibly the best in China. Had a room overlooking the main street, and didn't hear a peep of noise.
Staff very helpful and friendly. Great value for money, would go back in a second.

I have nothing but positive feedback for this gem of a hotel. The room was palatial (almost like a smallish apartment!), with a separate tub & shower and a very nice sized sitting room separated from the bedroom with sliding wooden doors. I had an executive room which included daily breakfast and afternoon cocktails in the lounge. The service was gracious and polished and and I felt very taken care of. And the location can't be beat - it's only a 10 minute walk to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The value for money was outstanding. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

I visited the Beijing Raffles in 2006, but just recently joined TripAdvisor and thought it would still be relevant for everyone to hear what a great hotel this was. I went with a group of business colleagues and spent a total of 5 days at the hotel. We had a few days available for pleasure and then had 2 days of meetings planned at the hotel.

The rooms, service and food were all absolutely phenomenal. The hotel took care of every thing that we needed, including finding us a tour guide to take us around the city for 2 days (for only $200). This included trips to the market, the Great Wall and a few stops in between. The hotel is located a short walk (2 or 3 city blocks) to the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square. We were provided fresh fruit in the rooms on a daily basis. The beds were extremely comfortable and the bathroom was expansive.

The meeting facilities were also top notch and the hotel went above and beyond to make sure that we had every accommodation that we requested (even those made the day of the meeting). I would recommend staying here for business or pleasure as both were excellent experiences.

I managed to get a good rate through my work, so my husband and I splurged a little for this hotel.

The rooms here are first class. Fresh flowers and fruit were waiting for us when we arrived. The room itself was immaculate and beautifully appointed, despite the fact that it was an older building - They kind of made me feel like I was staying in a 19th century British Colonial hotel in China - Lots of thick, rich fabrics, and furniture that looked like it ought to be at least 100 years older than me. The only thing I didn't like was that the air conditioning never kicked in (Mid October was probably too late in the season to leave it on), so it got a bit stuffy, especially whenever we were there in the late afternoon getting ready for dinner.

We spent a few extra dollars for an Executive room, which includes (free) continental breakfast in their Executive lounge. It was mostly cereals, breakfast breads & pastry, fruit, and fresh juice - I don't remember any hot options. It was all excellent quality, though, and a nice, relaxing way to start the morning.

For tourists, the best thing about this hotel is the location. It is an EASY walk to Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden city. Also close walking distance to Wangfujing snack street, and a big mall, so both Eastern & Western food options were readily available. We didn't use it on this trip, but there was also a subway stop a short walk a way - We passed it whenever we walked towards the Forbidden City.

We arrived during the Communist Party convention, so there were a lot of military & police personnel wandering around the hotel. It was also much more difficult to hail a cab. When we needed one, a staff member ran down the street a couple of blocks to hail one, and gave the cabbie directions for us - I thought that was nice of them, and above & beyond what they needed to do.

If you can afford it, I would highly recommend staying here.