During a recent trip to Nanjing, I spent 5 nights at the Hilton. I continue to be impressed by the level of luxury you get in China and the rest of Asia for the price you pay, and the Hilton is no exception.
Location
The Hilton Nanjing is located in the western part of the city, about a 15 minute drive or metro ride from Xin Jie Kou, Nanjing’s main city center. Jiqingmen Street metro station is located just outside the hotel giving guests easy connections to the city’s efficient metro system.
Just next to the hotel is a large Wanda shopping center that has all the shopping you could want as well as many recreational activities available inside.
Check In
Hotel Exterior
Hotel Exterior
Hotel Exterior
I arrived at the Hilton Nanjing in the late evening and was seen immediately by one of the front desk staff to check me in. We managed by speaking partially in both English and Chinese (as her English was not very good) and I was offered an upgrade to a junior suite for the first half of my stay and a one bedroom suite for the second half. In no time, I was on my way up to my room to get some much needed rest.
The hotel lobby is a grand space, showing off a massive chandelier and Chinese artwork throughout. Some may be put off by the design, but I was impressed.
The Room(s)
Junior Suite
The front door opened to a beautiful entranceway leading to the bedroom straight ahead. On the right was a large buffet with some cabinets as well as a chair.
To the left was a small powder room with a desk and chair as well as a large closet with space to put a suitcase as well.
Continuing left was the bathroom with a separate bath and shower and a toilet behind a tinted glass door. The bathroom felt very elegant, and I loved the design overall.
The bedroom had an additional desk and chair, large double bed, TV, and a large and comfortable white couch.
The windows provided a nice view of the city, though the real highlight for me was the elegant room design. The design caters more towards Chinese taste, though I actually liked it a lot.
One Bedroom Suite
The front door leads directly into the spacious living room with a massive desk at the close end, and a sitting area with a TV, storage and a refrigerator at the far end. The desk was well equipped with some office supplies which I had never seen before in a hotel room.
The sitting area at the far end of the room was elegantly designed as well with a large couch, two chairs, coffee table, as well as several lamps and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
There was also an espresso maker as well as an electric kettle with instant coffee and tea bags.
Although high up, the view from the window wasn’t anything to be excited about.
Through a sliding door on the right was the bedroom.
There was a small area just outside the bathroom with a closet and space to put a suitcase.
The bathroom was similarly designed to the one in the junior suite with the one difference being a glass wall that looks into the bedroom.
The bedroom had a large and comfortable bed with nightstands on either side, lounge chair, TV, and a small desk and chair in the corner.
The floor to ceiling windows offer a decent city view, though not spectacular.
Breakfast
The Hilton serves a huge breakfast buffet at the main restaurant on the ground floor consisting of mainly Chinese dishes with some Western options as well. Despite the wide selection, I didn’t love the Western or Chinese options and found the quality to be lower than other hotel breakfasts I’ve had in China and other countries in Asia.
The executive lounge offers breakfast as well for elite members. While the selection was smaller than what was offered in the main restaurant, the service was great, and the quality may have been a bit better. The lounge was quiet as well most mornings making for a relaxing atmosphere. The lounge also had windows facing the city center with a much better view than from either of the two rooms I stayed in.
The Lounge
The executive lounge is open to Hilton Gold and Diamond members and serves breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner, as well as snacks and drinks throughout the day. The lounge is elegantly designed and mostly quiet throughout the day, so I found myself relaxing there more than I normally do in hotel lounges (it also helped that the lounge was on my floor).
Afternoon tea consisted of some fruit, pastries, drinks, and some other small dishes.
The dinner service was quite large with several hot main course options, salad, appetizers, drinks, and dessert.
Amenities
The hotel has a nice gym, indoor pool and spa which I made use of several times throughout my stay. The facilities were pretty good overall, though I expected the gym to be a bit larger.
Bottom Line
The Hilton Nanjing is one of many great hotels in the city that offer low prices for luxury accommodation. While I didn’t love the hotel’s location, it was nice being a short walk from a huge shopping mall and metro station. The staff, especially in the executive lounge were extremely professional, helpful and friendly, though no employee I met had very good English. With so many luxury hotels at affordable prices in Nanjing, I would certainly like to try out some others, however I was happy with my stay at the Hilton and would happily return.