The St. Regis Beijing

As a loyal guest who has stayed at numerous St. Regis properties worldwide, I have always deeply appreciated and been moved by their legendary butler service and high standards. Sadly, my recent stay at The St. Regis Beijing was an absolute nightmare and easily the worst representation of the brand I have ever experienced. If major changes are not made, this property will seriously tarnish the St. Regis reputation. 🚫 Amex Benefits Denied & Zero Birthday Recognition I booked my stay through American Express (Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts), which guarantees specific benefits. However, the front desk outright refused to honor the 12:00 PM early check-in and the complimentary room upgrade. To make matters worse, I had explicitly noted in my reservation that my friend and I were celebrating a birthday. The hotel completely ignored this—not a single greeting, card, or gesture was offered. 👥 Discriminatory Service and Toxic Staff Behavior The service here is deeply flawed and unprofessional: Selective Hospitality: The Concierge supervisor at the front door (wearing a black suit) is completely two-faced. He was incredibly warm and enthusiastic toward English-speaking Western guests, but chose to completely ignore Asian guests like myself. Cold and Indifferent Staff: The overall staff attitude was incredibly cold, and the famous St. Regis butler service was entirely nonexistent throughout my stay. Manipulative Review-Gouging: The only time a staff member showed any warmth was purely transactional. A staff member eagerly approached me solely to ask for a 5-star review—she went so far as to take my phone out of my hands to write a glowing review for herself. It was inappropriate and deeply uncomfortable. 🏚️ Dilapidated Facilities and Safety Hazards The property feels like it hasn't been renovated since the last century. Cleanliness Issues: The bathroom was deeply unhygienic, with visible mold covering the bathtub. Maintenance Failures: The light switches in the room did not work at all. Safety Hazard: The carpets were uneven and buckled, which caused me to trip and almost fall. 温泉 Public Wellness Center (Not Private) Do not be fooled by the "hotel hot spring." The property sells access to the general public rather than keeping it exclusive for hotel guests. Because it is overcrowded with outside visitors, the hygiene and cleanliness of the hot spring area are highly questionable. 📉 Final Verdict At this price point, you have far better luxury options in Beijing. The St. Regis Beijing fails on service, luxury, cleanliness, and basic hospitality. Save your money and your Amex benefits, and book elsewhere.

I am writing this review as a diplomat representing the Embassy of Brazil, a frequent guest of this establishment (this was my 4th or 5th stay), and someone who is very familiar with what St. Regis service used to be. My recent experience at The St. Regis Beijing was an abomination, and I actually checked out early because I couldn’t stay there anymore. I arrived exhausted after an overnight flight, wearing casual sports clothes as I was returning from a vacation in Australia. The attitude at check-in was cold, dismissive, and lacked any basic courtesy compared to the previous times I was there. I was told my room wasn’t ready, yet I watched other guests check in and get their keys seamlessly. Mysteriously, the moment I paid an extra fee for early check-in, a room "magically" became available. This is clear contrast to the other times where I’d find a letter in my room from Oliver Achatz and a chocolate. After that I just wanted to get some rest, but the staff managed to misconfigure my Wi-Fi access twice. Exhausted and sleep-deprived, I actually had to walk down to the lobby in my pajamas two times just to get them to fix a basic connection issue. An apology was not offered. But the most unforgivable part of my stay occurred during my work meetings. Throughout my week, as I ordinarily do, I hosted brief business meetings over coffee in my room. It’s a business trip after all. When these meetings involved light-skinned foreigners, my privacy was completely respected. However, I returned from my vacation with a deep sun tan, and when a dark-skinned colleague arrived at my room for a coffee, the front desk instantly called my room in a rather aggressive tone, demanding that I come down to register my guest, claiming this was a “hotel security policy." If this was indeed a policy, it would have been enforced for all my other guests (and all the others that I see other people having, since this is a very business-oriented hotel). The reality here seems much more sinister: because I am a gay man with a temporary darker complexion, combined with my casual attire, I believe that the hotel staff racially profiled me and probably assumed that I had a male prostitute in my room. The hotel can claim this not to be true, of course, but only I know what I’ve experienced. To be heavily judged, and subjected to racism and homophobic undertones in a 5-star international hotel is entirely unacceptable. They violated my privacy and insulted my dignity. As a representative of the Brazilian government, I have already flagged this incident to the Embassy of Brazil to formally reevaluate our corporate partnership with this property. I will NEVER step foot in this hotel again. Absolute disgrace.

On behalf of Mr. Sangserm, Mr. Tom, and Mrs. Ple, we would especially like to praise Mr. Max at the St. Regis Bar at The St. Regis Beijing. His service was absolutely outstanding — warm, attentive, professional, and genuinely thoughtful throughout the entire evening. Max created such a welcoming atmosphere and made our experience feel incredibly special and memorable. His attention to detail and natural hospitality truly reflect the exceptional standards of The St. Regis. Even though we only visited the bar, we were deeply impressed by the elegance and luxurious atmosphere of the hotel. The ambiance was sophisticated, refined, and beautifully designed, creating the perfect setting for a relaxing evening. The service from everyone we encountered was polished and attentive, making the entire experience feel truly five-star. The St. Regis Bar is an absolutely beautiful place with exceptional hospitality, wonderful energy, and an atmosphere that feels both luxurious and inviting at the same time. Truly a memorable experience.

the lobby area is awesome. The service excellent. The room is a bit dated but once it gets updated (we're told, next year) it should be incredible. Great location. Fabulous breakfast display and choices. I had a problem with the ATM machine (didn't return my card) and the Gen. Manager and his team bent over backwards to get this resolved. Can't thank them enough! All room amenities are spot on. Note: this is a Marriott property

I have stayed at St. Regis on previous visits to Beijing and have always written positive reviews. It is a 5-star hotel, well designed with spacious common areas. It is obviously very well managed and maintained. Janitors can regularly be observed wiping the floors so they are always spankingly clean and shiny. The executive suite in which I stayed was very roomy and well furnished in both the sitting area and bedroom. Like the rest of the hotel, it was immaculately clean. The bed was very comfortable with ample bedding and delightful to sleep in. The bathroom was well equipped although I thought the bath towels could have been more fluffy and absorbent. There are three restaurants, one of which, the Garden Court, is the most popular. It offers Chinese cuisine as well as traditional American dishes. It is set up buffet style but you can also order a la carte. I was simply blown away at the variety of its offerings. If you were extremely hungry you would find it impossible to sample even a half of what is available. There are more than enough servers always moving around so you can easily get their attention. I found a few minor slip-ups, like being offered coffee when I sat down for breakfast but no water. When I requested water I was brought a cup of hot water. Also, while there was a bowl with sugar and sweeteners on the table, there was no spoon with which to stir the coffee. I noticed, also, that some of the dishes like fried eggs, sausages, fried noodles and sautéed mushrooms were not kept on food warmers and had to be eaten cold. Be warned that internet service is a challenge because of restrictions imposed by the government (the Great Firewall of China) although I was able to send and receive WhatsApp messages and emails intermittently. There are four spacious elevators serving 19 floors and they are super fast. Daniel's a la carte restaurant leans heavily on French cuisine and the service there is quite elegant. I didn’t dine at the third restaurant, the Celestial. This is a really nice hotel and would be my first choice next time I visit Beijing.