China Hotel, WorldHotels Elite

Superb hotel. We were quickly checks in by friendly Lucy who kindly upgraded us to a suite which was very large and comfortable. The buffet breakfast has a huge choice and the heated pool is very nice. Foot massages are available at the Spa. The hotel is right next to the metro and most sights are not too far away. Would definitely stay here again.

We absolutely loved our stay at China Hotel Guangzhou. The location is perfect — right next to the metro, making it easy to explore the city. The rooms were clean, spacious, and very comfortable. Food at the hotel was delicious, with good options for all tastes. Overall, a fantastic experience, and we would happily stay here again!

We stayed here for a week as a family of 4. Upon arrival, the staff were great, fast check in and help with the bags to our room. The room was big and clean, on the 15th floor, we had access to the premium lounge too. The gym was well equipped and quiet. The location is great with plenty of western restaurants around (McDonalds, Dominos etc) and next to the metro and park. We had an early departure and the staff were at our room at 4.30am to help carry our bags to the car they had waiting.

As one of Guangzhou's three legendary hotels, the China Hotel Guangzhou bears the most imposing and magnificent name. Yet today, its reputation is less prominent compared to the other two. Nestled between the classic status of the White Swan Hotel and the prestigious reputation of The Garden Hotel, it appears relatively understated. However, when it comes to historical depth, it may well have the strongest background of the three. In the early stages of China's reform and opening-up, Guangzhou faced a severe shortage of tourist accommodation. During the Canton Fair, finding a room near Liuhua was nearly impossible, forcing many foreign businessmen to sleep in the lobby or corridors of the Dongfang Hotel, or even be accommodated in distant suburbs. Confronted with this challenge, then Vice Governor of Guangdong Yang Shangkun and Vice Mayor of Guangzhou Liang Shangli decisively promoted the introduction of foreign investment to plan and construct a batch of modern hotels to address the urgent need. The China Hotel emerged precisely in this context. In 1980, Hong Kong's six major property groups collaborated for the first and only time in history on a development project. The consortium included five major Hong Kong-based conglomerates and securities firms: New World Development, Cheung Kong Holdings, Henderson Land Development, Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Hopewell Holdings, along with Sun Hung Kai Securities Investment. Gordon Wu, Cheng Yu-tung, Li Ka-shing, Fung King Hey, Kwok Tak-seng, and Lee Shau-kee jointly invested US$125 million to initiate the construction of the China Hotel on Liuhua Road. This cooperation pioneered the BOT model in China's hotel industry. The Guangzhou municipal government provided the land, while the Hong Kong side was responsible for all funding. Profits were shared equally, with the Hong Kong side managing the hotel entirely, and ownership reverting to the Guangzhou municipal government after 20 years. In its early years, the China Hotel was managed by New World Hotels. In 1990, it was rated as one of the first three five-star hotels in China. In 1998, New World transferred the hotel's management rights to the Marriott Group, making the China Hotel the largest hotel under Marriott's portfolio at the time. In 2004, ownership of the China Hotel was transferred to the Guangzhou municipal government, converting it from a joint venture to a state-owned sole proprietorship, while Marriott continued its management. In 2018, after the 20-year management contract with Marriott expired, the hotel was officially taken over by Lingnan Group for management. Today, the China Hotel occupies 19,000 square meters with a total floor area of 168,000 square meters. The main building stands 19 stories tall, reaching 62 meters, and comprises a hotel, residential units, office spaces, and a shopping mall. The hotel offers 1,013 guest rooms. At its peak, it featured 11 restaurants with over 2,100 seats, equipped to host large banquets and high-end conferences. Designated as a historical building in Guangzhou, the China Hotel's facade is adorned with a majestic gilded mural, which has become its distinctive hallmark. This monumental work, themed on the “Maritime Silk Road,” was created by sculptor Pan He. Covering a total area of 1,300 square meters, the mural used 48 taels of gold in its production. The artwork vividly recreates Guangzhou's openness and inclusiveness as a millennia-old commercial hub. The hotel's logo incorporates a red lantern motif that forms the Chinese character 中, symbolizing celebration and auspiciousness while paying homage to and perpetuating Chinese cultural heritage. As an iconic product of the early reform and opening-up era, the China Hotel was one of the first five-star hotels in Guangzhou to open its doors to ordinary citizens. In an era of material scarcity yet brimming with hope, it almost single-handedly shaped the local imagination of luxury. Although the lobby has been renovated, its overall layout and decorative style retain the essence of the 1980s and 1990s. The dazzling giant glass chandeliers and the murals adorning the walls reflect the initial convergence of Lingnan cultural elements and modern hotel aesthetics, capturing the aspirations and stylistic ambitions of an age ripe with opportunity.

Went back after 23 years, got engaged while staying at the hotel, visited again - got a nice room, but at check in they just gave us our key and sent us up. We had both provided our passports at check in and a credit card. The lounge was a room benefit but when visiting were told only 1 person was allowed??, because they claim I had only booked for 1 guest??? Why not mention this at check in, there were clearly 2 of us, had 2 passports, same family name??? Then sent in laundry, they picked it up no issues. Just before running out noticed the message light flashing, called and they said as they only charged my card for the room I had to pay for the laundry? Again at check in why would this not be mentioned? Location is convenient have metro stop at the hotel, 2 parks nearby, just had issues that could so easily have been addressed at check in - do some couples really check in together and only want access for 1 to the lounge??

For such an expensive hotel I was very uncomfortable and unhappy here. They do not care about me at all. When I made clear I was unhappy they made excuses and did not help. Save your money and go somewhere else. At other hotels you can get free breakfast and laundry for half the price.

The hotel is very well located with malls, a big hospital, lots of eateries n a train station in front of it. Our room was newly renovated n well equipped. The reason for the 4 stars is that most of the dining outlets were closed n only 1 set of elevators were working. All this was due to massive renovations going on in the hotel. There is an alley at the back of the hotel lobby with food outlets n cafes.

We arrived early before 1pm and not only were we given our rooms already, they upgraded us to a junior suite on their own, this on top of a busy nation-wide like HiFi convention in the hotel. There was a rotating TV in the middle of the room! The room itself feels really posh with pillow menu & bathrobes. The bed was lush & we slept well. Location was great. Exit D1 from Yixue station on Guangzhou Metro takes you right to it's doorstep while the Nanyue Mausoleum Museum was about 10 mins walk away. There's also a delicious & affordable Lanzhou noodle shop opposite the Museum across the street which is Halal. Only two small things could be improved which we think is not enough to knock of even 1 star. The air-con was very cold, even after adjusting to 25° to 26°C. We only turned on 1 of the 2, in the morning we turned off both. This is a happy problem right? Having the opposite situation would be much worse. The other is the bathroom scale didn't work. We think the battery was out of power. Ah well, it's actually good not to see the numbers anyway after all that eating & no exercise during the holiday. Overall, I will stay here again if I bring my children. Yes, this hotel bears the hallmark of Marriott culture & value.

Very bad reception and communication! 3 days after my stay in the Hotel and my key stoped to work! Then the Manager Sandy Yang refused to make me an other key saying that I didnt have check-in in the Hotel while in true I did and they had my passport copy. She didnt want to check my reservation number or ask someone to help her with the problem and I had to wait my room-mate arrive in the hotel to ask an other key to me while my name continue out of the system cause of a problem or a mistake! Terrible!

China Hotel is now part of Marriott group of Hotels. It is probably one of the worst Marriott member experience one can get when traveling with family. I had written to the hotel 4 weeks prior to our arrival, three emails with our special request, dietary requirements, etc. There was no response from the hotel. This should tell you the standard of this hotel. Upon check in again, you are reminded you are in Hong Kong and not China, the smile, the China hospitality which you can find even in 1 star hotels throughout China, is missing at the China hotel. In room dining options are so limited and you cannot order food from their Coffee shop Cafe Verrandha. Very sad to see the hotel is so big, yet the rooms are so outdated and the smell at the lobby u til your room is not something any foreigner can relate too. Overall experience very poor as being vegetarian we had ordered in room dining and despite proper instruction for a club sandwich, we were served half toasted bread which tasted soggy, hardly any mayonnaise in the sandwich, the French fries were half cooked and cold. Very, very poor impression of the hotel. I had sent an email letting the property know I and my wife and her sister and daughter have come to Guangzhou to celebrate our 26ht wedding anniversary, no greetings, no fresh fruit in the room as a welcome offer, despite booking the room for 2 night and 3 days. The overall impression has been very, very disappointing.