JJimodelianrenaFor my father's birthday, I chose the newest five-star hotel in Gusu District for this Suzhou trip. The Kimpton's architectural style, which blends traditional Suzhou gardens and water features with modern facilities and InterContinental's excellent guest services, made my father very satisfied with this year's birthday arrangements. Moreover, we unexpectedly encountered a snow scene after many years; that snowy breakfast time and the sunny departure will become unforgettable memories for our whole family.
Of course, even a perfect jade has its flaws, so I'd like to offer some suggestions:
1. **Shoe-changing bench:** It's too light and easily slides when sat upon. The lower edge of the decorative painting behind it curves outward and could easily bump the back of one's head. This safety hazard definitely needs rectification.
2. **Luggage rack & drying rack:** For such a large room, there was no luggage rack. The only place that could barely accommodate a suitcase was also the only place to hang clothes. Freshly washed clothes inevitably drip, which is very impractical. I suggest adding a traditional retractable drying line in the bathroom and a drying rack in the south-facing courtyard.
3. **Privacy of the bathing area:** An open-plan modern design is fine for a king-size bed room, but it becomes awkward for a twin-bed room without a relatively enclosed bathing space.
4. **Bathroom door opening direction:** The outward-opening design is truly unreasonable, to the point that the bathmat can only be placed to the side, or the distance between the bottom of the door and the floor needs to be larger so it doesn't affect the mat when opening and closing.
5. **Switch locations are hard to find:** We couldn't find the switches for the two bedside lamps and the bathroom curtain for two days.
I suggest that the concierge could briefly introduce the room facilities when escorting guests to their rooms to enhance the check-in experience, so guests don't have to waste time figuring out how to use them.
6. **Unstable shower water temperature:** The water temperature was slightly low on the first day but very comfortable on the second.
7. **Lighting:** The room is large, but the lighting points are a bit sparse, making the overall ambiance rather dim, especially on cloudy days and at night, which makes it difficult for guests with poor eyesight to see.
8. **Air conditioning system:** The heating was insufficient; it only met standards with the help of a space heater.
9. **Housekeeping service:** They were very friendly, but I hope they come to work not only with a smile but also with their brains. Although guests generally don't fuss over minor issues like forgetting things, such a work attitude is indeed unprofessional. After all, Kimpton Bamboo Grove is a boutique hotel under InterContinental, not a boutique guesthouse. Guesthouses can emphasize personal touch, but a hotel's foundation is standardization.
10. **Breakfast:** The Western options were generally good, especially the baked goods, which were quite decent by current hotel breakfast standards. They also offered heating service, and the butter and cream were in good condition. The freshly made French toast and seasonal panettone were also a pleasant surprise, actually meeting expectations. The pudding bread and pineapple buns are commendable. The cereal with milk and fruit yogurt area felt quite high-end for a basic room priced a little over 1000, and there were also simple options of three cheeses and fresh cold cuts. The only letdown was the scrambled eggs with milk, which were really not good – overcooked and bland.
As a restaurant specializing in Su-style and Huaiyang cuisine, the Chinese breakfast selection was truly disappointing, especially the steamed items; none of them were up to par. The only satisfying item was the red soup noodles with braised pork, though from the perspective of Su-style noodles, these hard noodles weren't quite springy enough. But that's a minor issue, as many people prefer a softer texture. The red bean paste tangyuan (small glutinous rice balls) offered on the second day were quite good, with a rich bean paste. It would be even better if they could improve the heat retention, similar to how coffee was delivered to the glass room with a plastic lid on the first snowy day – that showed good awareness.
Overall, the restaurant staff had excellent attitudes. What impressed me most was going for breakfast on the second day; they had already arranged seating based on my father's preference. Their proactiveness and enthusiasm in service were impeccable, especially the young women in green suits.
The regular Huaiyang cuisine at Bamboo Grove Restaurant was also well-executed, but innovation in traditional dishes needs to be approached with caution. The professional skills of the waitstaff should be further trained to channel their enthusiasm for their jobs effectively and make the guests' dining experience even smoother.
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