Disappointing and misleading — not as advertised
Unfortunately, our experience was quite disappointing, particularly because the property did not match how it is presented online.
The location is misleading. The hotel describes itself as the “Forbidden City” branch, which gives the impression that it is close to the Forbidden City. In reality, it is around an hour’s walk from the Forbidden City. This should be made much clearer when booking.
The photos are also very misleading. The rooms are extremely small, with very low ceilings, and feel considerably more cramped than they appear in the photographs. We actually paid to upgrade to a slightly larger room, specifically to have more space, and even this upgraded room was still extremely small and cramped. There is also a five-storey building directly behind/next to the hutong, which is not shown in the pictures. As a result, it doesn’t really have the courtyard atmosphere described in the listing. The hutong itself is charming and authentic, but the presentation of the property creates expectations that the reality doesn’t meet.
Serious concerns about animal welfare
The most upsetting aspect of our stay was the way animals were kept at the property.
There were two turtles kept together in a very small bowl in the lobby, with a lid on top. We stayed for four nights, and throughout our entire stay we never once saw the turtles taken out to move around. The lid remained on the bowl for the entire duration of our stay.
The bowl was so small that the two turtles were constantly on top of each other, with virtually no room to move, swim or even move independently. We have attached photographs showing just how small the bowl was.
Even more concerning, during our four-night stay, we never once saw anyone feed the turtles, and there was no visible food in the bowl at any point. We also never saw them given any opportunity to leave the bowl or exercise. Obviously, we cannot know what happened when we were not present, but based on what we personally observed, we saw no feeding and no opportunity for the turtles to move outside this tiny bowl.
There were also multiple large crickets kept individually in extremely small cages at the entrance, seemingly as entertainment. When we raised our concerns, the host explained that the crickets were kept there so they would make noise at the entrance.
We saw no food or water provided for the crickets. The cages were extremely small relative to the size of the crickets and appeared to give them virtually no room to move. We can only speculate about what happens once they die, but it appeared that they were simply kept there until they died and then presumably replaced. We found this deeply uncomfortable and unnecessary.
Room service was also poor. Our bed was not made, and staff entered the room despite us having the “Do Not Disturb” sign on.
The room also felt damp and had a distinct drain/sewer-type smell, which was unpleasant over a four-night stay. There was also very little privacy: the only window in the room opened directly onto the corridor, meaning people walking past could look straight into the room.
There were some positives. The staff were helpful with booking Forbidden City tickets, and they were generally very responsive on WeChat. The surrounding hutong is also genuinely charming and offers a more authentic neighbourhood experience.
Overall, while there are some positives, we felt the property was misleadingly advertised and did not live up to the expectations created by its photos and description. The small rooms, even after paying for an upgrade, low ceilings, dampness and drain smell were disappointing, but the animal-welfare concerns were by far the most troubling aspect of our stay.
