Oriental Jasmine Hotel（Forbidden City Branch） Reviews

Environment: The hotel is located in Dongsi Sitiao Hutong. The memory of riding a bike back with the evening breeze blowing down locust flowers will probably stay with me for a long time. Facilities: The guest room in the hutong isn't very large, but it's small yet complete with everything you need. The mattress was quite good, soft and comfortable. The illuminated makeup mirror, scale, automatic toilet, and embroidered headboard – all the facilities were pretty decent. Service: We received a room upgrade upon check-in, and they were considerate enough to grant a late check-out. They also provided a complimentary mini-bar and afternoon tea snacks. The Daoxiangcun Temple of Heaven and stone lion pastries, paired with authentic Beijing Xinyuanzhai plum juice, were quite good.

This courtyard hotel is nestled in Dongsi Sitiao Hutong, within the Wangfujing commercial area. From the entrance to the rooms, the design is incredibly elegant. The hotel's fragrance, just like its name, is jasmine. The butler and hotel staff were all very welcoming and attentive. I was particularly impressed by the many interesting little details.

A beautiful hotel with excellent service and very pet-friendly. Every staff member was enthusiastic and professional, especially Ally, Cirino, and Iris. It's a hidden gem of a hotel with great design, tucked away in an alley. I'll definitely be back!

Service was fast and efficient and staffs were very friendly! Beautiful facade and the hutong neighbourhood has some nice little cafes as well

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.

This little gem in the hutongs really made our Beijing stay even more awesome! Room was clean, bed comfy, plenty of drinking water and clean and soft towels. Water pressure amazing and great food options, even for vegans. Staff was so nice, friendly and helpful, they even help us wash and dry clothes for the pnext day and helped us with public transport. Communication amazing and clear. We really felt welcome. Truly recommending this place.

This hotel is really good. First of all, it’s new. Right when you walk in you can tell they put real effort into not looking like a cookie-cutter modern hotel. The design feels distinctly Chinese and you can see they cared about it. The area around the hotel is excellent. Trees along the street, lots of cafés and restaurants nearby. The location is super convenient and nice. When you walk in, the smell is so nice. It smells like jasmine. It doesn’t smell like a bathroom. It’s quite cozy. It’s not a grand, big, five-star luxurious hotel. But honestly the service is better than the five-star hotels I stayed at on this Beijing trip (Hilton, Hyatt, and others). This one is rated four-star on Trip.com and I think it has better service than all of them. The staff are nicer. They’re attentive. They take initiative. They feel warm. Even the manager speaks good English. You can really see they care and pay attention to detail (we had a great experience with Molly's help). They want everybody to have a good experience. They gave us a discount on the room too. There’s a lot of good quality fruit and cake. They especially provide traditional Chinese cake and a variety of treats. On the first night they gave traditional Chinese sweets and traditional drinks, plus fresh fruit like watermelon. The watermelon was very juicy and sweet, not bland. You also have the option of a very nice cake or popcorn. I chose the cake, but the popcorn is probably just as delicious. On the second day they gave us traditional sweets again, like the first night. They call it afternoon tea. The sweets were completely different from the first night. I really appreciate how they gave us a variety of traditional Chinese sweets. It just goes to show how much effort they put into the details and into giving guests a good experience. We wanted to extend our stay but the original room wasn’t available. They made sure to give us multiple options. When we chose a room, the front desk staff personally took us to tour it. We talked about pricing and she even gave us a discount, about $30 less than the price on Trip.com. That was really nice. Overall, really good experience. We’re still here on our second day and super happy. If you come here, this is a great hotel to stay at.

The service was excellent, and breakfast was delightful. We got a complimentary room upgrade, which my child absolutely loved. It's also perfect for solo travelers or friends looking to experience the authentic hutong life – bustling yet peaceful. I enjoyed just zoning out as the sunlight streamed in. The welcome snacks were delicious too.

This hotel is nestled in the middle of Dongsi Sitiao Hutong, offering a quiet retreat with a rich local hutong culture. I'm sure I never saw anything like it when I used to wander through the 'sitiao' as a kid! The renovated hotel's layout beautifully captures the essence of a Beijing courtyard. The family room, in particular, is incredibly well-designed. What you see in the hotel's promotional pictures is exactly what you get in the actual room – no discrepancies at all. I especially love the split-level design of the family room (highly recommended even if you don't have kids, plus it has a small courtyard which would be very friendly for smokers). The hotel staff are all very pleasant, and I even saw guests with pets. It's truly rare to find a hotel of this caliber that is pet-friendly. Thumbs up for that! The hotel's design style is also very modern, with classical elements cleverly incorporated. I highly recommend catching a sunset from the rooftop terrace! I missed it this time, but I'll definitely experience it if I get another chance.

This courtyard hotel, tucked away in the heart of Beijing's hutongs, is perfect for families with kids! The grey-bricked, grey-tiled courtyard offers a peaceful escape from the bustling city, where children can freely run and play, truly immersing themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of old Beijing's hutongs. The rooms are elegantly charming and cozy, equipped with kids' toiletries and small toys. The bedding is soft and safe, and the soundproofing is excellent. The butler service is meticulous and thoughtful, even helping to plan routes for nearby attractions. Breakfast includes bland options suitable for babies. Plus, many Old City attractions are within walking distance, making it incredibly pleasant to stroll through the hutongs with kids and experience Beijing's local culture. Our whole family had a fantastic stay!

This hotel is nestled in the Dongsi Sitiao Hutong, a genuine quadrangle courtyard hotel brimming with old Beijing charm. The interior design is comfortable, blending ancient and modern styles to create an elegant and cozy atmosphere. The service is attentive and thoughtful; they proactively upgraded our room type, helped fill the hot tub before our arrival, and even offered complimentary local snacks and sour plum soup. There are also free snacks provided daily. I'd definitely come back given the chance :)

Very nice and charming hotel, located in Beijing's historic hutongs. The staff were very kind and attentive. Our room was a bit small compared to Chinese standards, and the bed was probably a queen size. Otherwise, a good breakfast.

The hotel environment is great, and the surrounding area is lively. We arrived around 11 PM, and as soon as we got to the entrance, a staff member helped us with our luggage and gave us a brief introduction to the hotel and the room's history. The butler was also very thoughtful, quickly resolving any issues we had, and sent various thoughtful reminders every day – it was fantastic!

Nestled in a quiet alley, this exquisite courtyard hotel is small but perfectly formed. The welcome snacks were delightful, and the staff were incredibly helpful. Being able to grab ice cups and drinking water on my own was a huge plus, especially in the hot summer, perfect for cooling down and rehydrating. The room was a bit small, but it was clean, tidy, and stylishly decorated. Overall, I was very satisfied.