It's rare to choose a historic building in the city center for accommodation. For this urban renewal study, I specifically chose this hotel, which is over 120 years old, and I highly recommend it.
First, the pros:
1) The hotel's location is excellent. Since I wasn't driving, I opted to stay in the old town. This hotel is near Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street, opposite the Chocolate Museum, and leads directly to Qingdao's iconic landmark, Zhanqiao Pier. There are many exquisite old German buildings just by wandering around. It's also very close to the subway and Qingdao Station, making transportation quite convenient.
2) The European courtyard-style hotel design is truly beautiful, and the renovation of the old building was very successful. It's great for photos and perfect for sitting quietly in the courtyard with a coffee or tea in the morning or evening. It's very relaxing and pleasant. I recommend setting aside some time to simply unwind here.
3) The bed and pillows in the room were decent, offering a good night's sleep. The bathroom was equipped with a smart toilet, though it was a bit noisy at night. A special mention goes to the room's night light design; it illuminates just enough when you step down, not too bright, just right.
4) The service was better than I expected for a northern city. The front desk staff and the cleaning aunties were all very friendly. Since there was no refrigerator, I had to ask the front desk to store and retrieve items every time, which I'm very grateful for.
5) The hotel having a laundry room was a huge plus. One time, I forgot my clothes in the dryer, and a staff member kindly collected, folded, and placed them in my room.
6) There's also a retro Old Shanghai-style cafe & bar, the Furunli Cafe. If the cafe and the outdoor tables and chairs in the hotel courtyard were combined, it would create an even better atmosphere and a larger, more relaxing leisure space.
Now, for some cons or suggestions:
1) The shower room doesn't have an anti-slip mat, which could easily lead to accidents, and the floor's anti-slip treatment isn't very good.
2) The breakfast was acceptable, but there was only one chef preparing meals and also responsible for cleaning tables. During busy times, this could be overwhelming. It's unsanitary for the same person to handle food and wipe tables; it would be better to separate these tasks. The auntie who cleans the outdoor areas could definitely spare some time during breakfast to help with cleaning.
3) There were quite a few mosquitoes. The hotel provided mosquito swatters, and some rooms even had electronic mosquito repellents outside. There are actually more tools and methods available to eliminate or reduce them.
4) The tables and chairs in the second-floor corridor and the courtyard are well-arranged and create a good ambiance. I noticed ashtrays on all the tables. In this era of health and environmental awareness, it would be best to limit smoking areas to provide a clean space for non-smokers. For instance, half of the tables could have signs prohibiting smoking instead of ashtrays, though I understand this might be a somewhat demanding request.
5) Other aspects, like steps leading to the rooms, are inconvenient for guests with luggage. However, I feel that if one chooses to stay in a historic building like this, these difficulties are manageable.
Original TextTranslation provided by AI