The St. Regis Tianjin: An absolute, colossal disappointment. (I’m usually the type of person who leaves glowing reviews just to be nice and have never left a negative review in my life—stayed in Room 1125).
1. As a Ctrip Black Diamond member, the "possible" benefits (free breakfast for two + room upgrade) were only marked for the entry-level rooms. I booked a couple of days in advance when plenty of room types were still available. No one reached out beforehand, so I assumed everything was sorted. Check-in was swift, but entirely indifferent—the receptionist just whipped out the registration form for me to sign. When I asked about a room upgrade, she snapped, "Ctrip always lists it like that anyway," whatever that was supposed to mean... She didn't bother to explain anything about breakfast timings or minibar charges. (We did get the breakfast, but really, do they expect to nickel-and-dime that too?)
2. Things got even worse once we headed up. I had explicitly requested NOT to have a corner room, yet they gave us the absolute furthest room at the very end of the hall. The entryway was so cramped and awkwardly shaped that a larger person would literally have to squeeze through. I contacted Black Diamond customer service—kudos to Ctrip's reps for being responsive, offering points, and contacting the hotel right away. The hotel’s solution? "Stay the first two nights here, and we'll move you for the last night." Are you kidding me? I'm traveling with a toddler—who has the time to pack and unpack everything again? So we were stuck in this supposed "Jin Street View Room," though you couldn't actually see the street; all I could do was count the seven lanes of traffic below. River view? Forget about it.
3. I have a sensitive stomach and urgently needed a restroom. The public restroom on the 1st floor had a dilapidated door that looked like the entrance to a kitchen waste disposal area. Inside was even worse—yellow stains everywhere, dingy lighting, so you couldn't even tell if surfaces were wet or dry. Well, thank you, St. Regis: a condition no doctor could cure was instantly cured by pure disgust. The elevators were equally neglected—the sloppy silicone sealant looked like it had been applied by someone with Parkinson's.
4. The guest room was a joke. There was what looked like an old docking station/speaker displaying the year 2011—guess it's been broken since before the hotel even opened. The shower door and bath mat don't get along at all; you basically have to do a standing long jump out of the shower to avoid a mess. Asked for an extra duvet and was initially told they had none, only for one to finally show up an hour later. There was a generic 1.5L bottle of water sitting in the room—no idea who it was meant for, but they couldn't even be bothered to slap a St. Regis label on it.
5. Breakfast had the usual spread, but was utterly mediocre. You can't visit Tianjin without having a jianbing (savory crepe), but the chef was moving at a snail's pace—I half expected the eggs to hatch while waiting. After queuing for nearly 15 minutes, my kid wouldn't even touch it. Yet, the street-stall Nanlou Jianbing we bought that evening was devoured in seconds. St. Regis, care to explain why?
6. The famous St. Regis butler service finally made an appearance on checkout day. I sent my wife to handle luggage storage, and she was thrust a bottle of hair gel as a parting gift. I suppose that adds +0.5 points for effort, but don't hold your breath for a good review. The bottle didn't even come with proper packaging, meaning I had to reopen my suitcase to check it in—just another hassle.
St. Regis Tianjin, I don't know what you're like when you charge a few hundred RMB on regular days, but if you're charging 1,500 RMB over the holidays, you'd better deliver a 1,500 RMB experience. You don't hold a candle to The Ritz-Carlton. How this place maintains a 4.7-star rating is beyond me—just how low is the bar for hotels in Tianjin?
Original TextTranslation provided by AI
