2-Star Hotels in Jiangsu, China

I arrived in pouring rain. I thought I could walk to my hotel but it was impossible in the downpour. I didn’t want to bother any hotel owner.   I didn’t and still don’t  have an eSIM that can make local  call but thanks to Trip.com, there is a link that I could call the owner for free.  I didn’t advise the owners my arrival time so they were off running errands.  I called the owner to pick me up and thankfully he answered. He was busy but gracious enough to turn around and picked me up. It knew Zhouhuang requires a ticket but I didn’t know that no cars, nor motorcycles, nor bicycles are allowed. Without him I would have arrived the hotel easily.  I always like to meet the owners instead of employees . They were very helpful and answered all my questions. They are honest people who dedicate their  blood and sweat to their business. The owner even offered to walk me to the bus stop  to Suzhou which was my next destination.  This  operates two hotels with 9 in one and 6 in the other. The one that I stayed in with 9 rooms is in a  lively and busy area . Just outside the hotel is a restaurant and there are plenty of places to eat. Inside the hotel is a peaceful oasis where you won’t hear any noise. The location is the best. The other hotel is in a quieter neighborhood a few minutes away. Each of the 15 rooms has it’s own personality, is different and has its distinctive decoration. The owners said they decorated them themselves. I love the decoration and especially the lighting.  After you reserve a room, be sure to contact the owner for the exact address in case you want to arrive on your own. I think it is best to request the owner to take you there because he/she will lead you to the ticket booth to buy tickets. There are a number of bridges so heavy big luggages can be a bit of a challenge .  If you arrive after 5 pm, you can enter free of charge as no one is there to check your ticket. . But once you are inside, and if you choose to leave the area after 8 or 9 am until 5 pm, you have to pay to come back in. You can buy a one day or in my case 3 days pass.  Do check with the owner for up to date information.  The room was quite clean. There were hot water all the time. There were other guests during my stay but they were not noisy at all. I barely heard them. I slept very well during my 3 nights there.  Zhouhuang is really beautiful. There are many canals, bridges, boat rides, good food of all kinds. I had some of the best meals there. In fact , I ate in the same restaurant that serves dumpling twice. One night I had grill (BBQ) meat just outside the entrance for 4 yuans. .  There is decent size supermarket just outside the turnstile and not too far away is a much bigger supermarket. It was there where I bought half a Peking duck for only 32 yuans . The seller sliced the meat and separated the meat from  the bones. The bones he fried so it was crunchy.  It was delicious. There is a theater that offers performances. The night view is great. If you step out your room, you will be overwhelmed in a good sense by the exciting surroundings.  This hotel definitely is one of the best that I have ever stayed in. Look at the beautiful pictures and find one that you like.  I stayed only 3 nights and one of those days I went to Tongli. In my opinion, one should spend at least 2 to 3 full days in  Zhouhuang (and especially this hotel ) savor the ambience. I don’t think Tongli is worth the time because it was twice as expensive and there are not that many canals and boat rides. It is much quieter and has fewer things to see. . The worst is that the sightseeing places require you to show your ticket. After 2 places, I lost mine ticket and I  couldn’t get in the rest of the places. It is unnecessary to require proof of entrance because you can’t enter the area without a ticket. 

I was initially asked by the hotel to leave a five-star review, but after my full stay I can’t do so in good conscience, and I have since adjusted my rating based on the second half of my booking. This was a two-part stay (two separate bookings of five days each), and while there are genuinely strong positives, the overall experience was significantly affected by ongoing service and cleanliness issues. There are still clear strengths to highlight. The location is excellent—quiet, safe, and surrounded by good restaurants, convenience stores, and a pleasant park nearby. The rooms are also very well designed: spacious, comfortable, and equipped with useful amenities such as a washing machine. The layout and overall setup make it a very livable space. The staff were, for the most part, kind and helpful. One staff member in particular was consistently warm and welcoming. When issues were raised, the team did attempt to respond professionally, and I do appreciate that some solutions were offered, including a discounted rate for a future stay. However, there were repeated concerns that affected my experience, particularly during the second half of my stay. Cleanliness remained a consistent issue. Even after rooms were serviced, dust accumulated very quickly—so much so that items like my laptop would be visibly covered overnight. This raises concerns about the overall level of cleanliness and ventilation. In addition, housekeeping services felt inconsistent. On multiple occasions I had to specifically request basic essentials such as bottled water and fresh towels, rather than these being proactively restocked daily as would normally be expected in this type of accommodation. Service consistency also varied. Some days staff would check in or ask whether I needed room cleaning, while on other days there was no such follow-up at all. This lack of routine made the experience feel unpredictable for a stay of this length. There were also concerns regarding pricing and communication during an attempted extension of my stay. I had initially paid approximately 268 rand per night (already at a discounted rate). When I asked to extend for one additional night during the May Day holiday period, I was quoted around 800 rand. While I understand that rates fluctuate during peak demand, this felt inconsistent given the earlier discount offered due to the significant issues experienced in the first rooms. The handling of this request also felt quite rigid initially, although the pricing discussion changed once I indicated I would be leaving a review. By that point, however, I had already made alternative arrangements in another city. I also noticed a change in overall tone and attentiveness from staff following my initial complaints, particularly on the day I was trying to extend my stay. In that instance, even basic housekeeping services were not offered, which contributed to a feeling of inconsistency in service. Ultimately, I think this hotel has strong potential. The location, room design, and general setup are genuinely excellent, and there are staff members who are clearly committed and welcoming. However, the inconsistency in cleanliness standards, basic housekeeping expectations, and service delivery means I cannot recommend it as a reliably high-quality stay at this stage. With more consistent attention to cleanliness and service fundamentals, this could be an excellent hotel experience—but in its current state, it falls short of that standard.

The room was very clean, and the bedding was comfortable and tidy. The lobby environment was quite good, with areas for dining, working, and reading. Outside, there's a large open-air balcony. The co-working space is spacious, and the staff are very friendly. The location is excellent, right within the Fuzimiao scenic area, making travel very convenient, and Metro Line 3 is also nearby.

Haha, I found a bargain. The check-in experience was great! The front desk staff is warm and thoughtful, the room is clean and tidy, the bedding is comfortable, the breakfast is rich in variety, and the location is very convenient. Highly recommended!

Staying at Sawtooth Hostel was a great experience. The overall environment was clean and tidy, and the common areas were maintained daily. The beds were neat and odor-free. The hostel had a lively atmosphere, often organizing board games and interactive mini-games, making it perfect for solo travelers to meet new people. The public lounge area was spacious, and unique activities like bartending and henna tattoos added to the daily fun. The front desk service was warm and attentive, patiently answering all questions. The location was convenient for getting around, with plenty of dining, entertainment, and shopping options nearby. It's excellent value for money, I felt relaxed and at ease during my stay, and I highly recommend it to other travelers.

GreenTree Inn, Jurong (Jiangsu Province) is an oldie but a goody! I stayed there for 5 nights in late August/early September (2025). At first glance I was a bit dubious, but it turned out to be a really great place to stay. I felt very safe there and in the neighbourhood (day and night) and would stay there again. Excellent customer service ..… the Reception and cleaning staff were all really friendly and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. The first room I was allocated smelt of cigarette smoke (no thank you!), but I was immediately moved into a nicer smelling room, which was absolutely spotless, quite large, and had a nice new smart tv, air con, an opening window with a flyscreen and security bars (essential for a ground floor room), nice solid furniture, pure white linen (impressively imprinted with “GreenTree Inn”) and a clean, comfy doona and pillows. A standard hard’ish Chinese bed, but I find them quite comfy. The old carpet runner along the length of the long ground floor hallway (where my room was) is a relic from way back when, but it was clean and well maintained, as was the rest of the hotel that I could see. The shower head needed fixing, but that’s an annoyingly common problem in pretty much every budget ＞ mid range hotel I’ve ever stayed in, in China. The hotel is only about 20 metres from Jurong Chongming Subway Station. Local bus stop almost at the front door (& across the road). The entrance to the old cobbled road (no cars allowed) & all its little shops is across the road at the lights, and a large pharmacy at the entrance (near the “archway”). Electric scooters galore to hire (via the AliPay or WeChat apps) outside the subway. Plenty of restaurants in walking distance once you get past the trades shops (plumbing supplies etc). My only gripe about GreenTree Inn Jurong (& this is a gripe I have for many hotels etc throughout China) is that smoking is allowed on the premises. I think it’s the worst it’s been since 2002 when I first started travelling to China. It’s awful walking into foyers and lifts that reek of cigarette smoke, and copping wafts of the smoke along hallways from smokers in their rooms (& ashtrays at lift entrances), and horrible arriving tired after a long flight and long trek from airports etc, only to discover you then have to request a room change to escape the smoke, and start all over again. No matter how accommodating the staff are, I could easily do without that hassle and the horrible smell. In my opinion, hotels etc in China need to up their game where that’s concerned, and follow the lead of the many countries which have banned cigarette smoking in all public buildings (including hotels), all public indoor and outdoor spaces, anywhere near children and shopping centres, on and near public transport etc etc etc.

The environment is clean and tidy, the service is thoughtful and attentive, and the check-in experience was fantastic.

The guesthouse is placed in the middle of Suzhou ancient city, in a picturesque and silent street. The house is very beautiful, the furniture are elegant, there is also a smart toilet and disposable items. Unfortunately there were not bath towels but paper ones. There was no front desk at all, even if specified in the property description. We arrived at 13 (frontdesk time 8-19) but nobody was there and we didn't receive anything on the trip.com chat. When we called the property, they answered us only in Chinese and then sent us a weChat Qr code. They wrote us only in Chinese even if we were texting them in English. Fortunately weChat has a translation service, otherwise it would have been impossible for us to understand what to do. They gave then information about how to reach the property (even if we were already there) and gave us an access code that we were not able to use, since we didn't know the most important thing: the room number. Furthermore the access code changed anytime we go out (they said it's a problem related to non-chinese people) and was quite annoying to write them all the time on we chat. The room is very good though!

We arrived at night and walked from Dongliu subway station. There was no light outside and the road was pitch black, which was scary. After arriving, there was no light and we walked around in a circle. It was not easy to find. In fact, it is located near the southeast of the community and is easier to find during the day. The bed is right at the entrance of the room, and you can hear people coming and going in the corridor. The sound insulation is average. The newly opened hotel is fairly clean. There is a foul smell in the bathroom, I don’t know if it is related to the weather. There is a storefront at the west gate of the community where you can have breakfast. The advantage is the affordable price.

This hostel has a fantastic atmosphere, it's clean and tidy, and the common areas are cozy and comfortable. Most of the roommates are friendly young people, and everyone enjoys chatting and sharing travel stories. The location is super convenient for getting around and finding food, offering great value for money. Although the space isn't huge, it feels relaxed and easygoing. It's a great choice for solo travelers looking for a place to stay and meet like-minded people.