I stayed in the Tianlun Songhe Hotel for 5 days for a business meeting. My room was paid by my host so I don't know how much they paid for it, but it struck me as a good 3.5* to 4* hotel. If anything it was a more chinese version of the western chains which otherwise abound in this area.
The location is ideal, steps aways from shopping and 10 minutes walk from Tiananmen.
Staff throughout the hotel were courteous, attentive and responsive. Any issues I had were dealt with promptly and efficiently.
I found the room I had was very spacious, reasonably, but not luxoriously equipped. The room was kept nicely clean, as was the bathroom. Nice big TV set, only English news was CNN, no BBC. The BBC website was also censored and not available over the Internet.
Internet access in the rooms was through a power line modem (and didn't use a USB port as claimed by the hotel instructions). You simply connected it straight to your Ethernet port. Had to pay a CNY 500 refundable deposit for the modem.
The buffet restaurant was OK, but certainly nothing to write home about and the food was always the same. One previous reviewer complained about the food not being hot - that is normal. In China, food is nearly always served lukewarm. That of course, doesn't mean it hasn't been cooked, only that it is served that way.
I would certainly recommend the hotel for its location and pleasant staff.

Background: 5 days in Beijing after having spent 3 days in Xi'an. Wife and I are in our 30's. We speak and read Mandarin. First trip to Beijing. Looking for a functional but comfortable hotel. We aren't used to having our rooms cleaned for us, and weren't expecting to have hotel restaurant food, room service, or even to have organised tours.

We had the hotel name printed out earler. The taxi from Beijing West train station had no problems findng the hotel. Although he did have to make a U-turn in a narrow road -- not sure why.

We were worried that it was a smalllish hotel, compared to Tianlun Dynasty and Crowne Plaza, both 100m away on the same road. Reception was a little slow and chilly, both on checking in and checking out. Maybe it was understaffed during those times. Language skills were useful: we witnessed other tourists having difficulties when their requests went beyond "checkin/checkout". Functional, though. During our stay, we later came down to chat about the available tours (we didn't take any in the end), and to set up Internet in our room, and they were helpful then. They accepted the usual credit cards, including Diners.

The room we got was also functional. Small/medium: TV, remote, armchair, 2 single beds, sidetable in between, minibar, cool/hot water dispenser (boils on request I think), desk with lots of drawers, luggage rack, cupboard, safe. Toilet, sink, shower in bathtub blah. Blockout curtains. There's a locked door connecting to the neighbour's room. No problems with smells, or ventilation. Outside the window was construction, but no sound. Not sure why. There aren't as many trees around the building as seems to be on the photos.

It's not extravagant. Everything wooden (i.e. door, cupboard, desks) looked a little "80's" and shabby. All dark wood too: When the curtains were closed (at night) the room became quite dark even with the lights on, making it difficult to read/write at the desk. Since there were 2 of us, the armchair with footrest was nice, while we took turns to use the desk. There were powerplugs of all sorts on the walls -- British, Australian, and US ones. Although they did need 3 prongs for the Australian plugs.

One evening, we could hear the male neighbour singing, through the thin wall/locked door, which worried us. Thank goodness that lasted only a couple of hours.

Bonus: there was a notice on the desk that said we could rent from reception a USB appliance that attached to the powerplug that would also provide Internet in the room. There was a 500Y refundable guarantee fee, and a 50Y/daily fee. This was not advertised when we made our booking, and if it was USB, it was unlikely that we would have network drivers for my Mac OS X PowerBook. Turns our that 1. the daily fee was already included in our room rates, 2. it was ethernet to power, not USB. 3. included in the bundle was a power extension cable with additional sockets. We had to pay the 500Y, which was OK, and refunded at the end. Worked with my PowerBook without drivers. Excellent! We got to read Tripadvisor etc to plan our days, send/receive emails, and upload photos every evening etc.

We weren't too interested in taking organised group tours, but sought a car to Mutianyu Great Wall. There is a travel counter at the hotel which would organise a private tour in a deluxe car for 700Y (they have a printed price list for many locations). We went out instead, and organised a trip with a normal Beijing cab for 500Y (to/fro, and wait for us at the wall). The hotel would organise a rented car to/fro Simatai for us for > 1000Y. The printed prices seemed a little high, and we didn't try to haggle.

The hotel location is good. Wangfujin shopping didn't appeal to use much, but we did take a peek. It's there and we budgeted some time to look around, but never properly made it. Within walking distance are: Wangfujin Bookstore, Wangfujin food lane, Donghuamen food street, Forbidden City/Tiananmen/Beihai area. Quanjunde Beijing Roast duck has a branch along Wangfujin closeby -- went there twice. Oriental Plaza (where Hyatt is), has lots of franchise food shops that are nice, yet not pricey (by foreigners standards). A meal was usually 30-40Y for 2 of us. We ate at different shops a lot.

The subway station is about 10-15 minutes down Wangfujin Street (between Oriental Plaza, and Beijing Hotel) -- probably a third or a quarter the distance to actual Tiananmen Square itself. I *estimate* that the Square is about 2.5km from the hotel, so it's not just next door.

Food was not included in our hotel rates, and we weren't too interested in the idea. Opposite the hotel is a franchise modern-type Chinese restaurant. Funnily the morning and evening service is totally different. Including staff uniforms, food types, and method of ordering food. There are menus with pictures on them in the afternoon/evening only. Morning seems a little more fast paced, and we order/pay at a counter, then collect at a 2nd counter. Tricky, but we watched others, and everything turned out ok. It's good and cheap enought that we could've gone there everyday. There's also a McDonalds 100m away that opens at 7am, and a supermarket right next to that too (look for a sign and an arrow painted on the wall).

On our last day, we suddenly realised that we could've had Mongolian hotpot right at the hotel restaurant, and not too pricey too. Made our mouths water, but too late: we were leaving. We would probably have gone for another round of Quanjunde Beijing Duck (it's that good).

We had our room cleaned every other day (i.e. twice in total). No problems there, but we did put the 12" G4 PowerBook in the roomsafe. Anything larger wouldn't have fit IMHO.

Lots of legal 1.60Y cabs on the street outside the hotel, when we made trips to Summer Palace (50Y) and Airport (about 100Y, can't remember). We didn't bother asking the hotel staff to hail us one. There was also a bus stop about 10m away from the hotel, which maybe we could have tried to use, but didn't.

We paid 578Y for a "deluxe standard room", on Asiatravel -- just about the upper limit of what we wanted to pay. The picture there is accurate, although in reality, things are darker and there is no rose in the bed.

I'd recommend the hotel to my friends, if they aren't looking for too many amenities. I'd stay there again, but only after some price hunting. The location, and unadvertised internet-in-room is a major bonus.

My husband and I stayed at the TianLun SongHe for 5 nights last week. We paid RMB538 each night. The hotel was quite old and furniture in the room had seen better days. The room was of reasonable size but the bathroom was small. I found the bed very hard and had trouble sleeping the first night but my husband was ok. I think, most importantly, the room was clean. We liked the water-dispenser (hot/cold) and it gets refilled everyday.

SongHe enjoys a great location just off WangFuJing. When you come out from the hotel & turn left, you will find WangFuJing (pedestrian street). To the right, you will find many food outlets (mainly Shanghainese/Taiwanese type plus a MacDonald's). At right end, you will find another main street (DongSi meaning East Four) which houses boutiques/salons/more eateries. Not many tourists in this part. Hence, the stuff they sell is different from WangFuJing which has all the malls, fastfood and the bigger brands. But for bargain hunting, I think nothing beats Silk Street market. Lots of fake LVs, Pradas, Gucci and Polo Ralph Lauren shirts. Also good for children's clothes. Be prepared to bargain though - we always walked off and got called back :P

Hotels in the vicinity:
Next door, also a TianLun hotel but the TianLun Dynasty. I think you will need to pay RMB 700-800 'cos it's newer and more luxurious. Opposite the TianLun Dynasty is the Holiday Crowne Plaza which is another new/luxurious hotel. About 2 blocks down, there is the Taiwan hotel, Novotel Peace and a Lee Garden apartment. All in very convenient locations just off WangFuJing pedestrian street. But depending on the class of hotel, the price of local tour packages may also be different. I paid RMB300 for a one-day tour to Badaling and SiSanLing while tour-mates staying at TianLun Dynasty paid RMB320. The really grand hotels like Grand Hyatt, Beijing Hotel, are at the southern end of WangFuJing and sits on top of the subway. At the northern end is the Prime Hotel which is a little way off.

My partner and I stayed at the Tianlun Songhe Hotel in Beijing for seven nights from 3/1/06-3/8/06. We chose this hotel based on the location and the reviews we had read. As many people have said, the hotel is in an excellent location and is just around the corner from Wangfujing, a major "shopping street."

Upon our arrival to the hotel, we were immediately checked in and given a room on the 10th floor. The rooms are of average size and not small like some people have reported. The room was clean and featured a water dispenser which we did not use, a mini-refrigerator stocked with some food/drinks, a color tv which featured about 60 stations including CNN, HBO and CCTV, and controls between the beds for the tv and individual lights for the bed, a very nice touch. On top of the stand between the beds were "adult supplies" such as condoms, etc. There were also overpriced snacks in the room which were for sale but many of them were outdated. There were also two pairs of slippers in addition to phone books.

The bathroom was of average size and featured more things you could purchase such as a razor, salts for baths, lotions, etc. The free items in the bathroom were combs, shampoo and soap. There were two bathrobes hanging on the door but we never used them and they were removed from the room after the first day. The bathroom was clean and the water pressure was FANTASTIC! The towels were nice, thick and absorbent and were restocked every day.

When we entered the room we noticed that it was very warm. So, we attempted to turn on the air conditioner. Unfortunately, it only emitted warm air and the windows in the room were sealed shut. So, we just turned off the heater all together and never used it during our entire stay. This was really our only complaint about the room. Oh, yeah, the room also featured a comfortable chair with a foot stool in addition to a desk and chair.

My partner loves buffets and on the third night we ate in the hotel's buffet restaurant on the second floor. As I began to walk around and look at the dishes offered, I must say that I was not impressed. To make a long story short, I ended up getting food poisoning and was vomiting approximately one hour later.

The food in the hotel's buffet is not properly heated and none of the food I put on my plate was warm. While I'm not really picky about buffets, the food in this restaurant was simply not good and because I ended up getting sick, I would not recommend that you eat in the hotel's buffet, or any hotel's buffet for that manner. When the heat for the trays is not properly maintained, bacteria will rapidly spread. Be very careful if you decide to eat there. We did not eat in any of the other restaurants in the hotel for fear of getting sick again. However, throughout our stay at the hotel, there seemed to be plenty of hotel guests eating at the buffet. I hope they had better luck than I did.

The hotel also advertises that it has internet access in the rooms, but you have to "sign up" to be able to use the hotel's modem, and the charge is simply a rip-off. We attempted to use the computers in the hotel's business center, but their computers are outdated and we weren't even able to sign onto AOL to check our e-mail. The woman working in the business center was very gracious and kind.

There is an internet cafe located close to the hotel. When you exit the hotel, turn to the right until you get to the first major street. From there, turn to the left and walk for approximately 2-3 minutes on the left side of the road. Look inside the businesses as you walk past them and you'll eventually see a coffee bar which has a lot of computers set up. It is sort of difficult to see and we walked right past it a couple of times. For 12 yuan, or approximately $1.50, you get a nice cup of real Colombian coffee and an hour on the internet, not such a bad deal. The woman working in the cafe is very nice.

Directly across the street from the hotel is a Chinese fast food chain restaurant that is quite good. If you go in for breakfast, proceed to the counter to order and pay for your food. Once you have done so, you take the receipt to another part of the counter to pick up your food. If you go there for lunch or dinner, you'll be seated immediately and then presented with a picture menu. The waitress will write down your order, take your money, and then bring your change and receipt a few minutes later. A meal for two at this restaurant only cost about $3-4, a GREAT deal! We highly recommend the pork-filled sandwiches in clay oven baked bread, and the grilled dumplings for breakfast...all super cheap!

When you exit the hotel and walk to the right, you'll find another Chinese fast food restaurant which was also quite good. Here the wait staff at the register will give you an English menu to look at and are very helpful in helping you figure out what you want. The food here was also super cheap and very good. Unlike the other restaurant directly across from the hotel, this one features a western-style breakfast. The fried rice and sausage was quite good. They also have fried eggs.

The people working the concierge desk at the hotel were very helpful and always there to answer your questions. If you ask them for a taxi, though, they will most definitely put you in the most expensive one. There were almost always taxis sitting in front of the hotel next to the street, but be sure to say "meter" before getting in to make sure that they will turn it on. Don't get in until you are sure they are using a meter. We had the hotel book us a taxi for our trip to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and it cost us 500 yuan, or about $62. It was well worth it. The concierge person said that was the going rate but one might be able to make the trip via taxi for a cheaper price should you search out a taxi on your own. Whatever you do, don't pay more than 500 yuan for a 6-8 hour rental.

The taxi drivers do not speak English so as you're on your way out of the hotel, stop by the concierge desk, tell them where you want to go, and they'll give you a card with the destination written in Chinese. Do not get into any taxis if they do not have a price sticker in one of the windows. Those without stickers are most likely unofficial taxis and you'll probably end up getting ripped off.

Across the street from the hotel and a bit to the left is a place to get a foot massage. It cost 128 yuan per person, approximately $16, for about 80-90 minutes and it was well worth it. They'll massage your feet in ways that you never thought imaginable.

The hotel apparently has a recreation room but we never had any interest in looking for it. So, in the end, would we stay at the Tianlun Songhe Hotel again? Yes! Would we recommend it to others? Yes! If you're looking for luxury, then look elsewhere. If you're looking for a clean, adequate hotel in a great location, then the Tianlun Songhe Hotel fits the bill! Our trip to Beijing was AWESOME and we look forward to visiting China again someday! Have a great time!