JI Hotel (Xinyangshi Zhengfu Wanda Plaza)

A large shopping centre (Wanda Plaza) is next door with a huge array of Chinese franchised food outlets alongside KFC and Starbucks. A good spread of affordable to prestige clothing brands as well. Many empty shops, though, point to economic stresses in this market. The breakfast is standard Chinese hotel fare so if you're expecting a range of gourmet cereals and breads you'll be disappointed. Turning to the room itself. No room clock and a huge television screen that turns on every time you put your key in the slot are minor annoyances. The television screen has no apparent access to audio-visual inputs which seems a wasted opportunity to me. I want to watch my own media on the television screen. The room is a good size and quite quiet. The bed was firm but not hard. Blackout curtains work well and windows can be partially opened. I observed that any non-smoking regulation was not observed by all guests. Perhaps in the major markets that's more enforced. There is no laundry service as far as I could tell. The shower stall is my main concern and this might apply only to my room. The drain is VERY slow and the recess quickly fills with water. The floor is flat, so water does not naturally flow to the drain, leaving the shower recess always wet and a potential mould hazard. No complaints from me about the lack of staff who speak English. This is a new hotel catering mainly to Chinese travellers. While I have some concerns about the standard of building construction finish I can't fault the staff for their attentiveness and friendliness. If the location suits you the value is obvious. Note that guest rooms are on floors 18 and 19 so expect to spend some time waiting for the slow lift.