This is a lovely hotel with kind, welcoming staff. I read some reviews saying the rooms are very old etc, but I don't see how that makes this hotel any less great - the rooms are still clean and well maintained. I arrived in Xi'an after 48 hours of hectic traveling due to a missed train, and the staff at Meihao Hotel were very welcoming, were happy to use translation apps to communicate with me. The room was large, with a view of the neighbourhood outside (mostly just traffic jams haha, but that's Xi'an). The location may not be super ideal for some as it isn't in the city centre, but honestly it was no inconvenience at all, as the nearest subway station is a brisk walk away -- about 5-7 minutes. If you're arriving by train and carrying a lot of heavy luggage, then yes, coming via subway might be a bit of a challenge (but not impossible!)
The housekeeping staff especially were very warm and kind. Thank you for always brightening my day when I walked by you all.
A few hours after I checked in, a lovely staff member knocked on my door and offered me a small bowl of soup. I was very confused as I hadn't ordered anything, but upon seeing other guests were receiving this too, I gladly accepted. It was such an unexpected, kind gesture -- this hotel truly knows how to make one feel welcome.
I fell ill on the second day of my stay, and thankfully the room was so comfortable, I could recuperate well. My only complaint is that the bedsheets, comforter, pillowcases etc -- all the bedding essentially smells of cigarette smoke. I could also smell cigarette smoke from beyond my room's door at night. This was despite there being a clear sign in the room saying smoking was not allowed inside. Though this is certainly not something you can fault hotel staff for (if guests are adamant to smoke inside, what can housekeeping possibly do?), I just thought I would mention this for any other guests who might be very sensitive to the smell, perhaps you could request staff to rewash the bedding until the smoke smell is entirely gone.
After checking out, I also noticed there were some freebies that were part of my booking that I unfortunately missed out on :( There was meant to be welcome fruit, afternoon tea for two and a midnight snack, which I would have loved to try. There was no welcome fruit offered, but I did receive some refreshing juice when I arrived to check in -- it was a hot day and I was grateful for the welcome drink. For the other stuff, as I didn't realise it was part of the booking perks, I never asked, and consequently seem to have missed out.
I also want to say that aside from the rooms, the lobby area is quite lovely -- very tastefully decorated, peaceful, and I even saw they had some free coffee out for guests! I only noticed this when I was checking out though, and my taxi was already on the way to pick me up, so I could not indulge. Maybe it would be helpful if the reception staff could share all this info with guests when they check in, especially with the foreign guests who are already a bit confused and trying to get their bearings ^-^ Just a suggestion! Thank you for a nice stay. I will definitely be back again soon.
