The Ascott Beijing is perfect for those wanting to stay in a service apartment in the city, and for the added space you pay hardly anymore than for a hotel room. The Ascott is well appointed with large rooms and comfortable open spaces. It is also well situated in the Guo Mao area with a line of taxis behind for easy travel (easy being relative because as soon as you leave the hotel by taxi you enter the city's increasingly horrid traffic).

The Ascott also had an indoor pool which is useful in the cooler months and a good gym. There is even a massage centre right down stairs (not run by the hotel but they are permitted to go to your room).

The only issue - albeit an important one - I had with the Ascott Beijing was the quality of their beds - they were were just too hard. And when I say hard its not a matter of too firm, but actually too hard! You don't feel like you are getting any support which leads to unfulfilling sleep. For a service residence of this caliber this is certainly a disappointment and a reason why I may consider staying at the Ascott Beijing again. My rating for the hotel would otherwise be a "5" or excellent.

traveling to china four times annually since year 1998 and staying at 4 and 5 star rated hotels in beijing, i tried the ascott in 2003 as an alternative. the ascott provides the leisure and business traveler a refreshing alternative with the bonus of twice the floor space of a western style hotel suite. another attraction is the ascott's location. it is situated in the most desireable area of beijing known as choyang or the central business district where the center of government, shopping, and branded hotels are domiciled. the ascott may not have the name recognition of the western chains...yet; but if you need high speed internet, a convenient location, english speaking staff, and a spacious accomodation, you will be pleasantly surprised with this hidden jewel.

I just stayed at the Ascott with seven of my family members in June 2006, and we all thought that it was pretty nice. This is not really a hotel; it's a serviced apartment. So, it is meant to be used long-term by business travelers. The benefit for short-term travlers is that the Ascott has several different apartment configurations, and it is one of the few options in Beijing (that I know of) where larger groups can stay comfortably. We rented two apartments, each of which had two bedrooms and two bathrooms (1800Y a night). The apartments were tastefully decorated with full kitchens (granite countertops, stainless appliances, etc.). The service was very good, and the location is convenient -- behind the Motorola Building on the intersection of Jianguomen and Third Ring Road, kitty corner from the World Trade Hotel and the Guomao subway station. There's a Starbucks in the same building, and there are several places to eat. A Minsheng Bank is located right across the street from the lobby, which has an ATM machine that takes all the cards, and there is a 7-11 about 30 yards down the street -- nice when you need cold beer or water at all hours of the night.

Like many other properties in China, the quality of workmanship in the hotel rooms leaves something to be desired -- uneven grout lines, messy caulking, etc. If you've stayed at other hotels in China, you know exactly what I mean. This would be my one reservation about the place, but it didn't seem to bother people in our group. In other words, it's not a five-star hotel, but it's trying hard. The place still provides one of the best options for larger groups of people (On this, I agree with the earlier poster.). If you're interested, you can find photos online at the Ascott's website, which provide a reliable idea about how the apartments look.

My family recently returned from a 10 day tour in China - our 4 days at the Ascott Beijing made for a fantastic finale. We got all the creature comforts of a hotel (nice furnishings, linens and maid service) combined with the privacy and space of a large apartment.
We were a mixed group: two grandparents, three grandsons (11, 9, and 8 yrs old), their mom and me (the auntie). After 6 days in hotels and staying in 3 separate hotel rooms - with frequent calling between rooms to get organized for breakfast, dinner, etc - this luxurious apartment set up was a welcome change (and about the same price).
Our 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom apartment seemed new and extremely clean. There was a washer/dryer combo, but it was so slow that it was just better to send our laundry out to a service. The kitchen was well appointed & we could easily prepare our meals - the maid service helped finish up the dishes we inevitably left behind each morning.
For the kids, the big pool and hot tub were a blast - a much needed energy release every day. Very clean & pretty with big towels. For younger children there is a babypool, a playroom and for adults a nice gym.
The breakfast buffet that came with our room rate was not all that great, but we went a couple times anyway. Plus, it was fun to see some of the ex-pat families that basically live at the Ascott.
The location was pretty good, with a nice 'western' style market within walking distance.
I would highly recommend this hotel/apartment building for travelling families or groups. It was so much easier to communicate and coordinate, that we were more relaxed for the touring (and dealing with the terrible Beijing traffic).