Pullman Hotels in Taiyuan

Having lived in private residence at an overseas Pullman Hotel, this Pullman is different. Pros: - Very professional, presentable, helpful, prompt, and well spoken multi-lingual staff at reception and breakfast (staff member Ivo is exemplary of these qualities, also Zhao fengpei (gentlemen on the door who helped me with my bag and the car door), and the gentleman that was by the door at check-in who helped expedite the check-in process). - Comfy beds and pillows. - The softest and best bathrobes! - Yoga mat in the room in a nice touch Cons: - A general issue across most hotels is enforcing the non-smoking policy. Unfortunately there was a group of men smoking in the lobby (despite the non-smoking signs), one elevator smelled of cigarette smoke, the a/c seemed to recirculate this smell, and I had to change rooms the second day as the smell of old cigarette smoke was embedded into the pillows and you could smell it every time you walked into the room. Therefore it triggered my asthma. Although they were very busy, I was able to change rooms after the first night. - Unfortunately the executive lounge was not open and your only other option is the lobby. - No spa - Only one restaurant open at night and no room service - Is in need of more regular general maintenance Room for improvement: - While the lounge is unavailable it would be helpful to communicate this to your executive room guests when checking-in or on the booking website which it wasn’t. My husband had to prompt this conversation at check-in. But it was clear there was no set alternative, that is, just go to the lobby lounge and have what you like (no timing, no specifics). This led to confusion for the staff members in the lounge. To save time for staff and the customer, a simple bulleted list on an A4 sheet is what Kempinski do. Perhaps a note on the guests profile or the room number should suffice. - Slightly envious that the other reviewers were upgraded. We were supposed to be upgraded from the executive room for free as a platinum member but that never happened. However, it was good that Kelly offered the minibar, and some drinks and cakes at the lobby lounge as free. - Also, our first executive room 1710 was dark, windows were filthy, it was run down and had no Nespresso machine (compared to 1805 which was the same room type but a lot better).