To maximise my three-week trip to China, I decided on another holiday in Zhengzhou after Wuzhen and Suzhou. Zhengzhou is a very populous city in central China and if you’ve not heard of it before, it’s fairly close to the world-famous Shaolin Temple.
I consulted a couple of friends and both recommended Le Meridien Zhengzhou to me, and the online reviews seem to concur. Thanks to Marriott’s policy I got points for all three rooms and even better it fell in the Q1 promotion’s window.
The hotel is located at the edge of the old and new parts of the city. The surrounding area is relatively quiet, but transport is convenient: a metro station is nearby, and it was easy to hail a taxi. There’s a large shopping mall next door, and behind its back is a vibrant food street, so overall, the location is fairly convenient.
Opened in 2013 the hotel was known at the time for its trendy architectural style and artistic flair. It’s not showing its age in many places, but I could still see the charm in its bar and restaurant.
I booked three rooms in total: one standard twin and two club twin rooms. After reaching out to the hotel in advance, they were kind enough to upgrade me to two club king rooms, plus one club business twin room, all on the top floor (28th).
This is the king room:
The business twin was surprisingly spacious considering it wasn’t a suite, possibly one of the largest non-suite rooms I’ve seen at a hotel.
The layout, however, was a bit odd. The desk and mini-fridge were squeezed into a corner by the entryway, which made it feel slightly cramped despite the room’s overall size.
It’s a shame how half of the floor-to-ceiling window is blocked by the beds.
The hotel isn’t far from Zhengzhou’s landmark Big Corn, but my room didn’t have the correct aspect.
The bathroom:
What really stood out, unfortunately, was the poor air circulation. When I first entered, the room felt stuffy and had a faint musty smell. It got a little better as the weather cooled down later in the day, but even then, the air quality remained a bit off. I’m not overly sensitive to these things, but it was noticeable.
Zhengzhou is a cheap city and hotel prices are genuinely affordable. Even my last-minute bookings were around 400-500 CNY per night. Interestingly, club rooms cost only about 100 CNY more, with the add-on of breakfast and lounge access. It just makes no sense not to opt for the club rooms, unless you already have Marriott status.
Breakfast is provided in the main restaurant.
Breakfast spread is very good and we all left with a full stomach on both days. One surprise is the sauteed eggs with bitter squash, which I haven’t had for quite a while.
One local “delicacy” is the 胡辣汤, or hot or sour soup, and make sure you try some although many people aren’t used to it.
Club lounge is located on the 27th floor.
Afternoon tea is served from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM, offering only fruits and pastries.
Happy hour runs from 5:30pm to 8:00pm, featuring five to six hot dishes that change daily. During my stay, I saw:
- Sauteed seasonal vegetables
- Lettuce and port stir-fry
- Garlic sprouts and port stir-fry
- Braised duck
- Fried noodles
- Fried rice
- Chicken popcorn
- Rose pastries
- Mung bean soup
- Red bean porridge
- Mixed grains
It’s roughly what you’d expect at a standard club lounge in China. Alcohol:
The fitness centre is on the fifth floor and features a unique indoor circular track.
There’s also a heated swimming pool.
Gym:
Male and female changing rooms each have their own jacuzzi and sauna.
However, the staff’s professionalism left much to be desired. They didn’t proactively provide towels or locker keys, causing us to exit and re-enter. We struggled to operate the jacuzzi, and when we asked for assistance, the staff seemed unsure. Eventually, we discovered that it required staff activation.
Similar to my experience at Alila Wuzhen, my two-night stay at Le Méridien Zhengzhou was average. I don’t quite understand why many consider it the “flagship” Le Méridien in China. However, given the affordable room rates, I won’t complain.
If possible, I recommend booking a suite at Le Méridien Zhengzhou: it’s only about 200 CNY more than a standard room and from what’ve heard it’s a lot better in quality.
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