Beijing | The design-conscious Conrad Hotel

Booked a basic room with Diamond membership, and the app quickly showed an upgrade to a higher room category. After an email discussion, got upgraded to a panoramic room. Arrived around noon, didn't see the concierge at the door, but the room was ready upon arrival, and they briefly introduced the Diamond membership benefits. The low-floor panoramic room provided was decorated for a birthday. The room was spacious enough, though the decor felt a bit dated and there was significant wear and tear in many places. The minibar included three coffee capsules, TWG tea bags, and the usual chargeable beverages and snacks. The turndown service included a blue Conrad teddy bear and a tasty birthday cake. The toiletries were not upgraded to larger bottles, but the little rubber duck was cute. The lounge offered afternoon tea, with a variety of pastries on the menu that could be freely mixed and matched, about five or six types. The Happy Hour wasn't very impressive, with a choice of one meat, one vegetable, one soup, and one main course. The lounge had a great view, but the service was unremarkable. Breakfast was served in the first-floor library restaurant, which was quite beautiful. The variety of breakfast was decent, and the taste was standard. The hotel's gym and swimming pool are on B2. The gym was of a moderate size with all the necessary equipment, and the swimming pool was connected to the gym, which was mostly empty. There was also a barbershop on the same floor. Without high expectations, the overall experience was acceptable. The hotel strictly upgrades Diamond members by one category, and on special occasions, you can negotiate an upgrade to a panoramic room. Parking is not free, and it's a 10-minute walk to the subway station. It's also not far from Sanlitun, so dining and drinking are not a worry, and Tuanjiehu Park is just across the street for an evening stroll. Diamond membership is worth it for a quick visit, but booking in other ways doesn't seem to offer great value for money.