THE SEBEL XI NING – Managed by Sofitel

I would like to show my gratitude to Mr. YAN XUDONG for his help and patience. Mr. YAN provide great information when I was still uncertain about what kind of room I should book for my family, which has 3 people. Upon his information, we got a two-bedroom apartment in The Sebel and it was pleasant to stay. The Sebel was located at the busiest places in Xining and numbers of big shopping centers are within walking distance. Various restaurants and bars ensure that we can have plenty of choices and colorful nightlife. We would also recommend the restaurant called Du nord-ouest in SOFITEL which was a good place to try the traditional cuisine. What keeps me impressed is still the service of the staff. Mr. YAN welcomed us in the lobby and helped us check in warmly. During our stay, all staffs are very helpful and get ready for whatever we requested. I enjoyed every moment in The Sebel Xining because of the wonderful care provided by every staff of the hotel. The Sebel Xining is definitely the no.1 hotel and I will stay again!

We got a two-bedroom apartment for two couples. It was great to have a clothes washer (no dryer but there's a hanging line in the shower). And having a living room to hang out in while having private bedrooms and bathrooms was really nice. The price was very reasonable from an American viewpoint.

Glad to check-in this sebel in summer vacation. Near the shopping mall and restaurants. The room is clean and big enough. I like the gym and swimming pool here, included sauna. Mr. ZHANG is warmhearted and polite. In one word, very recommended.

Getting from the airport to the hotel was not that easy as no-one we encountered at the airport spoke sufficient English to help us. In the end we managed to get a taxi for RMB 130. We learnt that we needed to take route descriptions in Chinese in Xining as compared to other cities little English is spoken.On our way back we took the hourly shuttle which was convenient. Check-in was smooth and we were upgraded to a 2 bedroom apartment at the top floor. The apartment was really for royalty: spacious, refined and well maintained. Breakfast at the hotel was great: a large variety of Chinese and Western breakfast items of high quality. Diner at the restaurants at night was good. The hotel is in an area with a lot of shops and restaurants. At night the area is colorfully lit and attracts a lot of people: a fun place to be. Eating at the restaurants was a bit hard as there we couldn't find one with an English menu. Two minor downsides: at this international hotel we found many of the staff members had difficulty communicating in English which made interaction sometimes quite hard. Furthermore the day before checking out, they already charged my creditcard without my consent. As they first made an incorrect booking which they corrected, it felt even worse. In the end these were mihor things and The Sofitel/Sebel (all part of the same complex) is the place to be in Xining but be prepared for some language difficulties in- and outside the hotel if you don't speak Chinese.

The facilities are on par with what I expect of a property of Sofitel (with which this is affiliated and physically connected), and far exceeds what I expected in a city like Xining. While somewhat plush in style, the design and services are not always thoughtful. For example, beautiful marble bathroom, but no place to put soap or shampoo in the shower, so we had to put them on the floor. When we sought assistance in reserving restaurants, the reception downstairs was utterly unhelpful. We then went to the Sofitel Concierge, and even after we showed the restaurant we wanted on Baidu Map, the concierge on duty (Eric Li) insisted that it was closed. It was not closed: it was a Sunday night and the restaurant (which was a 5-minute from the hotel) was quite busy, in fact. The breakfast buffet was quite plentiful, with both Chinese and Western offerings.