Hot sure whether to rewiew the HWA as a hotel - essentially it's an appartment that offers all the benefits of your own living space but no luxury you would associate with a hotel.

We reserved a VIP 2 bedroom suite (at the cost, why not!) and got exactly what we expected; two comfortable bedrooms & bathrooms, a sitting and dining area and a fully equipted kitchen (including microwave).

Reception in the appartment is small and functional and not especially quick - make sure you're not in a hurry when you're checking out.

Room comes equipted with a pc and broadband connection which is useful for catching up on international news (and internal chinese news - everything on the tv is censored, including CNN being blacked out every time China is mentioned.)

Beds too soft for my liking - unusual for asia. Good space in room and good bathroom attached with shower over tub - only for those of 1.6m and under though...

Kitchen had washer/dryer which was fantastic after 10 days travelling aroud China - just a bit difficult to work out the settings in Mandarin!

Housekeeping was poor - cleanliess levels reminding me more of home than a hotel!

Fresh fruit provided every day - regardless of whether the previous day's had been eaten. We ended up with a small mountain of oranges and apples - perhaps we could have sold it at one of the markets?

Appts have pool and "gym" in the basement - basic is probably an overstatement. The changing area / showers are in a poor state of repair. There's also a snooker room and a couple of table tennis tables.

HWA is in the Xidan area with loads of malls and food courts hearby - no shortage of shopping / eating for those whom need a western hit ( Within two blocks there are three McD's , two KFC's and 4 Starbks!). Lots of street stalls for snacks immediately outside.

Main entrance is 5 mins to Xidan metro or 20 mins walk to Tian'anmen Sq / Forbidden city. Taxi rank outside for quick escape anywhere (assuming you've escaped the grasp of reception)

HWA is not a hotel - it's an appartment which you useas a base while travelling Beijing and its environs - but a good value appartment that does exactly what it claims.

This is an apartment style business hotel in the Xidan shopping area...the hotel is near lots of shops and fast food restaurants and a 10 min walk to the nearest subway...I would recommend this hotel for those on a budget looking for a hotel that's in a good location. There is also a taxi stand right outside the hotel. The rooms are apartment style so they are very big (like a one bedroom apartment). The front desk staff can speak English and can help you with all the basic questions you need...breakfast is included and so is internet access (both very useful)...there is also laundry facilities where the washing machine is free but you have to pay $1 for the dryer...you have to buy your own detergent yourself from outside the hotel. The hotel itself is in a shopping arcade...there is a 24 hr McDonald's and a regular KFC within 1 min walk of the hotel...I recommend this for picky eaters...the hotel and room itself was very clean. Room service cleans the room everyday and when I asked for more towels they happily brought those. (Also when I locked my key card in the room I went to the front desk and they told me to go back and wait outside my room where someone promptly came to open the door for me) The breakfast served was a mix of western and Chinese offerings...it does a good job of staring your day on the right foot...if I was to go back to Beijing again I would definitely stay here again for its good location and great value.

Great appartment, only the equipment for the kitchen was very poor. Calling the reception they told us that only the 9th floor has fully equipment. But with a knive, three forks and three spoons and two plates we can arrange a simple Dutch meal. After several day only chinese food it is a pleasure to eat a Dutch Breakfast of Lunch. You can buy food in the Wal-Mart, with the bus 5 stops (102 and 109) to the south of Beijing. It will costs you 1 Yuan for 1 trip.

The beds are indeed hard, but not the hardest in China :). The hotel in Chengde is the best.

The breakfast is not poor, but for Chinese people. There are not much Europeans or Americans in this hotel. I only can say the next trip when we will stay in this hotel. The surrounding is typical modern chinese. On Saterday you can walk over the heads of chinese buying people.

We stayed here in a two bedroom apartment for six nights. For a family of four it was excellent value at 900RMB including breakfast. Although the breakfast was the usual chinese affair and most days we had pancakes and sausage mcmuffins at one of the nearby Mcdonalds.
The rooms are large with two bathrooms and a kitchen. We had an extra bed put in the spare room for 80 RMB, trying to book online for four people was difficult as the max capacity online was always three people. The decor like a lot of chinese hotels was a bit shabby in places, I don't think they like to do much maintenance. The best thing about the hotel was the bed, it was one of the most comfortable I have slept in anywhere, however it did make it difficult to get out of in the morning. The gym and pool area is a bit of a mish mash. The pool is nice but the squash courts have ping pong tables in them and the gym equipment is pretty old. However it does have a bench with a good selection of weights and an olympic bar. Internet access is available in the room and the hotel will supply a cable.
There are plenty of good restaurants nearby, western and chinese. Nothing really flash but plenty of variety. The basement of the nearby Grand Pacific shopping centre has a number of good places to eat.
The metro is very close and there is a taxi stance outside the door.
It is possible to walk to the forbidden city but I wouldn't recommend it. You need all your energy to view the sites there, so it's best to avoid expending it on a not very scenic walk to the gate.
I would definitely stay here again if I was traveling with my family. It would also be suitable for a group traveling together.