The Bird vs. The American Hotel Chain

We are currently in Guangzhou. If you have ever stayed here in an adoptive manner, or have intended to, this post may be of interest to you. If you like to look at hotels, this post might interest you. If you don’t fall into any of those categories, you may choose to stay for my witty banter anyway.

So, traditionally, CCAI families stay at the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. Everyone adopting from China must come through Guangzhou because that’s where the U.S. Consulate is, and you have to go through the consulate to get your new child’s visa to enter the U.S. before returning home. Everyone gets all sentimental about the White Swan, and with good reason. It’s tradition. It’s ideally located on a lovely and safe and familiar-feeling tiny island. While spending your days waiting for paperwork to be processed and such, you can wander the streets of the island and bargain with local shopkeepers over souvenirs and keepsakes. You can enjoy parks, playgrounds, and lovely views of the Pearl River at night. The lobby is gorgeous with its waterfall, koi pond, jade carvings, bird cage, pagodas, red couches, and so on. I understand why people like to be there. I did remark (to much criticism), however, when we were here in December, that I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about. I mean, yes, the view from the teensy window in our room was nice, but I had no plans to cram myself in that corner to gaze out it all day when I could just go outside. The lobby was beautiful, but the room itself was outdated, and the bed was very uncomfortable, even by China hotel standards. Now, I know that at this point, I sound like a horrible snob, turning my nose up at a 5-star hotel, but that’s my opinion. Take it for what it is. We are not typically 5-start hotel people, and it’s definitely nicer than the last Days Inn or Super-8 we pulled into on an overnight roadtrip, but perhaps people had built it up in my mind so much that I was expecting harps and angel sounds everywhere we went.

All that to say, we are not at the White Swan this time. There was a general, collective gasp from the adoption world when we in this group (ok, well at least Deb & I) read that we were not going to be there. We are at the China Hotel, which is a Marriot hotel.

Carvings on the exterior walls

I was tentatively excited about this because we had stayed at the Hong Kong Marriot our last night in China last time, and it was really nice. So, I had hope… mainly for a comfier bed this time. I was curious though about what our stay would look like since we aren’t on the island. It has turned out to be a complete non-issue, I’m happy report, and in my opinion, this hotel exceeds the Swan in almost every way. I will give the Swan credit for location, but the Island is only a $3, 12 minute taxi ride away. I definitely think the view from our White Swan window is more lovely, but once again, I don’t spend my day staring out the window, so it’s not a big deal. 

Views from our window:

In fact, I kind of like looking out the window at the terraces of local apartments. It gives a better glimpse of life here… sort of. And then there’s that White Swan lobby with its fish and waterfalls, etc. Well, it’s prettier, but we were still able to walk in whenever we visited the island, and admire the fish and take pictures on the red couches, etc. So, we didn’t miss that part, really.

The China Hotel is really nice! The staff, a handful of whom are from the U.S., are genuinely nice. The nicest by far since we’ve been here… not that the other hotels were growly and mean. These guys just go above and beyond. The rooms are clean, fresh, and new-looking. The beds are really comfortable. Breakfast is amazing. There is a 4^th floor courtyard with a waterfall, a pond (with two whole fish) and a pagoda and bridge, a playground, tennis court, and little lounge area. I’m told the pool is great, but we haven’t gone swimming. The playroom is smaller than the White Swan’s, but it still works as a distraction when needed. 

 

Overall, I am very pleased that we got to stay here. The official word we were given was that the White Swan is “closed for renovations,” but we walked through several times and it was anything but closed. We really have no idea what the truth of the situation is. The hotel was packed, but instead of being full of adoptive families, as usual, it was all Chinese people. We were definitely the odd ones out. And in fact, the island itself was more “Chinese” this time. I realize that sounds funny to those of you who haven’t been here. Of course an island in China would be Chinese, but Shamian Island was different. Barely any cars coming through, as opposed to the crazy traffic of the outside city. Clear and safe sidewalks for wandering, instead of the people using the sidewalk for parking their cars. Things like this seem to be changing. I noticed a change even since December. I don’t know what is happening, and we still enjoyed our time visiting the island, but it was noticeably different.

So, that’s all. Two thumbs up for the China Hotel. If you happen to be in a travel group that plans to stay here and you’re feeling disappointed to miss the Swan, don’t be. This is a great hotel, and everything will be fine! I’m sure CCAI is getting plenty of disgruntled emails from people who are peeved to be here, but I intend to write them and say “You picked a good one, guys!”