Review: Sheraton Changsha Hotel

Very interesting review, Ben, especially your brief comments at the end about the city. We're actually looking forward to visiting a "second tier" city, as we greatly enjoyed our time wandering around Hangzhou last year. It's fun not seeing a lot of other western tourists, and the local folks were very friendly and hospitable, despite language barriers.

We sadly relinquished our SPG Plat status, and retain Hilton Diamond and IHG Platinum Ambassador. We first booked the IC, but read cautions that it's lovely but quite a ways from everything. We've moved to the Crowne Plaza and bought our way up to a Club Executive room. We still have our SPG account and some points, so we could probably do the same at the Sheraton if there were compelling reasons. All three properties get good reviews on TA and elsewhere.

If anybody can offer comments or comparisons on the IC and Crowne Plaza I'd appreciate it.

Glad to hear you liked the food. Not many people will have heard of Changsha but most have probably heard of Hunan, the province of which Changsha is the capital, from some Chinese restaurant or other. Hunanese cuisine is definitely one of the great ones in China - many dishes have a lot of heat, but there's also a great variety of flavors.

Hi there Ben,

Typically in the colder areas (in the winter) in China. The government provides the central heating facilities to all the buildings in the city. Changing the thermostat to cold is next to impossible during those months. Best tip is to ask the hotel if they can open the window if thats possible.

Hey Lucky,

Great review! It should be interesting to see why Starwood are building so many properties there and if this is a sign of future huge investments to the city.

One small question, I know it may seem slightly irrelevant, but what is a Hilton Garden Inn, and what are the main differences between a Hilton Garden Inn and a normal Hilton?

My family and I are staying in one in a couple of weeks and would love to know how it's like.

Thanks!

There was a Chinese New YORK money?! 😉

I think you just went at the wrong time. During Chinese New Year, almost nothing is opened.

You should have spent more time using more of the hotel's facilities. lol.

Re: Citi Prestige card--Ben have you checked your retention offers on the card recently? They bumped my earning to 4 additional TYP on airfare, car rental agencies, travel agencies, and hotels upto 35k additional points for six months after a call last week. Seven TYP for hotels and flights would be nice given how much you use the card!

I don't think you should underestimate the number of Western business people to a place like Changsha. I wasn't there for business either but I was coincidentally another Platinum 100 member there during the New Year week. And I wasn't upgraded to a suite (which yes was unusual relative to my experiences in other second and third tier cities).

I spent three nights (almost literally because I slept during the day and roamed the city after sunset) in Changsha for my 2013 Year-end Asian Escapade(TM) . I also stayed at Sheraton Changsha on points as a SPG Gold, which I rode get a large corner room.

My impression of the Sheraton was that it was nice enough but "dated". What I would like to rectify, and I do take into account @Lucky's caveat that he was there over the "Spring Festival" (commonly known as the Chinese New Year), is the impression that Changsha is not a "happening" city. I was there in December and as stated, I slept days and roamed the city at night. What was notable about the nightlife in Changsha was the large number of nightclubs (YUGE inside and packed almost every night), regular and karaoke bars, electronic games arcades, movie theaters and restaurants that remained open quite late, with streets that were filled with people until dawn (population of the city is > 5M). This Wikipedia entry explains the night scene:

"In recent years, Changsha has become an important creative center for TV and entertainment arts, with its many TV stations producing some of the most popular programs in China, including Super Girl. These programs have also brought a new entertainment industry, including singing bars, dance clubs, theater shows, as well as related businesses like hair salons, fashion stores, and hot spicy snacks at night(esp. in the summer time). While Changsha has developed into an entertainment hub the city has also become increasingly westernized and attracted a growing number of foreigners"

Going to Changsha? Do not plan it around the "Spring Festival" and be sure to turn into a night owl for the most fun. And make sure you savor the world-famous hot and spicy Hunan Cuisine, the center of which is Changsha, the Provincial Capital of Hunan...yum!

I love Changsha (in fact, it is my favorite place in the PRC to visit), and it will be nice to stay in the Sheraton next time I am in town. Thanks for the review!

Impressive toilet

In there defense I assume that fax machine was also a copier, printer and scanner as well?

Lucky, if you like your room to be cold, have you been to the Conrad Hong Kong? We had to switch rooms because it never cooled down with the thermostat as low as it would go. And the second room still was only marginally better. This was in July, and that building has nothing between it and the sun for most rooms.

@Fredd
I'm also booked in a club-level room at the Crowne Plaza. It appears to be the best-located hotel in town for tourism/eating/shopping. (But not nearly as nice as the IC or Kempinsky.). I found this site; worth a look: http://www.wnichangsha.com

Well not only Changsha but even Shanghai is dead during the Chinese New Year so ...

@Jjmpdx
Thanks!

I chose the Crowne Plaza as well 4/1 - 4/4 due to its proximity of public transit. Now lets just hope the flight is not early or late so my driver is easy to find.

Hello Ben
Very interesting and informative report about your trip and stay in Changsha
Bringing back memories during my stay there in 2011 apparently you arrived during spring holiday and the city will be deserted for sure.
There's a lot to see and do around and not so far away, like Jianjenshi for instance but requires time,more closely to the city there is West lake with the biggest Chinese restaurant in the world, the pedestrian street, the bar street, etc,etc, very safe everywhere at all hours,I lived there for one month and since I have family there ( my Nephew ) I really enjoyed going out all day, every day exploring.
My nephew has been living and working in China for about ten years
and he created the first in Changsha information engine for expats, visitors and netizens as well, perhaps mentioning his Web page will help other foreigners visiting Changsha bring a better experience of their travel.
Check WNIC ( what's new in Changsha ) and this is their 3rd year in business ,it's worth look at.
I flew Hainan Airlines from Changsha to Urumqui,Changsha to Xi An, Changsha to Shanghai and the service was excellent, nothing to compare or even expect from the US carriers.
Let me know if this is helpful.
Have a safe travels. !

Great Review!
Thank you for staying.
Now there are a lot of more international hotels and the city has improved a lot for real!!