Zen Hostel - Beijing - Reviews & Contact Details

I stayed at this 'hostel' in August 2006. In fact, this hostel is known in Chinese as the Jin'an Hotel. The name Zen Hostelery isn't even displayed on the outside of the building. In fact, this is a very run down, Chinese-catering hotel. There were 2 front desk staff capable of speaking English (one well, one in broken English). The location is at least 20 - 30 minutes walk from Tian'anmen Square & The Temple of Heaven. There is no common room. Just the front lobby where you can sit in your underwear with the other guests. The internet facilities are awful - if you could use them or convince the free-loading chain smoking mates of the internet guy to get off their network game. That's if you could get in the room, as they lock it, and I suspect this is to stop interruptions to their network sessions. The rooms are grubby. On the surface clean, but that's about it. The best things about the hostel was the one friendly & helpful staff member that spoke English (I can speak Putonghua so I can gauge friendliness). She was the only bright spark in this dismal place and was able to help us book a private car to Mutianyu Great Wall Section on short notice. I wouldn't recommend this hostel. It is far from the description that is presented by websites I've seen about it. Traveller beware.

Not too sure how much you can trust a review that directs you to a website so here is an honest view from someone who has stayed there. (Also, the photos put on here are taken by the hotel - it didn't look like that! All the 'public' rooms are closed - perhaps they are just for show!) This hostel / hotel may well be fine IF YOU ARE A MANDARIN CHINESE SPEAKER, if not, stay somewhere in the touristy centre. It is in the hutong, which makes you very obvious if you are a western tourist. There is only one restaurant in the area and no cooking facilities in the hotel. As for English speaking, they have a temporary English speaker employed who was lovely, but we only saw her once in 6 days. The final straw was with their tour to the Great Wall which was a rip off. 260 RMB to visit jade factories etc. We complained about this and to be fair got 100 RMB each back, however, after that the hotel refused to help us any more - even refusing to call a taxi for us when we left to go to the train station. They have the idea that they would like to cater to budget western tourists, but they don't know how to do that at the moment. Honest opinion, this hotel is fairly cheap, but useless location and poor staff make other places a better choice. It was also very cold in April (no heating)! Stay at an HI hostel if you want budget accommodation with useful staff.

Just tried Zen at their NEW location and it was better than excellent. The price was way cheap and the location was surrounded by hutongs and near by 24hr internet bar and convenience stores. They take care of all your tour needs and made sure we got to all the best sights like Simitai and Forbidden city! booked for three days but ended up staying another week.

Nice hostel but terrible, terrible location. If only they could move.

Great Great place. I found my new home away from home in Beijing!

More than a hostel but priced just the same'

Zen Hostelry is the exciting new hostel concept everyone's been talking about. While major hotels around the world are raising prices and lowering standards of service; Zen is taking the backpacking travel industry by storm, providing quality accommodations immersed in culture and ambience, at a fraction of the cost.

Accommodations include well-appointed private, and dormitory rooms with 24 hour check in. Zen also has set aside special rooms for families traveling with children. The entire Zen complex is constantly and fastidiously maintained daily by our in house staff and personnel. Comfort and cleanliness are an aspect of Zen service that customers continue to appreciate. Zen is much more than a hostel but priced just the same.

Immerse yourself in Oriental ambiance. Zen offers highly knowledgeable, customized VIP style tours; taking you to every distinct corner of Beijing where other tours can't.
Let Zen helps you explore the nuances and mystery of the most famous city in China, all at the most incredibly affordable rates. Enjoy local Chinese and cultural performances like Chinese Gong Fu, acrobatics, Beijing opera, shadow puppet shows, an aquarium, and the Beijing zoo featuring the world famous panda bears of Peking.

Zen is located near convenient shopping and a multitude of Chinese restaurants. For your refreshment we offer several types of liquor, wine, beer, herbal tea as well as delicious Chinese snacks Also enjoy our internet bar, and a television with private long distance access phone in every room. Winding down after a long day of excitement, you can also order herbal therapy consultation, including Chinese traditional medical care, and Zen style Chi Gung treatments, making the day smoother still.

We are bilingual and expat managed so language is never a barrier. The Zen philosophy always encourages relaxation, and a chance to meet new friends while following your dreams…

'Once you find Zen you'll never look back….Zen today, work tomorrow'