Terracotta Tripping 2024

• Singapore Airlines SQ806 Singapore to Beijing – Business
• Qiuguo S Hotel (Beijing Capital Airport Second Branch)
• Air China Lounge (domestic departure), Beijing Capital Airport
• Air China CA1289 Beijing to Xi’an – Economy
• JW Marriott Xi’an
• Ritz Carlton Xi’an
• High Speed Train G58 Xi-an to Beijing – Business
• Comfort Zone, Beijing Capital Airport
• Air China Lounge (international departure), Beijing Capital Airport
• Singapore Airlines SQ801 Beijing to Singapore – Business

This I believe was the score price for my trip!

Wasn’t able to find much detailed reviews about this property from my research other than that on TripAdvisor (and even so, Dec 2023 being the last review) so hopefully this will help someone else 🙂

Address – No.168 Feng Cheng 8th Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China, 710018. Website.

Contact – Tel +86 29-6855-5555. Email: Was not able to find any email contact for the hotel.

Location – This 1-year old property is located in the CBD area of Xi’an Economic and Technological Development Zone, in the northern sector of the city, as the locals will describe it. There is a rather local mall (Hansheng Mall) right beside the hotel which offers a smattering of local shops, a supermarket, and a funky but legit massage option if that’s what one needs.

Price – RMB651++ a night for a Deluxe King room booked under the Members Rate Flexible via their website which I think is more than reasonable given that I’d have club lounge access and breakfast as a Bonvoy Titanium.

Getting There – I arranged with the hotel to pick me up from the airport for RMB599 and the driver right there waiting at the arrival hall when I rolled out with my luggage. They even arranged for an Audi A8 instead of the stipulated A6 – it was such a welcoming 45mins ride. Sure it’s not the most economic way to get to the hotel but I figured I’d pay instead of having to grapple with the chinese ride-hailing app and potential confusion about which exit etc.

Check In – a staff was already standing by to assist when we pulled up at the driveway on the ground level arrival lobby. This arrival lobby is quite impressive with its high ceiling and some sort of display depicting horses.

I was quickly ushered to level 38 the main lobby for check in happens. The lobby itself is quite impressive as it offers great views of the city but the abundance of natural lighting also meant the

After a slight wait, I was brought to the Executive Lounge on level 36 instead where the sole staff appeared to be somewhat caught off-guard about the check in request but nonetheless duly brought me through the process. I was told I had been upgraded to the Panoramic View King Room so yays to the upgrade! I also found it weird that there was no welcome letter with property info nor printed material about the Club Lounge hours (or any other benefits) – I was simply verbally communicated on the afternoon tea and evening cocktail timings.

The same who had welcomed me from my arrival then proceeded to escort me to my room which I thought was a nice touch.

It is also useful to note that there are 2 sets of elevators, one for in-house guests with access to the facilities, and another set for the public which runs between the ground level, the main lobby and the rest of the public facilities eg the chinese restaurant. This meant requiring a change of lifts from room to ground level if that’s a bother for some.

Room – My Panoramic View, King room, sofa bed (42SqM), 3219, was very nice indeed with its marblish decor and brown /black colors. I was told there are only 2 such rooms on each level as they are corner rooms which allow for the double full panel windows offering expansive views of the city. Sounds great, except the exteriors of the windows were quite grimy.

Anyways, the space is neatly divided into useful blocks starting with a wide walkway upon entry and the spacious bathroom to the right. This spot has single sink with plenty of countertop spaces, a really nice circular bathtub, and a wide standing shower space. Toiletries here are the JW usual of Aromatherapy Associates ones which I quite liked.

The unusual design here is that the toilet is separately nestled in the opposite of this spot with its own wash basin which I thought was super useful as this means you don’t have to walk across the space to wash your hands.

Beside this space is the wardrobe – very generous space for 1pax including a luggage rack. Slippers (nice plushy ones!), laundry bags and bathrobes are also placed here.

The main bedroom space contains a comfy king bed (lights and blind controls + powerpoints are located here) with generous bedside tables facing a TV.

There is a chaise lounge chair + coffee table which was underused during my stay, a really nice and proper work desk + chair. A welcome amenity of fruits and nuts was placed on the table upon my arrival too.

The mini bar is built into one corner of this block and kept uncluttered which was nice – the top part only has a Nespresso machine, bottled water, and a fancy Smeg kettle. In the compartments below this are the usual glassware, fridge etc.

Housekeeping kept the space tidied up very much and to my amusement, so fervent with topping up of bottled water that at one point I had 8 bottles of water.

Executive Lounge – the huge space is located on level 36 and similar to the main lobby, enjoys plenty of natural lighting throughout the day.

There are plenty of seating types (window, sofa etc) and corners scattered all around, with the cluster closest to the F&B the most crowded of course.

There are also 2 private nooks equipped with a desktop which looked suitable for getting some work done or calls.

Afternoon Tea (2:30pm-4:00pm) – despite the large F&B area, afternoon tea offerings were a little lacklustre with just tea cakes, sandwiches and fruits, alongside other stuff that is available all day eg nuts, non-alcoholic drinks. This session didn’t see alot of crowd throughout my stay.

Evening cocktails (5:00-8:00pm) – slightly better with food options seeing 4 hot items (meats, veg), a soup, a small DIY salad section, pastries + breads, a tiny selection of (lukewarm) cheeses, desserts. Quality was only so-so with the soup sadly very bland on both sessions I tried (weird given that they have a proper Chinese restaurant). I was able to make full dinners out of these though.

Alcohol during this session was 1x white, 1x red, and basic spirits. There were no champagne though staff did mention they have a sparkling wine option which I didn’t try. The staff were also able to make a G&T for me upon request.

Service at the lounge was adequate most times. I am actually not sure if it was reasonable to expect more from a JW Executive Lounge but other than the kind staff who checked me in, the rest of the staff I encountered here were rather listless and appeared very hurried at all interactions even though the space was not even half full. They did however clear soiled plates accordingly and offered to assist with soup brought to your table and coffee orders etc. It was just weird for a JW the “5-star” service to be missing the mark that way.

Breakfast at JW Kitchen (6:30am-10:30am) – the Executive Lounge does not serve breakfast so all eligible guests can enjoy their morning meal at their main restaurant on level 38. The high ceilings are the highlight here, creating a somewhat atas sense of space alongside the full window panels offering views and lights. Seats here are aplenty and even at peak hours, the L-shaped restaurant never felt packed just because there were so many seating corners spread throughout.

Food on offer is an impressive spread even in my opinion – the amount of food being prepared is madly varied ranging from familiar international dishes to local noodles and snacks which made for an interesting discovery of flavors and textures. Coffee is rather average though.

Facilities – these are located on level 24 and takes up the whole floor which was great given how many properties accord less real estate to this part of their plans.

Fitness Centre (24hrs) – the fitness centre is a good space of adequate equipment for a proper workout, with the treadmills and cardio machines set up to enjoy sweeping views of the city. And they have a rower -score! I was able to enjoy my row in peace at 6am on my mornings there and it was a bliss.

Swimming pool (7am-10pm) – a nice indoor pool with sunbeds dotted along the perimeters but they require all pax to don a swimming cap so bring one if you are looking for a dip, as I unfortunately found out only after I’ve dipped myself in and had to leave.

JW Spa – in-house guests can enjoy the wet facilities inside the spa without a spa treatment which was great…until I tried them. While the lockers / relaxation rooms etc seemed nicely equipped, the jacuzzi and the steam room was so underpowered they barely made a blurb / bloob. Very disappointing to see subpar quality here despite it being new builds. And strewn towels can be seen in a few spots which was evident that the staff weren’t too enthu about cleaning the space up. Boo.

Service – The standout was the staff who received me upon my arrival right to sending me off on a ride-hailing cab at my departure. He was welcoming and efficient and was on point in terms of how a guest at a JW should be treated.

Check Out – I had mine completed at the main lobby on level 38 and I was sorted out in 15mins, though it took abit of time for them to reverse the deposit and recharge the actual amount on my folio.

In summary,

For the price point, I thought it was a very decent stay especially given that I was able to cover my dinner at the lounge. Great hardware for sure at this newish property which is always a bonus.