Gloria Plaza Hotel Shenyang

We stayed in this hotel for two nights in March 2012. The location is great, opposite the Shenyang North railway station and 5 mins walk to food, shopping, and for this visit the UK Visa centre.

Upon arrival there was confusion as the expedia booking appeared to have been sent by fax and the staff thought we wanted one room and not two, and there seemed to be some difficulty sorting it out. In the end we got two rooms on the 19th floor and a free breakfast.

The rooms were both a decent size and the bedding and bathroom were clean. A big chunky old CRT TV had a few western channels and movies. Everything felt tired and in need of a refresh. The exteria of the hotel is very dirty and the windows were filthy. It doesn't seem that the hotel management really care about the facilities, and you get a feeling this is a cash cow of a hotel due to it's location.

Breakfast was disappointing. The buffet had a decent choice of dishes but the food was luke warm and tasted very ordinary. You could order a few local dishes cooked to order which might have been a better bet. The restaurant room was again very tired and needing some TLC.

The staff were generally OK, some helpful and one or two spoke decent English.

All in all, this is a tired and average hotel, but in a good location. For a short stay you'll get by, but if you're a westerner and staying more than a couple of nights I'd perhaps look elsewhere.

One block from Shenyang North rail station, so you can walk right to it.

Upgrade to executive level was appreciated.

Internet cable did not work, and there was no wifi in the room. Business center in the lobby had wifi, but it was down the next morning.

Room AC functioned poorly.

Travelling on a train in China is an experience, especially if you don't speak or read Chinese. The hotel staff were excellent, they purchased the train ticket for me and made the whole experience very pleasant

The hotel is a simple business hotel. The room was a little small. There should be more information in the room for the hotel facilities. Food was good.

Early December and the weather was bitter, but the room's heating worked well. So did the hot water. The room was warm and friendly. An exceptional value. The staff is professional and several spoke english very well and were always earger to please. The dining experience was exceptional. It is located across the street from the train station that I used to travel to another city. The deposit against breakfast is a strange custom but once I understood what it was all about, it is perfectly alright.