Chengdu is a large metropolis that has a number of key centres for its major 12 administrative business districts. With the Chun Xi Road precinct being one of the most popular and attractive locations for major businesses, electrifying and limitless dining options as well as captivating retails shopping and exciting entertainment, the new Central Business District (CBD) in the south size of Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone has been well established and developed into a new important financial district. Once a large farmland on the city’s southern outskirts and over nearly four decades, transformed itself into a hub for emerging and future industries driven by technologies innovation, advanced manufacturing and the digital hub. Now often called the “Silicon Valley of Western China”, this major global center which is now the modern Chengdu Financial City Zone as well as the booming international luxury hotels and one of its kind mixed-use masterplans that combines an urban park with a sunken SKP luxury retail and hospitality landmark that is redefining urban living in Chengdu.
Many hotels these days sit atop a skyscraper and the Waldorf Astoria Chengdu is no exception. With the infamous and striking Tianfu International Financial Center Towers also popularly known as Tianfu Twin Towers that sets the major landmark in this area, the Waldorf Astoria Chengdu is practically across the longest avenue in the city expansive greenways of Tianfu Boulevard. It is described as the new crown jewel in the burgeoning Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone and is close to the tranquil Jiaozi Park.
The stunning hotel entrance is a statement in itself with a large golden port cochere that stands out like a beacon of light with metal lattice frameworks detailing that offers a sense of grandeur with a water feature off to the side featuring the hotel logo wording.
There is a modern touch to everything, but at the same time little hints of some references to architectural detail that we couldn’t help but notice on arrival.
The ground floor lobby is no less a style statement with a sense of occasion. Soaring ceilings is an exception no less in the luxurious approach, tied altogether it is an introduction to the Art Deco inspired modern interior design that is a nod to the original Waldorf Astoria in New York.
The Waldorf Astoria Chengdu is home to 289 luxury guest rooms, including 31 suites, all of which enjoy the highest vantage points offering amazing views of Chengdu and beyond. Check-in takes place on the 50th floor, immediately affording views over Chengdu as far as the eye can see.
The bright and airy lobby once again with incredible highly ceilings, dark marble flooring in Art Deco motifs juxtaposed with the eye-catching feather mesh art piece suspended from the ceiling. Beautiful floral arrangements placed strategically soften the masculine marble tone, brass and lightning features, glass space and support columns.
The recurring theme is black and gold and with natural light streaming through the floor to ceiling windows, affording the sweeping panoramic views and beyond.
To the left is a brighter tone marble staircase leading you upstairs to another level to marvel the views further or going one floor below is the Peacock Alley lobby lounge and the all-day dining Brasserie 99. We arrived at 2:30pm, half and hour before the official check-in time and the room was not yet ready, which in itself is not an issue. Patrick, one of the front desk teams was doing his best to alleviate the situation but there was no indication how long the room would take to get ready despite being mentioned to us that our room was flagged as a VIP room allocation.
We were then introduced to our Personal Concierge, Albert, a bit like a butler that we could contact if we needed assistance with anything, so we asked Albert what were we supposed to do while waiting for the room and he seemed to have no answer. We prompted him that maybe a refreshing drink might be in order after a long train journey and it was only then that he seemed to kick in with a sense of personal service by escorting us down to Peacock Alley for a non alcoholic (which was highlighted) refreshment.
Albert left us with the Peacock Alley service team and there was some further communication issue as English was not easily spoken here in the lounge, which got sorted eventually with slight difficulty if you do not speak Chinese nor translation apps was not wisely used, considering there are quite a few foreign in-house guests as well as foreign tourists alike to ease the communication.
We ordered two mocktails which did not come together and then after some 45 minutes we still had no update on our room situation and had no sign of Albert either, so we decided to go back upstairs to check on the mystery and all of a sudden it was ready. Not exactly the seamless experience we were expecting nor did we feel like being looked after for a simple request.
The rooms are “upside-down” that occupies the top levels from floor 33 to 51 of a 52-story skyscraper. Albert escorted us to our room on the 40th floor and introduced us to all the facilities and amenities of the our Twin Tower View Room, which afforded the amazing view over Chengdu southern outskirts, not least was the mesmerizing Tianfu Twin Towers view right in a not so far distance.
#Room 4024, the overall 55sqm room appearance was elegance personified and the room design elevated with a mini vestibule at the entrance for a sense of arrival. Immediately to the left was the walk-in closet which was much larger than any average hotel closet, with a back centre marble-topped make-up table and lots of storage. All the joinery is in brown lacquered cabinetry with multiple drawers and cupboards as well as a his and hers arrangement comfortably laying out two suitcases open at the bottom of each hanging section without encroaching on the carpeted area.
Off to the right was the elegantly designed white, bright marble bathroom. The pearl shell mosaic inlaid floor and wall panel adds a sense of elevated residential fee. With copious amounts of white marble, it was brightly illuminated and a happy space, along with a large double vanity countertop. The sliding wall panels to open up to the bedroom area above the large separate standing bathtub.
Luxurious bathroom amenity brand Aesop is provided, the iconic and sophisticated earthy scents enhance your in-room spa shower experience. A separate toilet room on the other side of the entrance hallway with its own basin and Japanese bidet toilet, which was a sensible design decision.
The huge windows staring out directly to the rising 220 metres Tianfu Twin Towers was a joy to marvel especially with the nightly ever changing massive LED-clad exteriors displaying a vibrant city light show. You may choose to sit by the wide window ledge to watch the world go by from atop or sit on the large armchair with ottoman positioned right at the window for viewing pleasure. The curtains operate automatically upon entering the room that unveils the city skyline as another pleasant welcome gesture.
The welcome amenity was equally impressive, which included a large tray of local snacks, a fruit platter and a beautiful bottle of red wine which is the Waldorf Astoria Private Selection La Chapelle La Rectorie - an exclusive blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan in a limited numbered bottle during our stay. Superb! Waldorf Astoria accommodation is best described as offering the flawless hospitality yet this was the last time we saw Albert for the duration of our stay and we wondered how the Personal Concierge service actually is applied or delivered to enhance the guest experience for a luxury stay.
For relaxation and wellness, head to the well fitted out Techno Gym that also features a large fitness studio for yoga practice or fitness classes. Spinning cycles is not in short across to the other section together with multiple treadmills, and weights at one end.
The spacious indoor swimming pool is a winner too, with a 25m length that is ideal for lap swimming that also offers a great city skyline from the 48th floor.
Should you intend to further pamper yourself, explore the salt room, separate steam and hot sauna, ice room and an onsen looking out the big windows while floating atop in the sky.
The facilities are beautifully fitted out along with premium Aesop amenities for an an elevated wellness indulgence.
Breakfast in Brasserie 99 on the 49th floor should have been the highlight of each day, but it was a bit hit and miss in some regards. There is a large buffet set-up offering international flare with a small a-la-minute menu offering.
The ambience is quite pleasant and everyone gets a view on a clear day in a wrap around L-shape dining space with the inner section seemingly reminiscent to the “cruise ship” style of table settings and arrangements. There are clashing design elements that creates too much for the eyes to take in and not quite a calming ambience, whereas the outer section is more in a banquet style table setting arrangement.
Stations are well-spaced out to minimize guest congestion and the selection ticks all the boxes in general, but somehow we were expecting something more luxurious in presentation and a more gourmet gastronomic breakfast feast from a Waldorf Astoria. There were only three fruit juices to choose from – any luxury hotel would normally offer 4-6 and with a freshly squeezed juice station and neither did they offer a berries selection from the fruit section.
Cheese selection and pastries texture was rather on the industrial quality standard and the Belgian waffle was hard and too dry to enjoy but at least the omelettes were done orderly.
The Chinese selections were huge, from assorted warm cooked dishes to savories, soups, congee with assorted condiments, local pan-fried pancakes on daily rotation, made to order local noodles and then some, but omitting the Dim Sum offers.
The spicy Sichuan Dandan noodles were tasty and best to compete with the Wanton noodle soup that was very enjoyable and the Sichuan egg Benedict a nice twist.
Sichuan egg Benedict
The deep fried dough stick on the spot was excellent and a must-try was the detectable Sichuan handmade beancurd.
On the plus side, the service was very good and great English communication. Despite the first day’s table clearance was being neglected in many approaches by the wait staff, but Summer took over the service to our table on a smooth sail with all the right gestures that delivered a quality hospitality standard.
Should you intend to dine in the hotel to further explore the Sichuan gastronomy, Infinite Luck is highly recommended to savour the refined culinary and authentic flavours.
While there were some inexplicable downfalls from the arrival experience and the fact that this hotel does not offer foreign currency exchange, which we think goes against any other luxury hotel policy that is not acceptable in our opinion. It creates an unnecessary inconvenience and the bank was the only solution offered to get this resolved. If you were to arrive on a late afternoon or evening especially on the weekend and needed some petty cash to explore the vibrant city, the banks close after 5pm and you were then left no alternative. Even digital transaction is widely and commonly used here, it was a strange decision that did not really meet with the guests satisfaction.
On the other hand, Bella from the Front Office team did her rounds to ensure the operations were in good hands and the housekeeping effectively organized the routine protocols, keeping our room as tidy as it could be which we very much appreciated. Alaex Liu from the hotel Concierge has most of the insights of the city especially when you are game to explore those off the beaten tracks, he has it all ready even prior to your arrival via email communication. His recommendations were spot on and a highlight of our experience.
Our Waldorf Astoria Chengdu staycation was enjoyable overall but it could have been better. The missing luxury factors were to be looked into by enhancing the elevated experience for their reknown bespoke Waldorf Astoria seamless level of service. Its location is fantastic and it offers a different perspective to the other side of the city where many other luxury hotels are located. We enjoyed this aspect very much as it enables you to see a different sight of Chengdu with swift connectivity to the city and dual airports while embracing the epitome of urban timeless luxury.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 5/5
Food & Beverage: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4/5
The Chinese selections were huge, from assorted warm cooked dishes to savories, soups, congee with assorted condiments, local pan-fried pancakes on daily rotation, made to order local noodles and then some, but omitting the Dim Sum offers.
Sichuan egg Benedict
On the plus side, the service was very good and great English communication. Despite the first day’s table clearance was being neglected in many approaches by the wait staff, but Summer took over the service to our table on a smooth sail with all the right gestures that delivered a quality hospitality standard.
Should you intend to dine in the hotel to further explore the Sichuan gastronomy, Infinite Luck is highly recommended to savour the refined culinary and authentic flavours.
Our Waldorf Astoria Chengdu staycation was enjoyable overall but it could have been better. The missing luxury factors were to be looked into by enhancing the elevated experience for their reknown bespoke Waldorf Astoria seamless level of service. Its location is fantastic and it offers a different perspective to the other side of the city where many other luxury hotels are located. We enjoyed this aspect very much as it enables you to see a different sight of Chengdu with swift connectivity to the city and dual airports while embracing the epitome of urban timeless luxury.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 5/5
Food & Beverage: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4/5
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 5/5
Food & Beverage: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4/5
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