Hotel Starway di Ningbo

Nice resort for families with lots of activities for the little ones. Highlight was the service and all staff were friendly especially Mona who also spoke English well and shared her wechat and checked with us everyday to ensure our stay was pleasant. Bon fire and fireworks for Chinese new year were an added bonus. Mona also helped us book a BBQ tent which was a nice experience by the lake. The play area is large and could use a facelift as some areas seem dated. Buffet breakfast was nice with the usual fare and a nice touch to give the kids a small gift when they clean their plates. Although it’s winter, the temperature was quite warm and the room AC could only be used as a heater which made the room too warm so we turned off the AC and left the windows open. Car parking was mostly full during the holidays but we managed to get a slot to charge the electric car. Overall a pleasant stay.

This hotel had some wonderful review which actually led me to book it for the first time . This was my third visit to the property. Based on my experience over the three visit which were rather lengthy this hotel’s target market is predominantly local market . If compared to their international franchise 4 star peers the hotel lacks in many areas. 1. They offer a good spread of buffet breakfast but the assortment is mostly focused on locals guests . The selection seldom changes. 2. The bakery products offered were not fresh . Found to be cold and stale 3. Fresh fruits were found to be mixed with stale ones , not sure if they used the ones from the previous days . 4. House keeping was not the best , often found coffee-tea cups not cleaned or replaced . 5. Requested for in room complimentary coffee instead of tea . They sell coffee pouches at lobby, but instead they ask me to go down and ask for coffee at the lobby. 6. The small gym does not have any sanitiser tissue to clean the equipment before use . 7. At the lobby they have a cafe which is also the office for the hotel management staff. In the evening the area is completely mosquito infested , difficult to sit even for 5 minutes . 8. The hotel turned off the Cookson’s system , inside room temperature went up to 29 degree C. After repeated request they did something but that also did not take the temperature below 24 Degrees. 9. The hotel needs serious consideration about training the lobby staffs . A simple way to explain is their face is curved in stone . No emotion! 10. They need to review their safety protocol, they sent my guest directly to the room without even asking . For many my comments may not matter for some it may . I have spent almost 10 days on my last visit so I can’t ignore those . The best part of the stay was Mary ( forgot to ask her position). I think she’s the manager . She is the ideal face of a hotel . She has been the most pleasant and supportive among all the staffs at the hotel.

Coffee machine needs cleaning and people who know how to use it. (Refill water or beans) Tables need better cleaning afterwards and faster ( maybe more staff) Clean trashcans in the lobby more often. Rooms need to be checked before people check in ( temperature wise) (centralized AC is not a good idea. Needs to be changed in May!!) Please add a proper secured!! Hotel Wifi. Kids play area was awesome and with a great location. All in all decent but definitely room for improvement.