Sprawled around the hub that is Guangzhou East Railroad Station, shopping malls are stocked with clothing, accessories, storefront restaurants and familiar brands: Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Subway. Facing a block-long fountain are a multistory IKEA outlet and a park where buskers play guitars while standing on their heads. Across the street loom MiLike beauty hospital and the Tianhe Stadium, and in the middle of it all, in the heart of the city’s Central Business District, serene and welcoming, is the Hilton Tianhe Guangzhou.

Fronted by a pool that stretches the length of its “Chinese box” façade, doors open into a lobby with a seating area, its wall an undulating surface covered in lustrous mirrored scales. Farther along the lobby, sweets and pastries are served in curvy chairs in the T Bar and Lounge next to Bar One, where cocktails are concocted in the evenings with live music accompaniment. Weather permitting, guests can enjoy tapas and snacks alfresco under sun umbrellas poolside.

Guestrooms are compactly comfortable with floor-to-ceiling windows looking down on the activity below. Beside the lustrous plush silver curtains at the window, a mini couch and table provide comfortable eating. King-sized beds face a swivel TV set on a console concealing the minibar and drawers. A desk supplies a tip-out box of outlets. A frosted glass panel in the bathroom wall admits natural light while retaining privacy. Signature Peter Thomas Roth amenities are stashed in a box with a slide-out drawer, leaving space on top for the guest’s own cosmetics. There are ironing supplies, a safe and slippers in the closet along with an unusually soft and plush white bathrobe.

Café at 2 is the second-floor site of the commodious breakfast buffet. Besides the full array of juices, cereals and pancakes, cheeses and cold cuts, Chinese and Japanese options, every day Executive Chef Francesco Rizzo provides a specialty “pass” — on Monday and Tuesday circulating waitresses offer blends of healthy juices: carrot and ginger, celery and honey; Wednesday and Thursday guests receive baked goods; and on weekends, it’s poached eggs on muffins. Italian fare is served in Il Ponte and Cantonese specialties and dim sum are on the menu in Sui Xuan, which has 13 private dining rooms.

Fitness enthusiasts can pedal away on Precor machines in the gym with windows overlooking the football practice sessions and sporting events in the stadium across the street. The outdoor infinity pool is tucked on an upper floor with a narrow deck for sunning and lights provided under the umbrellas for evening relaxation. Hilton’s signature eforea spa is a sanctuary of hot and cold therapies with the Thermal Lounge, an ice fountain, Vichy shower room, Swiss shower jets, sauna and steam rooms and a reflexology room.

Business services include cellphone rental, photocopying and video messaging. Efficient staff at the concierge desk make reservations for evening dinner cruises on the Pearl River and manage the shuttle service and airport transfers — although just around the corner there’s a Metro stop for Line 3 which goes directly to the airport. In about half an hour for a fare of a dollar or two, you’re conveniently whisked away from the heart of the city.

Hilton Guangzhou Tianhe

215 Linhe W. Cross Road
Tianhe, Guangzhou, Guangdong
China
tel 86-20-66839999