Grace Beijing

This is our fifth day at Gracie Art Hotel, also known as Yi house, in the 798 Art district of Beijing. SUCH a different experience from the brand high end hotels, but with the same special touches, from the high thread sheets, lovely pillows, to the fluffy robes and slippers....

This is our fifth day at Gracie Art Hotel, also known as Yi house, in the 798 Art district of Beijing. SUCH a different experience from the brand high end hotels, but with the same special touches, from the high thread sheets, lovely pillows, to the fluffy robes and slippers. Even more amenities than one might expect at a four seasons, two types of tea/coffee machines, hair dryer, laundry service, dry cleaning service, plus unexpected treats at turn down, fruit on a plate, a bottle of wine, etc. High quality, multi lingual staff (yes proficient with English), enhanced our experience, from greeting us by name, arranging for a lovely car and driver for a day long excursion to the great wall, recommending (spot on) restaurants. Think Bed and Breakfast meets the Fairmont, Very attentive, high determination on tending to every need, yet unobtrusive. I am a light sleeper, but the rooms are sound proof and I was not woken by outside noise, not even once. Do not miss the restaurant. Chef is attentive to every detail. As art aficionados being in the 798 district was heaven, but for history buffs (all military machinery was made here under the Mao reign) the 798 district will propel them over the moon. This experience will appeal to any human soul who wishes to get a glimpse of something old and brutal (factories which served the purpose of war) transformed into something beautiful and functional, housing sculpture, paintings, pottery, images that feed the soul rather than destroying it, will love the 798 district and even more so, the artsy Gracie/Yi House, Arts hotel. (The shopping was fun too.) It was exactly what I was hoping for when my husband and I planned a trip to Beijing. Not too far from other sites we wanted to explore and we have managed this trip sans guide, and easily so, with the assistance of the hotel staff. Bravo, Gracie Art staff, Bravo!

If you have done the traditional sites and are looking for something different, this is it! Situated right within the 798 ART district, you could literally stay here for 3 nights and still not cover the entire area. We explored the galleries and cafes/restaurants on foot for 3 days and...

If you have done the traditional sites and are looking for something different, this is it! Situated right within the 798 ART district, you could literally stay here for 3 nights and still not cover the entire area. We explored the galleries and cafes/restaurants on foot for 3 days and still felt like we had a huge bit we didn't cover. The hotel itself is lovely. Interesting 'Pollock-inspired' art adorn the walls along with some Wong Kar Wai stills of his movies. The rooms are nicely appointed and the breakfast was sufficient but not extensive. My hairdryer tripped the power one morning but they were in to fix it within 5 minutes! Not so convenient if you want shopping or lots of eating, as the traffic can get a little crazy going into town but think of this place as a good starting base for exploring the 798 Art district.

This review is quite late but better late than never. We stayed for 5 nights at this hotel. We absolutely loved the stylish design and the location within the 798 Art District. The location may polarise some because it's not close to things like Tiananmen square, forbidden city etc but...

This review is quite late but better late than never. We stayed for 5 nights at this hotel. We absolutely loved the stylish design and the location within the 798 Art District. The location may polarise some because it's not close to things like Tiananmen square, forbidden city etc but we found that the local bus service to the train system got us everywhere we needed to go and was a lot of fun... To be honest, I found 798 to be as interesting or more than the main attractions anyway, having seem them all in the 90s. I loved wandering around in the local area looking at the old industrial buildings and taking photos. The hotel room was very nice. The hotel lobby and grounds are stylish also. The restaurant is great and breakfast was beautiful. No buffet here just order from menu and the chef takes pride and care in preparing it for you. Fresh fruit and bread/pastries were provided to accompany either Western or eastern dishes. I don't know where one would stay to be central to everything in this great city, so for me 798 was as good a place as any to call home. A side note and something we learned from reception, I recommend using a private car service and visiting great wall at Jinshanling, we did and we were the only two people on the wall for over an hour of our almost 3hr walk, making for great photos. Pack water :)

Formerly the Grace Beijing, but recently renamed Yi House. No website yet that I could find, and the directions from the old Grace website were extremely insufficient -- so much so that our taxi driver dropped us about 2km from the hotel and we had no idea where to go....

Formerly the Grace Beijing, but recently renamed Yi House. No website yet that I could find, and the directions from the old Grace website were extremely insufficient -- so much so that our taxi driver dropped us about 2km from the hotel and we had no idea where to go. We called them and they were really unable to give useful directions other than "look for the blue tank" (which is only visible from quite nearby). Turns out the hotel is not actually within the 798 gates, but is near two large round tanks outside the northeast corner of 798, near another complex called "D-Park". They really need a website with a map and better directions. The 798 area is good for seeing art (and is all within easy walking distance), but rather quiet at night. Be aware that the galleries are mostly closed Mondays. There is not much in the immediate vicinity of the hotel (e.g. we were unable to find a place to buy water around 10pm, and ended up paying inflated hotel prices). Our room was stylish but in need of paint touch-ups. The hot water was broken when we arrived (fixed an hour or two later), and the A/C was incapable of keeping up with a hot day in Beijing, so the bed area was always warm even when the couch area was cool. At checkout we were disappointed to find that this hotel participates in a scheme called "dynamic currency conversion". Search the web for more info, but the summary is that the scheme allows the hotel to charge several percent extra without most people noticing, by marking up foreign exchange rates. To avoid this, always insist on paying in the local currency (in this case RMB) and do not allow hotels or other businesses to convert money for you to your card's currency at an inflated rate. Breakfast was delicious - essentially an English breakfast with fruit/yogurt bar, all good-quality ingredients. Chinese options available as well. Wifi was good, but subject to the "great firewall," so most normal websites (google, gmail, youtube, twitter, instagram, facebook) won't work.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary at the Grace this last weekend, what a wonderful experience. The hotel itself is located in the very trendy 798 District, wonderful to walk around and enjoy the art culture. Inside the hotel is very funky, lots of art and a funky decor....

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary at the Grace this last weekend, what a wonderful experience. The hotel itself is located in the very trendy 798 District, wonderful to walk around and enjoy the art culture. Inside the hotel is very funky, lots of art and a funky decor. The room was luxurious, the robes were so soft I did not want to get dressed for dinner! We also enjoyed a very nice meal in the restaurant which is worth the trip on it's own. The staff were friendly and helpful and we had a memorable time.

Grace Beijing is a hidden gem. In a sprawling city like Beijing, the 798 Art District where it is located is an oasis of character and laid-back charm, while the hotel itself exudes an edginess, warmth and genuine hospitality that sets it apart from the cookie-cutter 5-star offerings abound. The...

Grace Beijing is a hidden gem. In a sprawling city like Beijing, the 798 Art District where it is located is an oasis of character and laid-back charm, while the hotel itself exudes an edginess, warmth and genuine hospitality that sets it apart from the cookie-cutter 5-star offerings abound. The attention to details throughout the hotel was impressive -- the prosecco upon arrival, the chic candles on whimsical stands in the centre of the lobby, the grand marble stairway with oversized windows, the seductively dim corridors with equally seductive music streaming through... disparate elements coming together in a curious symphony to give one pause: are we in a hotel or an uber-cool private mansion?? The room was tastefully designed, the bed was absolutely decadent, and turn-down service was thoughtful -- our housekeeper had obviously thought enough about us to place our bedroom slippers by the bed... The Mediterranean restaurant in the hotel looked promising, so we decided to give the weekend brunch a try during our stay. Boy was that a great decision. Price was not cheap but excellent value for money. The meal started with a seafood tower that was literally brimming with clams, Alaskan crab legs and lobster halves. The seared tuna was exquisite, and the roast chicken was simply a piece of heaven. Service was attentive yet discrete. This is clearly a restaurant of very very good quality, but without the pretense and stuffiness of "fine-dining" establishments in the city. All in all, a fantastic experience for us at Grace Beijing. We will be back.

The Grace is a cute, boutique type hotel in the heart of Beijing's hipster 798 Art District. Very pleasant but lacks the real personal touches and attention a cool hotel of this size should have. Because of its remote location - it is NOT on the metro and depending on...

The Grace is a cute, boutique type hotel in the heart of Beijing's hipster 798 Art District. Very pleasant but lacks the real personal touches and attention a cool hotel of this size should have. Because of its remote location - it is NOT on the metro and depending on traffic the TAXI ride to the nearest metro stop can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. Bus lines are erratic. AS for personal touches ... the photocopied metro map provided was so outdated it did not include the new line that opened in the past year. The heating/aircon system never worked right and it was so hot in the room we had to request a change across the hall. All in all fine if you want a couple of days to explore the 798 but not the hotel you want if you plan to see the rest of Beijing.

My husband and I had a wonderful experience staying at the Grace Hotel in Beijilng. Our son and his family live in Beijing near to the Grace so we initially chose this hotel for it's location. The hotel is located in the 798 Arts District in Beijing, a great place...

My husband and I had a wonderful experience staying at the Grace Hotel in Beijilng. Our son and his family live in Beijing near to the Grace so we initially chose this hotel for it's location. The hotel is located in the 798 Arts District in Beijing, a great place to hang out in this huge city. Everyone working at the hotel is courteous, friendly, and welcoming. We stayed for two weeks and during that time we were treated like family. The Grace Hotel became our home away from home. The hotel is beautiful, modern, with a great little gym containing a treadmill, stationary bike, and weights.The Grace has a fantastic restaurant with a world class chef, Christian Hoffman, a lovely and gracious general manager, Jui Kretzu who welcomed us and really made us feel at home. We look forward to staying at the Grace many times when we return to Beijing. This hotel is excellent, the best place to stay in Beijing. Margee and Wayne Ragland Auburn, Alabama USA