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@ Bayesian I figured their 5 star rating wouldn't be up to Western standards, but I'll happily settle for a Westin type hotel.....just as long as they're not flea pits or rented by the hour!!
Personally I'm kind of picky about hotels. In Asia, beds are more likely to be harder and less uncomfortable. The bright side is nobody in Asia uses noisy creepy air-conditioners commonly found in 3-star hotels in the U.S, like Hyatt Place, Marriott Courtyard and Hilton Homewood.
It's important to expect things to be different when you travel abroad.
@ Bayesian I figured their 5 star rating wouldn't be up to Western standards, but I'll happily settle for a Westin type hotel.....just as long as they're not flea pits or rented by the hour!!
I stayed at the Westin in Shanghai and it's very nice. The "W" in Beijing was wonderful. Both are five stars in my book and every bit as nice as five star hotels in the USA. In fact, they were nicer than many hotels I've stayed at in NYC and much cheaper.
I have been to Beijing several times and have always been very satisfied with the experience. I also know a number of people who have been to China, for both business and vacation. If you are in a tour group, you should be fine. Relax, use common sense and enjoy your trip.
To address some of your specific concerns (at least for Beijing):
1) Talk to your tour guide at the beginning of the trip about your issue with chop sticks. I personally found them pretty easy to use, but arthritis would be a problem. Your tour guide should easily handle this. I have been told by a number of friends who have done similar tours that the guides are very motivated to resolve issues for their customers.
2) Air pollution can cause irritations if you are sensitive to it. However, I personally never felt it was a problem and was never tempted to use a mask.
3) Realize that there are a lot of very aggressive people trying to make money off of tourists in China, like in other countries. However, in my experience it was never threatening nor did I ever see any type of petty crime. Use common sense and stay with your tour group. Personally on my third trip, I took a number of walks on my own and always felt completely safe. I am told that at least in Beijing, the local police are under very strict orders to keep foreign tourists and business people safe.
4) You should definitely use caution buying things in China. I purchased a paper scroll that was originally priced at $300 for about $10 after a long series of negotiations (with some help from one of my Chinese hosts). There is a lot of local competition for your money and you can almost always find room to negotiate. In my experience, a major factor at the end of the negotiation was the ability to pay in US dollars. Once I showed some American cash, the price dropped significantly. However, that might not be true everywhere.
I stayed at the Westin in Shanghai and it's very nice. The "W" in Beijing was wonderful. Both are five stars in my book and every bit as nice as five star hotels in the USA. In fact, they were nicer than many hotels I've stayed at in NYC and much cheaper.
Westin on the bund is wonderful. Actually, Peninsula Shanghai is way more elegant than Peninsula New York. I'd say the best 10 hotels in Shanghai are world-class luxury hotels.
The problem is many local 5-star hotels do not live up to the western standard, for instance, I found the beds uncomfortable on a Kaiyuan hotel in Shanghai.
SPG hotels in China are consistently good in my experience. InterContinental hotels are mostly good with a few exceptions, I stayed in a really horrible InterContinental hotel in Ningbo.
To be fair, the price for 5-star hotels varies wildly in China. Some of the 5-star hotels are priced well under $100, in that case you need to lower your expectation. The horrible Intercontinental Hotel in Ningbo was the cheapest Intercontinental I've ever stayed. Conversely, the InterContinental hotel in Wuxi was superb but more expensive.
According to Priceline, there is no 5-star hotel in Austin,TX. JW Marriot, Omni, W are listed as 4-star and Four Seasons Austin is listed as 4.5 star.
Chopsticks are plentiful in Asian restaurants in the US, and you can buy them by the box at most grocery stores or Asian markets. If that is really a concern I suggest just learning how before you go. I have seen restaurant employees help teach customers how to do it at places here, even. If that is just out of the question, can you take your own silverware?
You should visit Japan instead. It's a beautiful country, the people are polite and friendly, it's incredibly clean and safe there, and they are civilized.
Did you watch the video? The Chinese man in the video informed you in the video that dog is NOT eaten in mainstream Chinese culture. Do you have a problem understanding English? Should the world define and stereotype mainstream American culture as Amish? the Amish do exist in the USA.
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