I was not expecting much when I booked this hotel. However, I must comment on my overall stay there that was just fantastic. I was checked in earlier than the check in time as they had available rooms at that point in time. I was also given tea break coupon so that I may have tea break during the afternoon which was a great surprise. In addition, they had transportation to take us to the tourist attractions like the boat ride, Humble Administrator's Garden and Tiger Hill. This hotel was built with the comfort of guests in mind. They had power banks in walkway to our room and also a microwave oven for guests to use. I found that extremely useful as I had brought back some leftovers and was able to heat it up. The staff was really nice and friendly and helpful. Since it was my first trip to Suzhou, I found that extremely comforting. The street shopping area was just 300m away. Talk about lucking out and getting the perfect hotel with convenient location and exceptional service that is second to none. It was like staying at a Five Star Hotel but at a 2-3 star piecing. One of the drivers, Chi, was especially nice to us and along the way explained the history of Suzhou. I will definitely go back to Hovle if I ever visit Suzhou again and will recommend this to all my friends and family.
This is a really nice hotel. Photos on the website don't do it justice.
One thing to note, you'll need to look up "hivle" mansion as the wrong location appeared if you entered the hotels name in Google maps
Firstly, this is a hotel converted from a historic building so one must first be prepared not to expect a modern luxurious room. Bearing that in mind, the hotel does try to provide all the facilities that one would expect from a modern hotel. There is a lift even thought he room is 4 stories. The room is well-equipped and the additional heater was extremely helpful for the cold weather. The bed was comfortable (though the pillows could be more fluffy). Particularly appreciated the wide variety of TV programmes available, though most are in Mandarin. The hotel restaurant, where both breakfast and complimentary afternoon tea was served, was simple but cosy, and a nice place to relax in. It's proximity to the major tourist attractions made it a very convenient location to move about, and I would suggest walking than using other forms of transport.
We stayed for one night at the Hovle Mansion Club and booked a deluxe twin room. Due to unexpected flight delays we were due to arrive after midnight but upon emailing the hotel, we receive a prompt acknowledgement advising us of their 24 hour staff presence. The night staff spoke little / average English.
We were allocated a deluxe business twin room with two large double beds on either end separated by the TV cabinet in the centre. Not sure if this was intentional or if this was the last available room but was greatly appreciated! The room was large with separate office desk, two sofas and bathroom with shower and separate bathtub plus a nice view of the old Suzhou town rooftops. Our only dislike was the slight mould and blacked grout in the shower cubicle but otherwise spotlessly clean room.
Breakfast was nice with a variety of Chinese breakfast options, some Western items (eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, toast and cereal) and also a noodle bar station. We were also given vouchers for afternoon tea and cakes but as we had an early departure we did not get to try this.
The hotel is in a more traditional Chinese style and located in the old part of Suzhou "Gusu" which is great to explore the local attractions and waterways on foot.
Tip: print out a basic map of the hotel location as our taxi driver struggled to find it from Suzhou train station due to the small alleyways in the old town.
Would definitely stay again!
Strong recommendation for this hotel. It's close to many historic touring spot just by walking. Nice service for free shuttle to take me to another touring place. The room is clean and comfort