Jinjiang Inn Tianjin People's Hospital Hotel

I stayed here for 2 months this Autumn (Yes, 2 months!) during a university work placement. All staff here were great and helped me a lot with my stay in Tianjin. The hotel exterior has been updated as of October 2015. It's in a pretty good location, about 7 minute walk to Xianyang Lu metro station. Bit of a weird location for westerners to stay unless you have particular reason to do so like I did. There's some good Chinese markets in the area to grab street food or McDonalds if you'd rather (only 3 min walk away). Prepare for lots of stares and comments if you're not Chinese: "laowai!" or "waiguoren!" (foreigner). They mean well though; don't be offended! Taxis are dirt cheap in Tianjin so usually your best bet (maybe 20 -25RMB to get downtown). Taxis are everywhere! Be careful with taxi drivers though, many tried to rip me off by taking me to the wrong places or overcharging me. One taxi took me to the wrong train station almost missing my train to Shanghai; 100% on purpose (too long to explain). Not a bad idea to learn how to ask for receipt in Mandarin. Back to the point... Only 1 of the receptionists spoke English (quite basic), the others used translation software. Not a problem though, you're in China after all... What did you expect? Buffet breakfast was excellent and is served from 6:45AM. The staff were great and actually let me eat at 6:30AM for the duration of my stay as I had to leave by then to get to work. The young lady in the restaurant welcomed me with a smile every day without fail! Credit to her. The room was very good for the price I paid. Jinjiang's are always a good bet from my experience. TV was upgraded to a flat screen half way through my stay although there aren't any English channels. Wifi usually worked well but sometimes failed but I think that's just China in general. Slept well most nights, although the Chinese seem to struggle to not shout in the corridors late at night! All apart of the fun though. Expect prostitution flyers too... every night. Thank you so much for the stay and I'd highly recommend this hotel if you're in the area/ Jinjiang's in general.