Heading to Beijing with a child? You’re going to want to know about this hotel. With fun theming, child-friendly amenities, and access to a kid’s play space, it is easily the most fun your kids will have at hotel. Parents will also love it’s convenient location in Beijing’s CBD, 5-star hotel experience, and on-premise dining options.
For comfort, convenience and oh-so-much fun, look no further than the Kerry Hotel, Beijing.
While that may read like an ad, I want to immediately clarify that I have no affiliation with the Kerry Hotel. We paid for our stay out of pocket and received no compensation for this post. We just had the best time, and want to share our experience.
In this post, we’ll share what it was like to stay at the Kerry Hotel with our 5-year-old during a spring break trip to Asia. We’ll take a look at the room and amenities that made this hotel stay one that our child has not stopped talking about.
About the Kerry Hotel, Beijing
The Kerry Hotel is a luxury hotel in Beijing’s Central Business District. Operated by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, it’s known for it’s premier hospitality and 5-star service. A basic room at the hotel goes for about $150 USD per night, with the children’s package coming in closer to $200-$250 per night.
The hotel is located along Beijing’s 3rd Ring Road, a few miles east of the central historical district. The neighborhood is modern compared to the rest of the ancient city, and dense with high rise buildings and busy streets. The streets burst with the ebb and flow of rush hour commuters, but quiets down in the evening.
We would describe the Kerry Hotel as approachable luxury. While we appreciate 5-star service, we don’t care for some of the stuffiness and formalities that come with that. The Kerry Hotel was able to provide and excellent balance of premium service, but in a comfortable and efficient way. With a child in toe, we sometimes just want to get in and out, and the staff at Kerry Hotel handled that expertly.
The Kerry Hotel, Beijing has also earned a reputation for being family friendly. The fact that they offer a entire category of rooms themed entirely to children is a prime example of that. It’s not just the rooms though. They also offered an activity book at check-in, child-friendly menus and discounted prices at the main restaurant, and have a dedicated children’s pool. Plus, they partner with The Adventure Zone, which is included with select packages.
All of this creates a hotel experience where children feel welcome, not just allowed.
Now, let’s talk more about our personal experience with the Kerry Hotel.
Choosing the Kerry Hotel, Beijing
My husband and I have been traveling together regularly for about 10 years now, and we have tip planning down to a finely tuned machine. Typically, he handles big picture plans like flights and hotels, and then I come in with the detailed schedule and plans for each day. In a rare twist though, I was the one who found the Kerry Hotel. I might have earned myself a new job — because I crushed it.
We only had two days in Beijing. We were planning on spending one day at the Great Wall and one day exploring the city’s historical sites. Both days sounded great to us adults, but neither had a specific draw for our 5-year-old.
Then I stumbled across the Jiabao Panda themed rooms at the Kerry Hotel, which included access to The Adventure Zone. This was the perfect surprise for our little one, and a great way to inject a bit of fun between two pretty long days.
It was also a singular hotel night between two overnight trains. We were happy to splurge for a bit of added comfort.
Kerry Hotel Location
The Kerry Hotel’s location was the only thing that made me briefly pause. I had originally planned our days based on a stay in the Wangfujing area. This popular tourist district had lots of hotel options at reasonable prices, and was located a little closer to the historical center.
The Kerry Hotel is located in the Central Business District, a few miles east of Wangfujing. Several other 5-star hotels are also located in this area, no doubt targeting business travelers. As a non-business traveler, I was a little hesitant because we were planning to spend our time in the city’s historical center.
I was also worried that there wasn’t much of a neighborhood nearby. There were restaurants and shops, and the nearby mall, but nowhere to walk around and explore.
I ultimately decided that for a short trip, where we really only had one day in the city to worry about, that the hotel was still the right choice. I’m glad I did, because the location wasn’t a problem at all.
The area itself was lovely! Despite it’s place amongst the city’s only skyscrapers, the neighborhood was surprisingly green, with streets lined with trees. Though not much to explore, the area was still very walkable, with nice sidewalks and pedestrian crossings.
While there is not a ton worth doing in the immediate area, I would suggest a stroll through (sort of) nearby Ritan Park in the morning. It’s an easy mile west of the hotel, but it’s an absolute joy in the mornings. There’s a one-mile looped path around the park and you’ll pass people practicing Thai Chi, beautiful architecture, an ancient temple, and a serene pond. It is a smaller, local version of what you might find at the much larger Tiantan Park (by Temple of Heaven.)
The nearest Beijing Subway station is a bit of a walk, which I expected. However, it was only about 15 minutes, and the walk was lovely. Once you’re at the station, it’s easy to get most anywhere in the city in under 30 minutes.
Booking the Jiabao Panda Room
We booked the Kerry Hotel direct on their website. We don’t always do this, but in this case, it was the best way to ensure we got the room and amenities we were expecting.
To be clear, not all rooms at the Kerry Hotel are children’s rooms. A majority of the rooms actually are not panda themed, so you can easily book a typical room following the typical booking process. You can only book the panda room as a special package.
To book the Jiabao Panda room, first navigate to the Offers tab of the hotel page. Here, you’ll find the listing for the Jiabao Panda Themed Room offer. Enter your dates and guest information to check availability and complete your booking. The panda rooms come in either Twin and King bed sizes.
Note: There is also a Kerry Fun offer, which is slightly cheaper. This offer also includes access to The Adventure Zone and complimentary breakfast, but pairs it with a standard (non-panda) room.
During our stay, this offer included a themed room, access to The Adventure Zone and complimentary breakfast. Be sure to check the current offer details before you book.
We paid about $250 for our one-night stay in the Jiabao Panda Theme Room (King). And as far as 5-star hotels go, that was pretty reasonable. Coming from NYC, where 5-star hotels regularly have nightly rights in the four digits, the $200 price tag for the kid’s themed room felt worth it. Even relative to to other luxury hotels in Beijing, this was fairly priced. The Ritz-Carlton a few blocks away was priced similarly for just a standard room.
Note: Both the Panda Room and Kerry Fun offers include breakfast and The Adventure Zone access for one child and two adults. If you have more than one child, you can still book the room, but may have an additional charge for additional children.
Check-in at the Kerry Hotel
Our afternoon arrival at the Kerry Hotel was a bit hectic, at no fault but our own. We had arrived in Beijing that morning on the overnight train from Hong Kong, and then spent the day at the Great Wall.
After we pulled up to the hotel, the bell staff were trying to ferry us and our luggage inside. At the same time, I realized that we still owed our driver money from the tickets. However, the battery in his translator device had died. Meanwhile, my husband is trying to get our 5-year-old safely out of the car and onto the curb, while also un-installing the car seat. It was very stressful and clunky.
Once we got inside thought, everything went smoothly. The bell staff helped us carry our bags to the front desk. (We personally loved that they didn’t insist upon keeping them and then transferring them to our room for us, as these hotels often do.)
While I was entertaining our child nearby, a front-desk agent popped over to give them a few activity books. These were a huge hit later.
The check-in process was smooth, and surprisingly quick. The front desk staff were all fluent in both Mandarin and English. (Not all staff were dual-lingual.) In China, there is always a lot of steps to check into a hotel — verifying passports, entering information, cross-checking everything. Fortunately, this one just took a few minutes and we were soon on our way to the room.
Our child had no idea what they were about to walk into, and we were thrilled.
Jiabao Panda Theme Room (King)
Upon entry, the room was undoubtably panda themed. The best I can tell, Jiabao Panda is not a specific character. (However, if anyone can provide context for this character please let me know if the comments!) I believe it’s more a generic cartoon panda.
Bright yellow and massive, the king size bed was the prominent feature in the room. It was topped with panda bedding and pillows. There were nightstands on each side, both of which had accessible charging. Across from the bed was a large TV and long desktop, which included a special kid’s nightlight and sound machine. The complimentary minibar was also over here, which included a fridge with a handful of beverages, light snacks, and a selection of teas and instant coffee.
Just beyond the bed was the main children’s space. It had an adorable play tent, with a soft floor and children’s slippers beside it. There was a kid’s themed carpet and small couch, with panda pillows. To make it even more fun, there was a little foosball table, dress-up vanity, and plushy (which we believe was intended to stay with the room.)
There was another little table over here, with some special goodies for us. We received a tray of three cupcakes — panda themed of course — and a panda key chain to keep.
Inside the bathroom, there were even more children’s features. The most adorable of which, was the tiny little panda themed children’s robe! There was also children’s soap, bath toys and tools, and a kid’s dental kit inside a decorative toothbrush holder.
In short, the room was amazing and exceeded our expectations. The details were thoughtful, useful and just plain fun. I’ve never seen a hotel with so much attention given to young travelers. They didn’t just change the bedspread. They crafted an experience for children, and we loved it.
If there was one negative, it was that there was not a bed for our child. The king room included a single king bed. The small couch was and curved, and didn’t have a pull-out sofa. The tent would have been a cute and acceptable option, but we didn’t note any extra bedding in the room. (We surely could have asked for it, though.)
I saw in the listing that they offer a complimentary rollaway bed, which we could have asked for. Ultimately, we chose to just all climb into the large bed. We were exhausted, and were all going to bed at the same time anyway.
Notable Amenities & Extras
As noted in the booking section, the panda rooms include complimentary breakfast at Kerry’s Kitchen. It is a breakfast buffet that features Asian and Western (American & European) specialties.
I had a long run scheduled for that morning (I was training for the Boston Marathon at the time), so I skipped breakfast. While I was running 13 loops around Ritan Park, my husband and child were throughly enjoying themselves. Hotel breakfast might be my husband’s favorite part of traveling, and he loved the options at Kerry’s Kitchen. He specifically noted loving the Indian breakfast selection, while our child ate their weight in fruit per usual.
Also noted above, the minibar in the room was complimentary. The fridge had some sodas, juice, and a Tsingtao beer, plus plenty of bottled water. There were also a few snacks, like mixed nuts, and a coffee/tea bar. Coffee isn’t big in China, so I understand why there was no coffee maker, even though I personally would have preferred it. There was a coffee shop in the lobby though, which makes up for it.
Another great perk is the children’s dining option. If you join Shangri-La Circle, children can get dinner at Kerry Kitchen for free (kids under 6) or 50% off (ages 6-12).
Alternatively, there are several dining options nearby. If you are open to a break from Chinese food, you might want to check out Jing-A Brewing in the mall adjacent to the hotel. This was a great option for us, as it had kid-friendly western food (read: pizza and pasta) for our child, and craft beer for us. It was a perfect option for us.
The Adventure Zone
Just in case a kid’s themed room loaded with toys wasn’t enough, let’s throw in one more special treat: The Adventure Zone.
The Adventure Zone is located inside the adjacent mall. If you exit the back of the hotel lobby (opposite the street-side doors), you’ll enter the mall. Walk straight back, toward the Starbucks. Just before you get there, there’s a sign for The Adventure Zone, which points to a hidden bank of elevators. The entrance is on the third floor.
We checked in at the front desk, where we had to provide our room number and sign a short waiver. They gave us wristbands, which we had to scan to enter and exit the play space. These bands were valid all day, and we could come and go as often as we liked.
The Adventure Zone is a large indoor play area. One side is a climbing area, with lots of nets, tunnels and obstacles. In the middle are three large slides. The red slide was for bigger kids, the blue slide was for younger kids, and a the large rainbow slide (which required a mat) was for everyone.
The other side of the space had different play areas. There was a large pool of blocks (like a life-size sensory bin), neighborhood of playhouses, toy food kitchen, and large ball pit with an interactive play screen.
Around the edge of the space, there were a few arcade games and mystery toy dispensers. These things all cost extra and accepted Alipay. The Adventure Zone also had a small snack stand, which was open limited hours.
We spent an hour in The Adventure Zone in the afternoon, and then came back for another hour after dinner. Our child was 5 and overall had a great time. They particularly loved the rainbow slide and ball pit. During our first visit, they actually said they were done before we said it was time to leave. I think they just got bored playing on their own. (They were also surely tired from climbing up the Great Wall.) However, during our second visit, they made a friend and had a lot more fun and would have stayed forever.
This was such a fun perk, and easily elevated this hotel to elite status for our little one.
Closing Thoughts
The Kerry Hotel was the perfect place to stay for our family during our short visit to Beijing. We loved that the hotel prioritized children. The hotel went out of their way to create a room that wasn’t just decorated for children, but actually designed to be used by them. The addition of The Adventure Zone was an extra wow factor that made it even more memorable.
We also loved the convenience that the Kerry Hotel offered us as adults. It was conveniently located near our arrival train station (Beijing West) and our departure station (Beijing South). It was also a short walk to the subway, which easily connected us to the rest of the city.
Finally, the comfortable ease of a luxury hotel was just what we needed for such a short stay. Since our visit fell between two overnight trains, we relished the idea of a plush bed and hot shower. The comfort and quality of our room exceeded even our adult expectations.
The Kerry Hotel is a perfect luxury hotel option for families. While there are cheaper options in Beijing, it was still reasonably priced for a major city 5-star hotel. Overall, we loved our stay here. We would definitely recommend this hotel to families visiting Beijing.
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