Novotel Suzhou SIP is the pick for travellers who want to stay on the modern side of the city, beside Jinji Lake. It stands at 688 Suzhou Avenue East in Suzhou Industrial Park, in a shopping and business district, and its roughly 306 rooms include Deluxe rooms of about 33 square metres, many with lake views, as well as Deluxe Suites of around 60 square metres, Premier and Superior rooms and rooms with balconies and city views. The hotel has an indoor pool, a sauna, a gym, a bar, a business centre, a garden and two restaurants serving international food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rooms have air conditioning, a workspace suited to laptops, 24-hour room service and daily cleaning. It is a comfortable, practical base with good transport links, and the lakeside promenade, the cultural and arts centre and the expo centre are all within a short walk. It has received a green-hotel certification in China.
Location and getting around
Jinji Lake is about a four-minute walk from the front door, the Suzhou science, culture and arts centre is about seven minutes on foot and the international expo centre about ten. A metro station serving the cultural and expo district is a minute or two away on foot, which makes the hotel a good base for reaching the old city and the railway station without a taxi, though the old-city gardens are a longer ride away.
Suzhou railway station is around twenty minutes by car. Shanghai’s Hongqiao area is a longer drive, so most visitors arrive by train.
Rooms
Choose a lake-view Deluxe room if you want to wake to water views, and a Deluxe Suite if you need space for a family or a longer stay. Rooms come with king or twin beds, a desk and the usual comforts, and balcony rooms offer city views. Pets are not allowed, and check-in is from 3 p.m. with check-out at noon.
Facilities and dining
The indoor pool and sauna are good for tired legs, and the gym and bar round out the facilities. Two restaurants offer international menus, and a buffet breakfast is available for an extra charge on many rates, so check your booking. Plenty of restaurants lie within a short walk, including noodle shops, hotpot places, bakeries and several international options in the shopping centres nearby.
Who it suits
Business travellers, families who like open space and shopping, cyclists and walkers who want to use the lakeside paths, and anyone who prefers a modern district to an old-town setting. It is the wrong choice for travellers who want to walk out of the hotel into a canal lane at night, since the old town is a metro or taxi ride away.
Good to know
Free self-parking and free Wi-Fi are provided, and the hotel has a concierge, laundry and dry-cleaning service and a 24-hour front desk. Rates are often lower than in the old city, which can make it good value for a longer stay, and it combines well with a day at the lake and an evening skyline walk.
Why stay here
- ✓Indoor swimming pool
- ✓Sauna
- ✓Gym
- ✓Bar
- ✓Two restaurants
- ✓Free Wi-Fi
- ✓Free self-parking
- ✓24-hour room service
Good questions
Where is Novotel Suzhou SIP?+
It is at 688 Suzhou Avenue East in Suzhou Industrial Park, close to Jinji Lake.
How far is Jinji Lake?+
About a four-minute walk, and the lakeside promenade is a short stroll beyond that.
Is it close to the metro?+
A metro station serving the cultural and expo district is about a minute or two away on foot.
