Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.
Visitors to Tianjin now have a choice of Sheraton Tianjin Hotel or the brand new Westin Tianjin. The new Westin Tianjin is located in the Wue Da Dao area, an old British Concession area. The hotel forms part of a mixed use development on Nanjing Road in the center of the city with The Emperor Place retail shopping mall and corporate offices. The lobby features a 16 meter high ceiling while the 275 guest rooms and suites provide the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. Rooms feature Westin's signature Heavenly Beds, Herman Miller furnishings, giant LCD TV's and iPod docking stations. Look towards the heavens through a glass roof over the indoor 25 meter heated swimming pool.
While it may not be a household name, the city of Tianjin is the sixth largest in the People's Republic of China and was the host of the football portion of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The 120 kilometer journey from Beijing takes just 29 minutes at speeds up to 350KM/HR on the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway at a cost of just RMB58 each way (approximately $9 US). The city is a key manufacturing hub for China and home to many multi-national companies and is one of the biggest sea ports in the world. Besides being an industrial city, Tianjin has many old concession areas.
My tip: be sure to visit the Tianjin Eye, a 120 meter high Ferris Wheel, uniquely built over the Chihai Bridge. It's a spectacular way to view this exciting Chinese destination.
