Lhasa Hotel
I’ve travelled the world over, staying at many hotels–some good and some bad–but the Lhasa Hotel definitely takes the cake as one of the worst hotels out there. Where does one start?
1) The Lhasa hotel brags it is the former Holiday Inn (their marquee says it too, in Lhasa). While most people interpret this as, “wow, it’s a former Holiday Inn, the hotel can’t be that bad,” I think the more appropriate interpretation should be, “wow, even the Holiday Inn couldn’t make it in Lhasa.” While Holiday Inns aren’t terrible, the Lhasa Hotel was.
2) The beds were the hardest beds I have ever slept on. Sleeping on the floor would have been softer (no exaggeration here, really). After long, arduous days in Lhasa (climbing up to the Potala Palace, altitude sickness), having a nice bed to lay down in for a nap or sleep would have been nice.
3) The entire hotel was blacked out twice…in one night. Have you ever tried to shower by flashlight before?
4) Staff are not particularly friendly, and often give you a blank stare in response to requests (e.g., it is going to rain today?) This was not due to any communication barrier either as I would try to ask questions in both English and Mandarin.
If the Lhasa Hotel was *that* terrible, you may ask why would I give it two stars, as opposed to just one. Simply put, there are not that many hotels up to Western-standards in Lhasa. So, while the Lhasa Hotel is just awful compared to the hotels we may be used to here in the West, it nevertheless really is one of the better hotels in Lhasa. (We saw a couple other hotels in Lhasa just to compare.)
As long as you go into the Lhasa Hotel with your eyes open, you won’t be disappointed. (We had read all the prior reviews here before booking at the Lhasa Hotel.) Just keep these low expectations in mind when not-so-ideal situations present themselves at this hotel (and they will).
As a general note, Lhasa and Tibet are not a destination for the faint at heart, or those individuals used to luxury travel. Tibet is tough to get to, and the altitude sickness is a real possibility. 2 of the 11 in our private tour group were debilitated one day, and most of us had mild headaches the three days we were there. The people, while friendly, live a tough life, and the Chinese military makes it presence known everywhere.
P.S. If you’re dying for some non-Chinese food in Lhasa (and don’t want another meal of greasy Chinese food), go to the Dunya Restaurant & Bar at 100 Beijing Dong Lu. The yak burgers are pretty decent, and the Indonesian fried rice was pretty good. The place is clean and the service is pretty good. Unfortunately, because you can’t have the ice, it’s still warm pop, warm cocktails and warm water though.