Urumqi is one of the farthest, if not the farthest, point of land from an ocean, yet this hotel which clearly is targeting Hong Kong business travellers (the Cantonese word "hoi" is "hai" in Mandarin Chinese and means "ocean") still decided to give it a fish theme--from the wall-sized aquarium in the lobby (which attracted little local children who pounded on the glass terrorizing the fish) to the "western" buffet that was anything but western and featured fish in every dish (I'm sorry, but did they have to put tiny, newborn eels even in the fried rice?). Ill-advised fish theme aside, the hotel is OK. The room was good, the bathroom less-so with a shower-in-the-tub, but the $20 double Gordon's gin martini was world standard. There were even flower petals in the toilet (which after squatting in desert sand dunes for a couple of days was a very refreshing sight). This hotel really tries to get it right with its numerous restaurants, karaoke night spot, bowling centre, health club, sauna and massage facilities, etc. and China Tourism has given it 5-stars, but we gave it only 3-4 stars during our stay. With a standard room rack rate at 1200 RMB for a single and 1400 for a double (superior rooms 1300 and 1500 RMB respectively), we'll try another hotel next time we're in Urumqi.

The Hoi Tak is a wonderful hotel. The staff was very friendly, and helpful. The hotel is in a great location. Very central to the downtown area. We had a great view of the people's square. Roomservice was great and very reasonable. There were some draw backs though. The bed was definately on the hard side, and the western buffet breakfast was certainly lacking "western" items.