I stayed in a suite while attending a board meeting in Urumqi. This hotel was selected for the meeting in part because there were several non-Chinese attendees, so an international class hotel was needed.

For a hotel affiliated with an international chain, the Keminski Urumqi does not meet the basic requirement of having staff in most departments who speak English. No-one I tried to get service from at the front desk or the concierge desk spoke English (or German, Kempinski being a German company). I would have been at a loss without help from the bilingual staff of the company sponsoring the meeting.

Also, the hotel has a distinctly two-three star feel, for example in the bare-bones restaurant where breakfast is served, and in the uncarpeted lobby.

This led me to check whether this hotel is in fact a Kempinski. I found that it is not mentioned on Kempinski's global website (which lists all the other Kempinskis in China). After returning home, I called Kempinski's US reservations number. The phone was answered by someone who, from his accent, was in Germany. I explained that I wanted to make a reservation but could not find the Urumqi hotel on K's website. He replied that "We cannot make a reservation there -- we have no control over those people." I doubt, therefore, if this really is an internationally-affiliated hotel any more.

The suite itself was adequate, although the executive club lounge, access to which comes with the suite, no longer serves breakfast as is the norm elsewhere. The Internet connection worked OK. The HVAC was quiet and effective. The bed was comfortable. Everything was clean. However the (former) minibar was empty, and in general the layout had several quirks which I usually associate with the thought that this was probably the architect's first attempt at an hotel. The bathroom, for example, was separated from the bedroom by a very large picture window (clear glass) with a venetian blind which housekeeping raised and lowered twice a day just as if the window looked out onto the street. There was both a walk-in shower and a bathtub with a shower, and you have to walk through the shower stall to get into the bath, which is in a kind of glass-walled box of its own. The only closet in the entire suite (which included a very large living room) was a tiny one just inside the main door, i.e. in the living room, too small to hang up even the contents of one person's carry-on. Etc., etc.

I see that there's also a Sheraton in Urumqi, so I guess that this would be a better bet for the international traveler.

I had a spacious deluxe room with a king size comfortable bed. The bathroom (also nicely sized) had a nice view of Hongshan Park.

The location is convenient - about a 10 minute walk to the north gate of People's Park (and what looks like a fun bar street on Gongyuan Beilu). A good landmark to find the Kempinski is the Peafowl Hotel - directly across the street.

The staff were pleasant but a bit uncomfortable speaking English. In fact, don't expect many people to speak English, or even Mandarin. I asked for a map and they kindly provided one, but it didn't have English on it. (I'm not one of the people who expects everyone in the world to speak perfect English, this is just to serve as a warning to those who might expect that in a 5 star hotel).

The Muslim restaurant had good food but was almost completely empty the two nights I tried it. Breakfast (included in room rate), served in the Kranzler's western-style restaurant, had a variety of mostly Eastern-style food, which I like. There was also a selection of cereals and a few pastries.

I stayed at the hotel early February. It was a very new hotel so there were a few issues not up to the standard, e.g. Internet access was off for a week during my stay (but before I booked the hotel I had demanded Internet broadband service specifically and the hotel confirmed no problem), billing system still had fault which I had to spend some time to settle the difference with cashier. Generally the staff are very friendly and willing to help. The room is very clean. The bedding is excellent. Air-con was a bit too warm and the control didn't seem work so I had to open the window to let fresh air in. It is not a totally non-smoking hotel yet. Price-wise it is also very attractive.

In a nutshell, this Urumqi hotel can easily claim 6 stars after a few months of operation to iron those teething problems.