My Ascott Raffles City Chongqing Review

Ascott Raffles City in Chongqing might be one of the most unique places that I’ve ever been to from an architectural standpoint. The serviced apartment complex as well as the Raffles City development itself are honestly unlike anything I’ve ever been to. Is it worth staying over here though? In this write-up I’ll be detailing my first impressions and experience staying here so that hopefully, you’ll have an idea of what it has to offer (you can also read my article about the other hotel I stayed here, The Westin Chongqing Liberation Square Hotel).

Ascott Raffles City Chongqing Hotel Booking

👉 Booking.com: https://booking.tpx.lv/pOEkQVjZ

👉 Agoda: https://agoda.tpx.lv/A3mmRZQa

👉 Trip.com: https://trip.tpx.lv/W4ty33oU

👉 Expedia.com: https://expedia.tpx.lv/UlV9JZqJ

My Stay at a Serviced Apartment in Ascott Raffles City Chongqing

So the first thing I did when I arrived at Raffles City was take a picture of this building. Now if you’re unaware, Raffles City isn’t really a city but a development complex with 8 buildings. Four of these are connected by a skybridge (the long horizontal tube) called the Crystal and if you look closely, you’ll actually see the Ascott name on the second building from the left.

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Here’s the Ascott branding and logo on the lower levels of the building. It’s actually quite unassuming but let me tell you, looks can be deceiving. This isn’t your typical hotel at all (and this is definitely very different from Ashan River View Hotel and The Humble River View Hotel Chongqing). Rather what you’ll find here are serviced apartments.

Once inside, I got to take a good look at the lobby and was actually impressed at how comfortable and homey it felt here. Another thing that I appreciated was the check-in area which was very accessible and had chairs for guests to sit in while their reservations were being processed.

This is a better look at the furniture in the lobby. I will say, these were quite comfortable to sit on and I might have even dozed off a little when I sat on one of them. That said, their design does look kind of dated. Still, this is just an aesthetics kind of thing and shouldn’t really affect how comfortable these furniture are to sit on.

In a corner of the lobby, I came across this cabinet that featured plaques of recognition awarded to Ascott Raffles City. The two awards in the picture were specifically given by a popular consumer review site (very similar to TripAdvisor and Yelp) in China called Dianping. Known as the ‘Must Stay’ Award, this is only given to establishments that have managed to consistently provide quality (and have become popular as a result) for Dianping users.

After what seemed like a really short time, I finally managed to get inside the serviced apartment that I’d reserved for this visit. I then decided to immediately check on the kitchen and was impressed at what I saw. The fridge was rather large and I’m pretty sure it could have held a plethora of food for weeks.

Other than the fridge, there was also a freezer where you could slot in your meats and other perishables. If you bought those hotpot soup packs then you might want to keep them here if you want them to last longer. Want to wash your clothes by yourself (as opposed to dropping them off at a laundromat)? There’s also a washing machine here that can double as a dryer to help you with washing your clothes.

Moving on to the shoe cabinet, it’s actually quite spacious. I thought that you could have fit more than just a couple of shoes in that slot. In fact, I sort of remember putting some of my bags here just because I was too lazy (if you’ve read about the places I’ve been to here in Chongqing then you’d understand why this was the case) to put them anywhere else.

Let me tell you this. These mules were low-key some of the most comfortable slippers that my feet have had the pleasure of wearing. One of the most relaxing ways to cap off a day’s worth of walking and visiting Chongqing’s myriad of locations was getting back to the service apartment and lounging with these mules on.

If you’re the kind who cooks their own food then a service apartment will be leagues better than a hotel room. In this Ascott unit, I had a kitchen that featured an oven as well as an induction cooker if I ever decided to cook my own meals.

Then just a couple of steps from the kitchen and dining table is the living room. From this viewpoint it looks spacious. As for comfortability, it’s quite relaxing to sit on the furniture here especially if you’ve just come from a long day walking around Chongqing.

Opposite the living room are the entrances to the service apartment’s bedroom and bathroom. You’ve also probably noticed that the living room has a television set and soundbar combo. Quite honestly, I didn’t get much use from the TV as I typically get a lot of my entertainment through my mobile devices (e.g. phone and tablet).

I feel like if you really want to save on expenses then you’re definitely going to want to do your own laundry. This Siemens washer/dryer combo can hold up to 8.5kg of your clothes and has a max rpm of 1300.

Another reason why you may want to use the washing machine is that you’re provided washing powder for free. Moreover, you can also just buy your own outside if you’re not a big fan of the one that’s provided.

Now if you’ve been meaning to fix a cup of coffee for yourself or your partner then you’re probably going to love this complimentary Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee capsule set. I’ve read that though not bad, these aren’t really the best especially when compared to freshly brewed coffee. That said, I also didn’t have time for grinding and brewing my own coffee so this was a welcome sight indeed.

If you do decide to try the Dolce Gusto coffee capsules then you’re going to want to load them up on the Eclipse Automatic Coffee Machine that Ascott also provides. This was honestly one of the coolest looking gadgets in the service apartment thanks to looking very much like something from a sci-fi movie.

Here’s a close up of the container holding the Dolce Gusto capsule. It also has packets of instant coffee, creamer (Coffee Mate), and sugar. Off to the side are bottles of drinking water that you can use for making the coffee. If you’re unsure about how to operate the coffee machine, you can check out the user guide (which conveniently has instructions in English).

The kitchen sink is pretty bare which actually wasn’t a problem with me. I was eating out a lot of the time that I didn’t really get to see much use out of this. Seriously, Chongqing has plenty of great food places. It kind of defeats the purpose of being here if I’m just going to stay inside the service apartment and cook my own food.

Much like with the sink, I couldn’t find a lot of uses for the oven. That said, service apartments are also meant for long term stays so if your plan is to stay in Chongqing for weeks at a time then I’m pretty sure you’ll find at least one use for this in that span of time.

Aside from the oven, there’s also an induction cooker here that I think you might end up using more. This is great for heating up hotpot or even water if you somehow didn’t see the electric kettle beside the automatic coffee machine earlier.

Now boiling water won’t typically produce odors or bad smells. What about other food though? Well, there’s a range-hood here that should help in removing not just odors but also smoke and even steam while you’re using the induction cooker.

Looking inside one of the cabinets, I found these pots and pans that should prove handy once you decide to cook on either the oven (which you can see on the right side of this image) or the induction cooker.

This drawer has chopping boards (both wooden and plastic) as well as mittens. I did end up using the chopping boards eventually and the mittens are also great for handling just about any pot or pan that you’ve cooked or baked in.

In this drawer you’ll find spoons, forks, knives, and other utensils for food preparation and eating. I like that there’s an included peeler here as well as a can opener. On the left, there’s also an organizer where you can safely store your knives and similar cutting implements.

Browsing through another drawer, I came across these plates and bowls. If you have plans of cooking the hot pot soup packs you bought here then the soup bowls and soup spoons are definitely going to come in handy.

Bordering the kitchen and living room area is this luggage rack and this small cocktail table. This was probably one of the most unassuming areas of the service apartment. That said, I did end up using the telephone a lot for calls for room service.

Here’s a close up of the telephone that was on the cocktail table. As you can see, it shows the room’s number as well as speed dials for Guest Service, Voice Mail, the Club House, and Room Service. I also liked that the labels are also in English so guests who aren’t that familiar with Chinese won’t have a problem using it.

It’s probably just me but I actually think that the furniture here looks so much better than what they had at the lobby area. It’s also a lot more comfortable and I think I ended up sleeping on this one night without any issues.

As I said earlier, I didn’t get to use the television that much because I tend to use my phone for media consumption. That said, I did turn it on and the colors were actually rather vibrant. I also liked how thin the bezels on the television were. I’m not that big into sound bars so I’m not sure if the one here was great or not.

To turn on the television, just reach for the remote that’s on this rack on the coffee table. You’ll also notice that there’s an in-room service menu here. The food is from the SHAN restaurant though I would advise ordering through here since the rates are typically a bit higher than what you’d find outside.

Rather than ordering from the service menu, you might want to consider getting ingredients from the Hotel Supermarket instead. It’s actually open 24/7 (as seen on the small standee in the image) and has mostly everything from essentials to snacks and even contraceptives. What’s even nicer is that you actually don’t need to physically be there to order. Just scan the barcode and once you’ve purchased the items you want, these will then be taken up to your room via robot contactless delivery.

My favorite area in this serviced apartment though is arguably the bedroom. Yes, the bed above is as comfortable as it looks. When you’re in Chongqing, having a soft bed to sleep on at the end of the day is going to be a must. There’s a lot of walking and jostling through crowds and all this going to leave you tired.

The bed actually isn’t too soft. I think it strikes the perfect balance of softness and firmness that make it such a good bed to sleep on. The covers and bedding also smelled nice which further contributed to a relaxing time as I was catching some shut-eye.

Here are some plaques featuring ads for a spa and luggage delivery service. I wasn’t able to try the BOGVRI Spa myself but it does seem like it’d be a great deal if you’ve already a guest here. According to the ad, Ascott guests actually get a nice 15% discount if they do decide to use the spa’s services.

Now I didn’t really make use of these earplugs but they are here if you happen to have a hard time sleeping with certain sounds (e.g. the sounds the AC makes). While relatively safe to use, I ended up just sleeping without these as I’m typically unbothered by noise when sleeping.

Another feature of the bedroom that stood out for me was the walk-in closet. It wasn’t the largest mind you but it was still spacious enough for you to be able to put in all the clothes that you brought for your trip.

Aside from being spacious, I also loved how well lit the closet was. Here you can clearly see the complimentary bathrobe, clothes iron, and ironing horse. Like I said earlier, you really won’t need to go to a laundromat here as you’ve basically got everything you need for washing and drying your clothes.

If you’re wondering what the ladder-like thing is beside the ironing horse/board, that’s actually a drying rack. This is especially useful for clothes that use delicate fabrics like silk, wool, and/or lace that you don’t want to find inside of a dryer. Once you’re done washing clothes with these types of fabrics, you’ll just then need to hang them on the drying rack and by the time you’re back from outside they should be dry and ready to wear again.

Here’s a close up of the clothes iron that you’re undoubtedly going to find lots of uses for. It’s not advisable but if I needed something to get dry quicker I actually use this to speed up the process a little bit.

Behind the mirrored closet door, you’ll find this safe where you can secure the valuables that you typically won’t be able to bring when you go out. Unlike most safes in hotels that I’ve been to, this is actually quite large. It’s pretty much guaranteed that this along with whatever you put inside it, won’t be going anywhere without drawing attention or breaking the potential thief’s back.

On the shelf on top of the safe is a laundry bag if you do decide to just leave all your laundry for room service to pick up. This is also a really nice option if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to do all the washing and drying of your clothes yourself.

Back to the topmost shelf of the closet, you’ll find this fire escape hood that you hopefully won’t find any use for during your visit. I actually think this is a nice touch to include. As far as I can tell though, there haven’t been any Ascott properties that have caught on fire this year so you’re probably quite safe here.

What you’re looking at is the entrance of the service apartment’s bathroom. Inside you’ll see the toilet as well as parts of the bathroom sink and mirror. It’s important to note though that this is the entrance found inside the bedroom. Why is that important you ask?

Well, because the bathroom actually has two entrances with the one in the image found in the living room. Making the bathroom accessible in this manner was actually such an ingenious design choice.

As for the inside of the bathroom, it’s actually quite spacious much like the rest of the areas in the serviced apartment. I particularly liked the mirrors and the subtle lighting underneath them that provided a kind of gentle illumination to the room. Let me tell you, it’s quite relaxing here which is a good thing especially if you’re not used to spicy food.

Here’s a glimpse of the bath area proper which has the showers. You’ll also notice the abundance of towels here as well as the laundry basket where you can drop off your used clothes.

Here’s another set of towels as well as the complimentary vanity kit, shower cap, and some creams. Like with other hotels that I’ve been to, I didn’t get to use these (the creams) as I typically bring my own. I did give them a sniff and they smelled quite nice so if you forgot yours then I think you might be able to make do with these.

If you’re the kind who can’t go out without drying their hair after a bath then you’ll probably find yourself using this Panasonic Nanocare hair dryer a lot. It’s not complimentary though so make sure you don’t pack it together with your things. Kidding aside, this is a really powerful hair dryer with strong airflow.

So this isn’t really much to talk about. The tap here functions really well and the hand washing soap produces a nice amount of bubbles while also being fragrant.

This was a rather welcome sight in the bathroom. As someone who tends to watch their weight regularly, I found myself standing on top of this digital scale. What’s really nice about this scale though is that on top of weight, it also measures body fat percentage and total water percentage in your body. Pretty useful for watching your weight if you ask me.

From here you have a clearer look at the toilet area of the bathroom. Honestly, I think this might have been one of the cleanest and most aesthetic looking bathrooms I’ve seen in my travels. I think the marble tiles really elevate the room’s aesthetics in addition to making it feel homey.

Anyway, after checking out the toilet area, it’s time to get a full glimpse of the shower and bathtub. From this view I already knew that I was going to love taking a bath here. At a glance the area might seem small, but it’s actually quite spacious.

The bathtub in particular looked pristine and I honestly was ready to run the water and take a dip right then and there when I took this picture. Anyway, it’s not really that large but it should still be more than enough to handle the average Jane and Joe.

Right next to the tub is the shower head which also has both hot and cold options. It’s a pretty bog standard looking shower head though it does seem to have an above average build quality. There’s a heft to it that doesn’t make it feel plastic for lack of a better term.

To the left of the shower head is a shelf where you’ll find premium Appelles body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Again, I typically bring my own but these are also still great options if you didn’t bring yours. At 500 ml, they’ll also last you quite some time so you might be able to save a little if you use these.

This area is opposite the tap on the bathtub and features two racks for your towels. Then in the corner is a rolled up bath mat that you can spread on the floor before the tub to prevent yourself from slipping on the wet tiled floor.

Here’s an even closer look at the bathtub with the tap and the handheld shower head attached to it. During my stay, I was pretty much a repeat customer here thanks to how comfortable it was to soak here. This was especially true after a long day out walking the streets of Chongqing.

Here’s a view of the main shower from another angle. Aside from the bath mat, there are also railings here for you to hold on to keep your balance and to avoid slipping. In my experience, the bath mat was more than enough though admittedly it could end up being different for yours.

Now I did end up using these bath salts as I typically don’t bring my own during trips. This was pretty nice if I’m being honest and if you wanted to, you could ask room service for a different flavor other than Rosella.

At the very least, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing was more than worth what I paid. The serviced apartment was spacious but still felt homey. The amenities were all top of the line and more importantly, well maintained (and before I forget the breakfast buffet here is one of the best, you can read my article about it here). Overall, I was comfortable during my stay and I think that if I were to stay in Chongqing for a long while, this would be one of the places I’d be considering.