Holiday Inn Express Hangzhou Westlake East — Right by the Railway Station, a Short Metro Hop to West Lake, with Free Breakfast
Let's be honest: the draw here isn't a lake view from your bed — it's a transport-hub location that's genuinely hard to beat. Holiday Inn Express Hangzhou Westlake East by IHG (杭州西湖东智选假日酒店) sits on Xihu Avenue (西湖大道) in Shangcheng District, about 190 metres from Hangzhou Railway Station and right beside Chengzhan metro station on Lines 1 and 5 — you can walk from the platform to the lobby. West Lake, Hangzhou's UNESCO-listed star, is roughly 3 km away: about a 20-minute walk west along Xihu Avenue, or just a few stops on the metro. It's a 4-star IHG hotel that opened in 2020 with 170 rooms, the rooms are a generous 28–32 sqm (bigger than your typical Chinese midscale chain), there's a free buffet breakfast, and the Trip.com score sits at around 9.4/10 from nearly 8,000 real guest reviews. If you're arriving in Hangzhou by high-speed train and want a base where you step off the train and you're practically at the door — with roomy rooms, free breakfast, at a sensible price — this fits exactly.
The people who will love this hotel most are train travellers, because its position feels purpose-built for anyone relying on public transport. Walk out of Hangzhou Railway Station (Chengzhan) and it's about 190 metres to the lobby — guests repeatedly mention that they "got off the train and walked straight over without needing a taxi." For the metro, Chengzhan station sits right at the building: Line 1 takes you across the city — to the Wulin area, to the Longxiangqiao lakeside, or on to Hangzhou East, the main high-speed-rail hub — while Line 5 handles the western districts and beyond. Flying in? Xiaoshan International Airport is about 27 km out, reachable by airport bus or taxi.
Now for the thing to get straight first: the "Westlake East" name sounds lakefront, but the hotel isn't on the water. It's on the railway-station side, which is the south-eastern edge of the West Lake district, and the lake itself is around 3 km away. You can walk it — head west along Xihu Avenue and it's about 20 minutes including traffic-light crossings — or, if you'd rather not, hop a few metro stops to the shore. The upside is that the walk takes you past genuinely pleasant heritage streets: Qinghefang (清河坊) and Hefang Street, plus the old Imperial Street (御街) area, all lined with traditional snacks and souvenir shops. So if you understand this as a "transport-hub hotel near the old town, with the lake a walk or a short metro ride away" rather than a "lakefront hotel," you'll be very happy with it.
One guest recalls: "We chose this place because it's right by the railway station — got off the high-speed train and it was a few minutes' walk to the hotel, so convenient. The room was bigger than expected, clean, with a comfortable bed, and the free breakfast had plenty of both Chinese and Western options. The staff were excellent. For West Lake we just took the metro from under the building and were there in no time. Great value for a 4-star in this kind of spot."
The rooms are where this branch quietly over-delivers for a Holiday Inn Express, a brand that usually keeps things simple — here the rooms are noticeably larger than the typical Chinese midscale chain, starting at around 28–31 sqm. There's a good spread: from the Superior Queen Room (28–31 sqm) with one queen bed, up to a Featured Room with a lake view (~32 sqm) on a higher floor that catches West Lake in the distance, a Superior Twin (~32 sqm) for friends or business trips, and a Family Featured Room (~32 sqm) for families. The recurring praise is for cleanliness (the Trip.com cleanliness score runs as high as ~9.5), comfortable beds, and a well-kept bathroom — dependable IHG standards throughout.
The criticisms are real and worth knowing first. One: the building and rooms are starting to show their age — it opened in 2020, but some rooms read a little worn or have dated furniture in recent reviews. Two: noise — a few guests mention audible AC hum, and the wall soundproofing between rooms isn't as thick as you'd get at a luxury hotel, so light sleepers should ask for a higher floor or an interior room at check-in. Three: the view — the Featured rooms billed as having a lake view show West Lake "in the distance," not a full waterfront panorama. If you want to open the curtains to a lake filling the window, you'll need a lakefront hotel such as the Grand Hyatt or Sofitel Westlake in our list instead.
A pleasant surprise for many is the free buffet breakfast included with several rates (the Express Start spread Holiday Inn Express is known for), served around 06:30–10:00 with a decent mix of Chinese and Western options — ideal for fuelling up before an early start at West Lake. Other facilities include a gym, restaurant, bar, free parking, free luggage storage, laundry service, meeting rooms, and free Wi-Fi. Worth flagging: there's no swimming pool, as this is a midscale brand focused on big, clean rooms and a great location. If you want a rooftop pool or a spa, look at the 5-star lakefront hotels in our list.
Standard rates start at around ~¥450 (฿2,250) per night, with a typical range of ฿2,250–3,500 depending on season and room type — the lake-view Featured rooms run a fair bit higher than the standard ones. China's long holidays — Golden Week (October 1–7), Chinese New Year, and Labour Day (May 1–5) — push rates up and fill rooms fast, since Hangzhou and West Lake are among the top draws for domestic tourists, so book several weeks ahead if you're coming then. The honest summary, friend to friend: the Westlake East branch of Holiday Inn Express is for travellers who arrive by train and want a base where they step off and they're practically at the door — spacious rooms, free breakfast, and easy metro access to the old town and the lake. If you can live with rooms that are ageing slightly and a lake view that's distant, it's excellent value at the 4-star level — but if you want to walk out the door straight to the water, compare it against Crystal Orange on the south shore or the JI Hotel Hubin branch in our list first.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ About 190 m from Hangzhou Railway Station — step off the train and walk over
- ✓ Chengzhan metro (Lines 1 & 5) at the building, easy to the lakeshore, Wulin and Hangzhou East
- ✓ Spacious 28–32 sqm rooms, very clean, comfortable beds — solid IHG standard
- ✓ Free buffet breakfast (Chinese and Western) included with many rates
- ! The building and rooms are starting to show their age; some furniture looks dated
- ! Not on the lake — West Lake is about 3 km, a ~20-minute walk or a metro hop
- ✓ Excellent, helpful staff who can advise on getting around
- ✓ Within walking distance of the Qinghefang / Hefang Street (河坊街) old town
- ✓ Range of room types, from a Superior Queen to a 32 sqm Family Featured Room
- ✓ Gym, free parking and free luggage storage — handy for longer trips
- ! Some audible AC noise and thinner soundproofing between rooms
- ! Rates rise and rooms fill fast over the Chinese long holidays
- 💡If you think "Westlake East" means lakefront · The hotel is actually on the railway-station side; West Lake is about 3 km away (a ~20-min walk or a metro hop) · Fix → for a stay where you walk straight out to the lake, see the Grand Hyatt, Sofitel Westlake, or Crystal Orange on the south shore in our list
- 💡If you're a light sleeper · Some reviews mention AC noise and soundproofing between rooms · Fix → ask for a higher floor or an interior-facing room when you book or check in, and pack earplugs just in case
- 💡If you want a pool or a spa · This is a midscale brand focused on big, clean rooms and a great location — there's a gym but no pool · Fix → see the 5-star lakefront hotels in our Hangzhou hotels list