Last Updated on April 6, 2026 by Home in the World
Modern-day China is no stranger to luxury. Its urban centres are packed full of glittering high-rise, many of these housing 5-star hotels. And Chengdu, its fourth largest city, with a population of around 20 million people, is no different.
It had been over 10 years since I had last visited China (read my top tips for things to know before travelling to China), and I was keen to see how its hospitality landscape had evolved.
I have stayed at a number of Marriott hotels (you can see my reviews of some of them in my Hotels section) and always had good experiences, but Ritz-Carlton, one of its premium brands, had so far eluded me – largely due to the fact that it was generally beyond my budget!
When planning my trip to Sichuan’s capital, however, the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu caught my eye, and I thought I’d check its rates, just for fun. I was very pleasantly surprised.
A generous suite for me and my family was going to be costing a fraction of what I would be paying at many other Ritz-Carlton properties around the world, including my hometown of Perth. And so it was that the wheels were put in motion for my first Ritz-Carlton experience. Read on to find out how it went.
And if you are planning on visiting Chengdu, you can download my free quick guide to Chengdu, which concisely summarises everything you need to know before you go.
Arrival and first impressions
My first impression came in the form of email correspondence with the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu reservations team and concierge.
And what excellent, prompt service I received. No sooner would I send an email and it would be read and replied to in very good English, including on weekends. Impressive.
I judge a property’s professionalism a lot by how efficient they are in their communication, especially at a 4 and 5-star level. This one definitely got full marks. Every query and request was answered and met. For example, we asked if an air purifier could be put in our room. No problem – can do. I asked about some local activities and day trips, and was provided with extensive information about it all. They were a real dream to deal with.
We had booked an airport pick-up and were duly met at Tianfu Airport. An hour or so later we arrived at the property and were greeted at the door by 3 members of the Guest Relations team, who provided refresher towels and delicious tea. I was already feeling the 5-star vibe.
The ground-floor lobby as you first walk in is a super high-ceilinged foyer with impressive wall art and the concierge desk. One set of elevators takes you up to the main reception on the 25th floor, a bright and stylish space with floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic views over the megacity of Chengdu. From there, it is a separate set of guest-only elevators that service the 350 rooms that span the 28th to the 41st floor.
We didn’t see much of the reception area at first, however, because we were immediately whisked up to our suite on the 33rd floor, where check-in was completed in-room. It was all so swift and smooth, and the Guest Relations staff were all extremely professional, friendly and spoke excellent English. The whole thing took barely a few minutes. Phew! What a whirlwind! Now it was time to finally take in our surroundings.
The room/suite
We had booked a King Suite City View, and it was MASSIVE. 97 square metres (1044 sq ft), to be exact. A large entry space led into the main living/dining area, which was big enough to have a marble-topped dining table (on which fresh fruit was left every day), a sofa, 2 armchairs, a coffee table, a giant ottoman, TV cabinetry, a mini kitchenette and a decent-sized rollaway bed – and still not feel cramped. A washlet with toilet and basin was also separated off from the room via a sliding door.
An alcove with small marble table and gorgeous Chinese artwork guided us through another sliding door that led to the ‘bedroom half’ of the suite, which itself comprised 3 separate rooms: a walk-in robe and powder room (complete with robes, slippers, and a safe), a ginormous marble bathroom (more on that in a minute) and the expansive master bedroom, where the hardwood floors from the living area and hallway transitioned to plush carpet.
Floor-to-ceiling windows provided sweeping views of Chengdu’s high-rise cityscape, which could be enjoyed from the comfy king bed itself or the luxurious day bed. I particularly loved how much storage space there was, with ample ledges, drawers and cabinets. It sounds like an odd thing to say, but sometimes in hotel rooms I genuinely struggle to find surfaces where I can put stuff!
The only thing I would have liked was a drawer in the bedside table; there was just a shelf underneath instead, but I prefer things to be kept out of sight. On the subject of bedside tables, these helpfully had 2 different plug holes, 2 USB-A ports and 1 USB-C port, as well as easy-to-read controls for the lights and curtains.
In fact, throughout the entire suite, the light switches were pretty simple to use – clearly labelled and nothing too crazy. I can’t believe I have to even write this, but you’d be amazed how DIFFICULT lights can be to work out in hotel rooms sometimes. It feels like you need some kind of tech degree. And honestly, the luxury properties are often the worst offenders for this. Maybe you’ve even experienced this for yourself. Happy to report I had no issues with this at the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu!
The whole overall feel of the suite was one of classic luxury; dark hardwood floors, wood-panelling finishes, a warm colour scheme of cream and gold accents, and marble countertops. I wouldn’t call it super modern, but it’s certainly classy and elegant. It was immaculately clean, with housekeeping always on point.
The bathroom
Back to the huge master bathroom I mentioned before. This ran off from the master bedroom via solid, non-sliding door. And boy was it gorgeous. A vision of pale cream marble, it was filled with natural light that streamed through its multiple windows, thanks to its corner position.
There was a separate cubicle for the delightful TOTO toilet (so many flush & bidet options to choose from!), which could be shut off by a frosted-glass door. Even this cubicle had its own floor-to-ceiling window (with motorised privacy shade).
Opposite the luxurious bathtub with jet nozzles and wall-mounted TV was an expansive marble vanity with double sinks and ample under-countertop storage space for towels, slippers etc. Not to mention an amenity box stocked full of Diptyque products: vanity kits, shaving kits, dental kits, shower cap & hair band, and mouth wash.
And finally, there was the similarly expansive full-marble shower cubicle with overhead rainshower and handheld nozzle, wall-mounted Diptyque shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, a non-fogging mirror, and natural light from the large window (once again with motorised shade for privacy – not that anyone is likely to see you all the way up on the 33rd floor).
Dining
As you would expect from a 5-star property, the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu has a total of 5 restaurants: the Michelin-starred Li Xuan Restaurant (Chinese cuisine), SPICES All Day Dining (international cuisine), FLAIR Restaurant & Bar (Asian-inspired tapas), Dining Room (Mediterranean cuisine) and The Lobby Lounge. We walked past the latter and SPICES all the time on our way to and from the elevator on the 25th floor. SPICES is also where the morning buffet breakfast is.
We only tried the in-room dining, whose food came from some of these restaurants. The menu was accessed via QR code that was provided in the room, and I found it to be an excellent system, bypassing the need to call up and try and convey an order, running the risk of miscommunication and misunderstandings. You simply selected what you wanted and the cost was added to your hotel bill. It worked perfectly every time we used it (and we tried it for both breakfast and dinner).
There is a wide range of local specialities and Western options, and it’s available around the clock. We tried Chinese dishes from Li Xuan, as well as pasta and pizza. We also ordered an American breakfast, which came with toast, eggs, a choice of sides (we opted for hash browns and grilled tomatoes), pastries, fresh fruit, juice and coffee (N.B. no cereal).
Every meal we had was excellent, so I would imagine the restaurant dining experience would be just as good (after a long day out touring, it was just easier for us to order in).
We were also able to try some of the hotel’s confectionery as part of the nightly turndown service, which consisted of generous bowls of chocolates delivered to our room. I believe they came from The Lobby Lounge, as I saw some on display there. It definitely took the ‘5-star chocolate-on-the-pillow’ concept to the next level.
Every night, there would be a sizeable glass container of chocolate drops, topped with 3 exquisite pralines, dropped at our door. Sometimes it would be dark chocolate, sometimes milk and sometimes white. But they would always be accompanied by a note explaining the local Sichuan ingredients used in them (notably Sichuan pepper, which was definitely noticeable in the dark chocolate!).
Another time there were some cute ‘mahjong’ chocolates, paying homage to the traditional Chinese game. I appreciated the thoughtfulness and effort made to showcase a little slice of local culture.
On our last night, we had the lovely surprise of being given a ‘giant’ white-chocolate panda! I’m fairly certain it would have cost a lot to buy this or any of the other chocolates at The Lobby Lounge, so to have them given as part of a mere turndown service was incredibly generous and well beyond any ‘chocolate-on-the-pillow’ experience I’ve ever had.
I also put my head in FLAIR, but it wasn’t open at the time. The decor was one of a stylish speakeasy, and I believe there is also a rooftop patio as well.
Other facilities
I personally did not experience any of the other facilities on offer at the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu, but I did see the gym and adjacent indoor pool, as well as the luxurious entrance to the spa facility.
The gym is open 24/7, and looked to be filled with natural light, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Chengdu’s rooftops. It was a similar story for the pool, which is open 6am to 11pm. I noticed you had to remove your shoes and wash your feet before entering the pool area, which I thought was good hygiene practice.
There is an executive club lounge for those who have booked rooms with access to it. We didn’t pay for this, so I never saw it.
Location
The Ritz-Carlton Chengdu is centrally located, sitting in a small commercial precinct just off a major road, making for a calmer, quieter driveway and entrance, with ample space for parking and pick-ups/drop-offs.
It is a few leafy blocks away from Tianfu Square, the very heart of Chengdu. About a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute drive. There is also a subway station about a 10-minute walk away, but we used Didi for all our transport needs.
I have already written more about this and other practicalities for visiting China, but, in short, Didi worked perfectly and we were able to visit everything we wanted in the city within a 15-minute car ride (which cost just a few dollars). The Panda Research Base is about a 30 to 40-minute drive away.
Suffice to say, the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu was more than adequate for our needs in terms of location, and if you’re planning on visiting the city’s main sights, it very likely will be for you too.
Why choose the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu
The Ritz-Carlton Chengdu was such a lovely experience for my first ever Ritz-Carlton stay. From the very first contact to our final goodbye to the driver at the airport, they truly delivered in all aspects.
I truly believe Asia is home to some of the very best hospitality in the world; they do modern luxury SO well. And the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu is no exception. The value it offers for such a premium brand is incredible.
Chengdu itself is SUCH a worthwhile place to visit. A beautiful, lush city oozing both traditional charm and cutting-edge modernity. It has been popular for meetings and conferences for many years, but now also seems to be building its profile as a tourist destination.
If you do decide to come, whether for work or play, and are looking to indulge in a bit of luxury without breaking the bank, I highly recommend the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu. The ultra spacious and plush rooms and suites, the friendly and obliging staff, the magnificent public areas, the high-quality dining, the vast array of on-site amenities and the central location make it a perfect option.
I would absolutely love to return to Chengdu in future, and would most certainly consider the Ritz-Carlton again. A big thank-you to the whole team for such a pleasant stay!
| RITZ-CARLTON CHENGDU |
| 269 Shuncheng Avenue, Qingyang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610017 |
** This stay was not sponsored in any way; it is a genuine, non-biased review based on my own personal experience **
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
Before you go…
Book your stay via the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu’s official website or using your preferred booking platform:
- Ritz-Carlton Chengdu on Booking.com
- Ritz-Carlton Chengdu on TripAdvisor
- Ritz-Carlton Chengdu on Expedia
- Ritz-Carlton Chengdu on Hotels.com
Ready to book your flights to Chengdu? I recommend using Skyscanner or Trip.com to find and compare the best fares.
For more Chengdu & general China travel content, read my tips for travelling to China and my post on recommended things to see in Chengdu, and download my free quick guide to Chengdu.
You might also like to check out my Asia section, which also includes some older ‘travel memory’ blog posts about my 2 previous trips to China.
Plus, consider following me on Instagram, where I post regularly about travel around the world, and subscribe to my monthly newsletter for travel inspiration, news and book recommendations delivered straight to your inbox.
Looking for other hotels in Asia? You may want to read my reviews of the following properties or visit my Hotels section:
- Shangri-La Far Eastern Taipei
- Fraser Residence Nankai Osaka
- JW Marriott Seoul
- Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort
- Courtyard by Marriott Phnom Penh
- Fairfield by Marriott Phnom Penh
And if you’re interested in other attractions in and around Chengdu, consider checking out these tours:
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All aspects of your stay are so well explained, a review that would be so helpful to anyone planning a stay. Certainly luxury with a capital L but especially wonderful to note the high standard of customer service.
Always enjoy your hotel feedback👌
Thank you! Yes, a highly recommended, good-value luxury stay in a fabulous city.