Hello,

We are doing the same, with kids ages 5 and 9. So far we've found a super pricey 2 bedroom suite at the Grand Hyatt with breakfast included, about $485 a night. The Marriott Imperial Palace also has 2 bedrooms. -- less expensive but still pricey. Other members of our family have previously stayed at the Lee Garden Serviced Apartments but they have lived in China for decasdes so are comfortable getting around. We will need help from the concierge to sightsee and have dietary restrictions/allergies so would like a full service hotel with staff that speak English to avoid problems.

We've previously booked 2 connecting rooms on another China trip.

I look forward to other replies too.
BMarieL

If price is the issue then you really would be better to book into staying at a more modest local hotel. You will still need two rooms or a suite, but the total price will be lower. Indeed, you should be able, having bargained the room rate well down to start with, to bargain it even lower because you have two rooms. In short you can be comfortably housed for dramatically less than the price quoted.

Unfortunately it's a mistake to assume that a hotel concierge in China will be of any use at all. I can think of only three I've come across. In general they know very little about the city, and are not particularly interested in finding out. They are interested in the kick-backs they obtain by recommending you go to certain shows and restaurants, and in recommending the hotel's own expensive transport services, while not actually knowing about alternatives.

Futhermore, on the allegies front, being in a top-end foreign-run hotel will only help with the restaurants in that hotel, which will all also be expensive. If you are going to get out and enjoy the best of what Beijing has to offer, you're going to have to think of another solution. The obvious choice is to have details of the allergies written down in Chinese characters, and this is something you don't require a concierge to achieve: there are plenty of on-line translators, and people to ask before you leave home. Unfortunately in China you'll never be entirely certain that your wishes are being complies with, and if there's something life-threatening here then China may not be your best destination. If asthma or breathing issues are the problem then you should certainly be going somewhere else.

It's not notably harder to get around Beijing without Mandarin than it is Paris without French. Read widely before you travel, and you'll be fine.

Please give Kelly's Courtyard a look. I would provide a link but I am on an IPhone. We were one of the first if not the first to review it on Tripadvisor in 2008. Fabulous place, including with kids. You would need two rooms.

You could also read part of our trip report by clicking my name.

I think that Lee Garden proposed above is the right choice for you. No rule about 3 per room but few hotels have beds for 4.