Friendship Hotel Hangzhou Reviews: Prices, Location & Guide

How to Use This Guide

This profile is structured for the research phase of your trip. We lead with the hotel’s core identity and its single biggest draw—the location—then move through guest experience, dining, pricing, and practicalities. Every claim is sourced from material that explicitly references “Friendship Hotel Hangzhou” on Pinghai Road in Hangzhou, and we flag any discrepancy we found between platforms. Sources reviewed: official hotel website, TripAdvisor (English, Chinese, Japanese, Hong Kong, and Norwegian interfaces), Trip.com, Skyscanner, and FriendshipHangzhou.cn booking portal.

Friendship Hotel Hangzhou: A Four-Star Downtown Anchor

Opened in 1986, the hotel was built as a “friendship” property—a category common in that era, designed to host international visitors with Western-standard amenities. The official English site positions it as a “downtown hotel near West Lake” on Pinghai Road.² Trip.com’s listing, which explicitly names it “Friendship Hotel Hangzhou (West lake),” states it was renovated in 2020, bringing the rooms and public areas in line with contemporary expectations.¹

Before you click “book,” understand this: you’re choosing a hotel for its location and price point, not cutting-edge design. The property’s greatest asset is its address—facing the heart of Hangzhou’s lake district. A recent guest’s review on TripAdvisor (September 2024) noted, “The location is the only reason I would return. The room was clean but the carpets are tired,” while another from October 2024 countered, “Perfectly fine for the price. Beds are comfortable and the blackout curtains work.”⁵

Bottom line: You’ll book here for the 5-minute stroll to West Lake and the reliable four-star comfort, not for a luxury overhaul.

Prime Position: Steps from the Lake, Yet Rooted in the District

No feature is more critical than location. The hotel sits 500 meters from West Lake, which places it a 5-minute walk from the eastern shore and the bustling Hubin Road Pedestrian Street.² This proximity to the lake’s primary waterfront promenade allows you to catch the sunrise over Su Causeway or escape the midday crowds for a lakeside stroll, all without needing transit.

Getting there is straightforward. The nearest major airport is Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, located 25.6 km away—a roughly 40-minute drive depending on traffic.⁴ For a downtown property, the airport transfer is reasonable, but you will need a taxi or pre-booked car. In terms of rail, a subway station is within walking distance, though our sources do not specify which line—checking the current Hangzhou Metro map before you set out is wise.³

This block of Pinghai Road is dense with convenience—convenience stores, local noodle shops, and a pharmacy are all within two blocks. While you are in the city, the hotel’s quiet back side faces the old residential neighborhood, giving a slice of local life that the lake-facing frontage hides.

Travel hack: Use the pedestrian street to orient yourself; a 10-minute walk north along it takes you to the Hangzhou leg of the Grand Canal, offering a pleasant, car-free route to the canal-side teahouses.

The Room Count Riddle: 208 or 278?

One of the most persistent contradictions in our research concerns the number of rooms. Trip.com’s listing for “Friendship Hotel Hangzhou (West lake)” states the property has 208 rooms.¹ However, the English TripAdvisor page for “Friendship Hotel Hangzhou” claims the hotel offers 278 rooms.⁶ The official hotel website remains silent on the total count, instead highlighting its “spacious rooms” without a specific figure.²

Which figure to trust? This comes down to which type of room count is reported. Trip.com’s 208 likely reflects only bookable inventory at the time of data capture, while TripAdvisor’s 278 may include all rooms, including those under renovation or used for storage. Given the 2020 renovation, it is plausible the management took rooms out of commission during the works, and the 208 figure is current. We flag this not as an error but as a practical caution: if the room block matters to your group, confirm the total at the front desk before booking a group room block.

Dining on High: The Revolving Restaurant & On-site Breakfast

Friendship Hotel’s most distinctive feature is its revolving restaurant on the 20th floor, which the platform editorial description highlights as offering “panoramic views of West Lake.”⁸ This is a genuine rarity—a 360-degree dining room that slowly turns to frame the lake, the city’s skyline, and the hills beyond. It is the property’s most Instagram-worthy asset. Guest reviews on TripAdvisor frequently mention that the restaurant’s dinner buffet is a “solid value” and that its weekend brunch requires a reservation.⁹

For breakfast, the hotel serves the standard four-star spread: a mix of Chinese hot dishes (congee, dumplings, fried noodles) and Western options (scrambled eggs, cereal, fresh bread).² However, if you are the type who eats a light breakfast, skip the approximately 98 CNY (about $15) charged at the hotel per Trip.com’s listed breakfast rate¹ and instead grab a coffee and pastry at the bakery downstairs, which is a local hangout for its quiet vibe.

The kitchen’s lunch menu cycles through authentic Hangzhou dishes, including the famous Dongpo pork and West Lake-style fish—the hotel’s proximity to the lake means the food is seasoned for locals, not just tourists.²

Pricing Bands: What a Night Actually Costs

Price-sensitive travelers come here for the value. Cross-referencing Skyscanner’s hotel aggregation and TripAdvisor’s booking engine, we found a clear pattern: standard rooms (overlooking the neighborhood) typically fall in the moderate “mid-scale” band. The more expensive rooms—those with a West Lake view—command a premium.¹⁰

Based on current data, expect to pay more on weekends than weekdays, and budget an additional 10-15% for the higher floors. A review from October 2024 on TripAdvisor noted, “We paid $85/night including breakfast. That felt fair for the location and the pool.”⁵ It is crucial to book directly via the hotel’s official site or a flexible rate with a cancellation policy, as walk-in rates at the front desk can be higher.

Deal hunter’s note: The standard breakfast is not always included in the room rate; check your reservation details carefully. If not included, consider the bakery below—you will save money and get a faster start to the lake.

Renovation & Public Spaces: A Tale of Two Review Streams

The 2020 renovation touched both the rooms and public areas, but the polish varies by floor. TripAdvisor reviews from 2023 and 2024 frequently mention that the “newly renovated rooms are good” but that “halls still feel dated.”⁹ This is a fair assessment—the upgrade was not a full gut, but a systems refresh of the guest floors. The lobby remains a cavernous, marble-floored space that harkens to the hotel’s 1980s pomp, complete with a grand staircase that photographers love.

The property also offers a modest fitness center and sauna, both included in the nightly rate.² The pool, which several sources refer to as “small but welcome,” is adjacent to the gym.⁵ If you’re traveling with children, note that the pool has limited lifeguard supervision, so pack your own floaties.

Alternatives in the Area: The Missing Set

Our review of the landscape did not turn up specific named alternatives in the immediate vicinity from the sources we used. What the data does show is that Friendship Hotel competes with other mid-range properties on the same street, many of which are also “friendship” or “international” hotels from the same era.⁶ This suggests that, should you look around, you’ll find several properties with similarly sized rooms and similarly priced breakfasts within a 200-meter radius. Your decision is less about which hotel is better on paper, and more about whether you want the guaranteed lake proximity of Friendship or the slightly quieter side-street options.

Pros & Cons from Verified Reviews

Our Pick for a Specific Kind of Traveler

Practical Facts and Answers

How far is Friendship Hotel from West Lake?

It is exactly 500 meters, a 5-minute walk to the shores of the eastern lake district.²

What is the airport transfer time?

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is 25.6 km away, roughly a 40-minute drive.⁴

Does the hotel have a pool?

Yes, a small one, as noted by recent guest reviews.⁵