Best Indoor Pool Hotels in Taiyuan

The indoor pool here was smaller than I expected from the photos, but having our room look straight down onto it meant the kids could see it from the window every morning, which made getting them out the door easier than usual. Breakfast ran out of the local dumplings by the time we came down at nine, so an earlier trip down is worth planning for. The terrace in the evening was quieter than the pool itself, a good spot to sit once the children had worn themselves out swimming.

We booked one of the wellness packages ahead of arrival, which turned out to be a good call since it meant the hot tub and spa facilities were already scheduled into the trip rather than something we had to fit in around meetings near Shanxi Medical University. The city-view room made the stay feel less like a standard business hotel. Taiyuan Railway Station being close by made the last leg of the trip far less stressful than it could have been.

Finding a hot tub built directly into the bathroom rather than shared down the hall was the detail that made this stay at InterContinental Taiyuan by IHG stand out, especially after a long flight in. We still used the indoor pool and spa centre most days, but having the in-room option for a late-night soak after dinner near the Wangfujing shopping district was the real difference from the other hotels we compared. Breakfast across the two restaurants was reliably good both mornings.

The five-minute walk to Wanda Square after dinner became our routine most nights, and having five different restaurants on site meant we never ate the same meal twice across the stay. The indoor pool and spa floor felt more like a proper city-break amenity than the business-hotel pools we tried elsewhere in Taiyuan. The sauna slot we booked ahead of a work meeting the next day was easy to reserve and genuinely helped before an early start.

We split our days between meetings near Shanxi University and evenings on the pool floor at Sheraton Taiyuan, and having the hot tub right there after a long day made a real difference to how the trip felt overall. The family-friendly restaurant covered four different cuisines across our stay, and the Cantonese dishes were the standout. The executive lounge emptied out by early evening, which made it a good spot to finish work before heading down to the pool.

The spa centre at Kempinski Hotel Taiyuan turned out to be the most complete one I used anywhere in the city, worth the extra distance from the airport once I factored in how many Coal Trading Center meetings I had that week. The allergy-free room made a genuine difference for my partner, who usually struggles with hotel bedding. The tour desk got us out to Jinci Temple on the one afternoon we had spare, a 40-minute drive that was easy to arrange at short notice.

My kids spent more time on the water slide here than anywhere else we stayed in China, and the kids' club staff kept them occupied for a full hour one afternoon while I finally used the sauna in peace. The sun loungers around the indoor pool make the space feel bigger than it is, though it does get busy with local families by Saturday afternoon, so an early swim on weekend mornings is worth planning for.

Our conference filled most of the vast event space here, and the indoor pool was a welcome way to close out two full days of sessions rather than heading back to a plain hotel room. The city view from our room looked straight out over the R&F Plaza junction, which some might find busy but I liked having the activity below. The tour desk arranged a quick trip to Taiyuan Zoo on our one free morning without any trouble.

The karaoke room at Grand Metropark Wanshi Hotel Taiyuan turned an otherwise quiet evening into the highlight of the trip, something none of the other Taiyuan hotels we looked at offered alongside their pool. The 20-minute drive out to Wuyi Square felt long after a day of sightseeing, so we ended up staying closer to the hotel most evenings, which the two restaurants and the Triumphant Bar made easy enough. Having a Wal-Mart a 10-minute walk away was genuinely useful for topping up on snacks.