"Stayed for almost a week, as a couple with 9-year old.
Location: you can't go wrong. Within the old city walls, you are a few minutes walk or ride to key locations, and with 5 minutes on Didi you can reach every wall gate you need. The hotel itself is in a quiet area (which we liked) and part of the bigger Renmin Square precinct. I jogged a couple of early mornings and easily got to the walls and then followed the little streets and laneways along the wall and the moat for a very scenic experience.
The hotel is steeped in history, the elongated layout of the rooms reflect the retrofit of the old building into a hotel. Finishes and materials are elegant and rich, sculptures and painting are selected and curated. The garden outside is beautifully maintained and designed, with the museum wing and the restaurant wing, with security always at the gate, the high foyer spacious in black and white, with butlers and concierge always at hand You can see why this one is part of the Legend list.
We stayed in the Grand Premium Room and then, thanks to an upgrade, we spent a few nights in the Grand Prestige Suite.
Needless to say the Suite was a grand experience, spacious and elegant, easily accommodated the trundle bed for our daughter. It had a separate living room with fireplace, chandelier, coffee machine, a dining room, a walk-in robe area, a second toilet, and a second entrance/meal-prep area (in case you travel with entourage).
Beds were comfortable, rooms very quiet.
Vases, paintings and sculptures are all curated pieces in the rooms.
Bathroom spacious, with two sinks, a large tub (with TV) and a large shower with great water pressure and good amenities. Interestingly, the hotel opted for japanese-style automated toilets, which while efficient, are almost out of character for such a historical hotel. Only minor issue: not enough hanging knobs or hooks for robes and towels.
Housekeeping was perfect and discreet, and always left plenty of water in the room for us at turndown.
Club/Lounge: our rooms had access to the Lounge on level 7, where every afternoon they offer complimentary drinks and lovely food (saved us on a couple of occasions after a very long day sightseeing). The staff at the lounge are always smiling and helpful, the atmosphere is casual but nice, it was never crowded.
Pool/Gym: the pool and gym are on ground floor, quite nice and clean with a lovely outlook over the gardens outside. Swimming caps are required (they have some spare ones if you don't travel with one). Pool is heated but not exactly warm. There's also a separate jacuzzi area but the water is not warm so we never saw anyone sitting in there.
Interestingly the pool has underwater lights but they never came on, even when we asked the staff, so it made the water look dark in the evening, but we enjoyed the atmosphere.
Breakfast: the breakfast area on level 1 is lovely and bright, with food displayed in the centre area and the egg/soup station towards the back of the room.
Managed by attentive Tina, the breakfast area is run by a few young trainees like Luna, always smiling and helpful, though at times we had to pull out the translation app. Food was nice, we noticed lots of people skipped the pastries shelf and went for more local or a-la-carte options. Soups very delicious, and so were more western options like waffles or french toast.
But the real difference in experience came from the staff, starting with Chief Butler Farsave: impeccable in his uniform and always smiling, with perfect English, attentive, discreet and helpful, he predicted needs, immediately stepped in to resolve a couple of issues and then became our source of help for organizing drivers, tour guides, tickets for shows, visit to panda park etc.
He always remembered our names, and remembered which activities we were doing each day and asked us about it.
He offered to keep in touch with us on WeChat for anything we needed while out and about (and he did, I even exchanged messages with him when back in Australia). He really embodied the spirit of the hotel and the history behind it.
Similar experience with butler Frank, who offered to make enquiries for us on the phone with the Chinese airline we used, and then came to find us to give us updates.
And the young staff at concierge, like Chris and Mia, who might still be learning english but were always smiling, opening doors, calling lifts, and rushing out with umbrellas when they see customers being dropped off on a rainy day.
All staff were polite, friendly and helpful with us and with our daughter.
As in the rest of China, the levels of English among staff vary greatly, but any lack is compensated by goodwill and professionalism.
It is true as highlighted by some reviews that the hotel is a cult destination for local girls who like to pose for elaborate social media photos in the garden, near the fountains and at times inside the hotel lobby area. It must be accepted by management, although we saw staff try to contain the activity. All in all it was more of a novelty for us than an inconvenience.
In conclusion, we loved Xi'an, its atmosphere, culture and vibe, its walls, shows, people, food, and we decided we will return soon. And when we return, our hotel of choice will definitely be the Sofitel Legend, no doubt.
Recommendations: do not cut Xi'an short, you can definitely find plenty to do for a week or more (not counting the Terracotta Warriors excursion).
If you can afford the Sofitel Legend pick it over the others. And if you can afford one of their suites go for it, you'll experience hospitality and charm that most of the ultra-modern luxury hotels can't replicate."
A Tripadvisor traveler review
May 03, 2026
