Somerset International Building Tianjin

Rooms and decor

Somerset International Building Tianjin is about as well set up for a long family stay as serviced apartments get, with a guest score of around 9.1/10. All 108 units are apartment-style suites under the Somerset brand, run by The Ascott Group — Asia's largest serviced-apartment operator. Floor areas run from 60 to 110 sqm depending on the type, and the family layouts split into two separate bedrooms, so kids get room to spread out and the adults keep some privacy. The space is generous enough to fit an extra bed without it feeling cramped.

Food and amenities

Every unit has a full kitchen: an induction hob, a microwave, a large fridge, a dishwasher and a complete set of cookware, plus a long dining table and a sofa bed. There's also an in-room washer-dryer, which is the detail that makes this place click for anyone travelling with children. Downstairs you get a 24-hour gym with a kids' zone, a lobby cafe serving coffee and snacks through the day, a Binhai International airport shuttle at a fair price, parking with EV charging, a taxi-booking counter and weekly housekeeping included in the rate. Real guests rate it around 9.1, with rooms at 9.2 and cleanliness at 9.2 — numbers that match the roomy, well-kept feel.

Location and getting there

The building sits on Nanjing Road in Heping district, right in Tianjin's commercial and business core. It's close to Xiaobailou, the old British- and French-style housing quarter, and just 200 m from metro Line 1 — three stops from the Wudadao area. Olympic Tower and the Tianjin Joy City mall are nearby, and a Carrefour is close enough to grab cooking ingredients each evening. Tianjin railway station is about 3.6 km away, roughly a 10-minute drive.

Things to know before booking

Rates start near $111 a night, higher than a basic 3-star room, so this only makes sense if you'll actually use the kitchen and space. Because it runs as an apartment, hotel-style service is limited — housekeeping comes weekly, not daily. And one bit of context: it stands in for the original article's #4 hotel, which no longer has a working online booking page.

Our take

This is the pick for families arriving as a group for several nights, travellers who want a home base in a foreign port city, and anyone posted to Tianjin short-term. From about $111 a night you get more usable floor space than some 5-star rooms, a full kitchen and that second-home convenience. If you're ready to trade a standard hotel for a temporary home in Tianjin, we'd happily recommend it.