Throughout my China train travels, I've seen these groupings of identical buildings in every major city. Now I've had the chance to stay at one, thanks to the Xi'an Distance Apartment.
It's actually much nicer than a hotel, because I can't hear people in the other rooms. The view out the window is spectacular. The room is large, and so is the bathroom. Amenities are provided, including soap, shampoo, drinking water (from a dispenser), and there's even a clothes washing machine!
The apartment is in a nice development surrounded by shops and restaurants, plus food carts come out at night. The Metro station is just a 5 minute walk once you leave the apartment.