Swissotel Grand Shanghai

A great hotel for exploring the city!

when I was looking for a hotel for our Shanghai trip, I was not sure about the area in which we wanted to stay, so after lots of research we went for the French Concession / Jing'An areas because of the location (near to some attractions and sights, many metro stop around these areas, nice shopping places, restaurants and even some public parks). One of the first choices was the Xintiandi area, very modern and live area but also very expensive. Another choice was Pudong because of the skyscrapers and views but not really much to do around it (maybe it's better for business trips). But we decided to stay at the Swissotel Grand because of the location, the affordable price, the rooms and the excellent breakfast, and didn't regret our choice.

The hotel is located in the Jing'An district, next to the French Concession, right over the Jing'An Temple matro stop (line 2). In front of the hotel there are 2 shopping malls, the Reel (with a great food court) and the Kerry Center, and behind it there's the beautiful Jing'An temple. There are many drinking and dining options around, and also in the hotel which has a nice lobby bar, a cake shop and a steakhouse. It also has a nice pool and a spa but we didn't use them.

The rooms are spacious, clean and modern, they offer free wi-fi which was perfect because thanks to them and the good wi-fi coverage we didn't need to buy a sim card. Our bathroom had both tub and shower (the bathroom floors are a bit slippery so use the mat and the courtesy slippers), a nice courtesy kit, TV with Chinese and international channels (CNN, HBO, Cinemax, etc.), complimentary bottled water, mini-bar, coffee/tea maker and good closets and storage space.

We had views over the city from the 12th floor (windows weren't super clean but they were cleaning the whole building during our stay) and the chaise longue was perfect for relaxing after a whole day of sightseeing with a cup of tea. The only thing that was not the best was the sliding door dividing the bathroom because it didn't really close completely, so if you're not traveling with someone you're not that close to it might not be ideal to share the room...

We got a room fee with buffet breakfast included and it was fantastic, lots of options: omelette and pancakes station, bottled juices, japanese soups, noodle bar, lots of bread, cold cuts, buns and chinese delicacies (roasted pork, etc), fruit, sausages, eggs, etc. Everything was good and there was lots of it, but if you're staying more than 5 days it might get boring because it's the same selection every day.

Summing up, it was a good choice for our visit since it's location right next to the metro was very convenient, the comfort of the room and the great breakfast were perfect, the set up of the room, the lack of communication prior to our arrival and the slowish check-in are minor flaws that however wouldn't stop us from staying here again.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was the use for this:

Swissotel Grand Shanghai
1 Yu Yuan Road, Jing An District ▪ Shanghai 200040
Tel: +86 21 5355 9898 Fax: +86 21 6288 9638 shanghai@swissotel.com (good luck with e-mailing them, I did so twice and never got a reply)

http://www.swissotel.com/hotels/shanghai/