JW Marriott in Shanghai
An excellent hotel. Very convenient to get everywhere. Excellent view of the city. Great location for shopping. Rooms were VERY fancy. They excelled in service everywhere!! More people spoke English, but still limited. Very nice hotel but no plasma TV. Only hotel with many TV stations in English. TV really not too important since mostly out touring. Truly high class hotel. We were very impressed.
The location is good with the Shanghai Museum, People’s Square and Xintiandi all within walking distance. After a marvellous experience at the JW in Beijing we anticipated similar service levels and room standards but it wasn’t quite up to par. Decor in the room is very dark wood but there are plenty of windows to let in the light.
Breakfast buffet is plentiful and dinner at Wan Hao was of good quality (although pricey as you would expect).
Stanley Yin – Front of House Manager – was incredibly helpful and offered many tips on where to eat/drink in the city. Do get a cab and go to ‘Face bar’ for a relaxing drink in a Colonial atmosphere.
Biggest let down at this hotel was staff standing there waiting with hand out for a tip for absolutely everything that they did for you. It seems that the hospitality that we had received in Beijing (that came with no expectations of financial reward from staff) was not in place here. Shame. I like to tip for good service rather than for a nod of the head.
On the ground floor there is a small cafe that sells very good quality sandwiches, snacks and bottles of wine and cheaper than you will pay 38 floors up!
Overall it was a good base, I would recommend it but it’s not in the same league as other JW’s I have stayed at. As long as you have that expectation in mind you won’t be disappointed.