Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Feb 13, 2007, 7:35 am
#1
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Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
The Hyatt website now shows some photos of Hyatt on the Bund, targeted to open in Shanghai in May. The hotel is not bookable yet, however. From the photos, it looks like the hotel is located way on the northern end of the Bund.
Feb 13, 2007, 10:58 am
#2
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yeah, that location qualifies as "north bund" (similar to "dupont circle east" {which may border upon dangerous} in real estate speak). the good news is that the area is on the up and will probably be nice within the next 5 years.
Feb 13, 2007, 5:41 pm
#4
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Mar 7, 2007, 8:59 pm
#5
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I'm in Shanghai mid-May and willing to give it a try, Supposedly it opens May 7th but I have not yet been able to get a booking. Evidently the hotel is in "database maintanence" and should be bookable soon.
Is this location significantly worse than that of the Westin?
Is this location significantly worse than that of the Westin?
Mar 9, 2007, 1:39 am
#6
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In their email, they did reply that their opening price would be approx. RMB 1,950/night+15%. That's quite high!
Last edited by Fly Me To The Moon; Mar 9, 2007 at 7:55 am
Mar 9, 2007, 7:31 am
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Mar 9, 2007, 8:58 am
#8
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I have three rooms at the Westin, two at 1400 with one connecting to a junior suite at 1750. I guess I should be happy with this and with the location (especially since it seems the hotel won't be open by the time I'm there!).
Apr 23, 2007, 6:00 am
#9
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The hotel is now taking bookings for 01 Aug 2007 onwards. Opening rate (prevailing rate on hyatt website) is RMB 1,590.- I'm sure they will have some sort of discounts closer to the (soft?) opening. They have a few photos of the room now on their website.
Jul 5, 2007, 12:21 am
#10
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Opened Early!!
Anyone going to Shanghai recently? The hyatt website says the Hyatt on the Bund is NOW OPEN (West Tower only, and a few restaurants), and indeed, is accepting reservations as of now. Prevailing rate is RMB 1,590/night for the basic room.
I won't be in Shanghai until September 1, so for me, will have to wait until then.
I won't be in Shanghai until September 1, so for me, will have to wait until then.
Jul 16, 2007, 12:35 am
#13
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Anyone going to Shanghai recently? The hyatt website says the Hyatt on the Bund is NOW OPEN (West Tower only, and a few restaurants), and indeed, is accepting reservations as of now. Prevailing rate is RMB 1,590/night for the basic room.
I won't be in Shanghai until September 1, so for me, will have to wait until then.
I won't be in Shanghai until September 1, so for me, will have to wait until then.
Sep 4, 2007, 3:42 am
#14
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Hyatt on the Bund - Short Review
I finally got a chance to visit the hotel, staying there from 03-04 Sep for one night. I arrived into Pudong Airport and got into the taxi around 8:45pm. As can be expected, the driver did not know the location of this new hotel, so had to call the hotel from the taxi to give instructions. With no traffic, I was at the hotel by 9:20pm. The hotel is at the "end" of the Bund. For those of you who know the area, going along the Bund, just cross the steel grey bridge, and the hotel is just a right-hand turn away.
The drive up to the entrance is quite impressive, with a huge glass canopy covering the entire driveway (much like Hyatt Dongguan). The lobby is quite minimalist style, using a lot of dark wood, beige/brown granite, glass, and mood lighting throughout. (Of course, during the daytime, the lobby lets in a lot of natural light.) Checkin was very smooth, and there are double the usual number of attendants on duty. Some of them are probably under training and/or observing. Even the Director of Rooms was there. She explained that only the West Tower is open now, along with the pool, fitness room, and a few restaurants. The East Tower will contain the Regency Club, and over 70% of the rooms in that tower will be Club Rooms (so Gold Passport members should be quite happy). The entire hotel will be functional sometime in October, and the grand opening will only be held after that.
The checkin attendant gave very good service and a pleasant attitude. She asked several times to escort me to my room, but I am always against that (just personal habit). In the end, a team of two escorted me to the elevators. I was placed on the 19th floor. I noticed that the hotel has close to 30 floors (but no 18th floor--at least not accessible from the elevators). The floor I was on had 14 rooms, and looking at the floorplan behind the room door, only one of them was a suite. The other seemed like normal-size rooms.
The view from my room is of the Pearl TV Tower, but cannot see the Bund Street. I think the row of rooms on the opposite side of the corridor would have "better" views.
The room design is like a mix of Park Hyatt Hamburg and Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Dark wood was again used as was a beige/grey granite throughout the bathroom. The bathroom is actually an open layout. Many of you are probably aware of recent trends in bathrooms with a window which can look out into the room. Well, imagine that the window and that wall weren't there, and you get the idea of how open the bathroom is. The vanity, on its own granite-top island, is in the location where the wall separating the bedroom from bathroom should be. So while brushing your teeth, you can watch tv on the LCD TV in the room! Beside the vanity is a small semi-walkin closet. The toilet is in its own glass cubicle behind the vanity. The shower and bathroom are enclosed in another glass cubicle next to the toilet. BUT, don't worry for those wanting privacy...the bathroom can indeed be separated from the rest of the room by a set of sliding wood panels. Once slid out, the bathroom becomes a "traditional" hotel bathroom-bedroom layout, separated from the rest of the room. Toiletries are the usual Hyatt products in China.
The bed was very comfortable, and I particularly liked their choice of linens--a plain beige color with a little texture/pattern.
The only other furniture in the room is a wood desk with two chairs, and then two single-seater sofas and an ottoman by the window.
I've taken some pictures of the room, and will try to post these on flickr later on, after my business trip.
The staff at the hotel really do strive to give good service. Everyone from the bellboy, to the doorboy, to the checkin staff and the concierge, and the waiters in the restaurants all have a very, very good attitude and pleasant image. I used to think that the staff at the Grand Hyatt were quite friendly (they still are), but those at Hyatt on the Bund are much more warm and open.
Some interesting stories to show the good service and attitude of the staff: (1) After checkin, I went down to the lobby to the Tea Room to get some dinner. The reception there said that they were only serving desserts, but she recommended I go to Aroma to get an a la carte dinner. Actually, I would have expected her to only point me in the right direction, and off I would go. But instead, she accompanied me from the Tea Room to the elevator across the lobby, then took the elevator with me to the second floor, then to Aroma. When there, she spoke with that receptionist about my wanting dinner, and also accompanied me to my table before she left to go back to her post at the Tea Room.
(2) midway through dinner, a girl from the Front Desk came to the restaurant and asked me whether I was the guest in room 19XX. I told her yes, and asked if there was any problem. She said no, and then left. Ten minutes later, the Director of Rooms came to my table and said that she had discovered it was my birthday! She offered to send me a cake, chocolates, etc. but I declined. She seemed a little disappointed that I wouldn't take anything, so in the end I agreed that she could send a small box of chocolates to my room.
(3) The waitress, now knowing that it was my birthday, asked the kitchen to prepare a bowl of noodles with barbeque pork. For Chinese people, eating noodles on your birthday is a custom. Then, the chef and all the waiters/waitresses came around the table to wish me happy birthday.
Now, the above might be "normal" if I were a regular guest at a certain hotel, but this kind of level of service for a hotel which has been soft-opened for just two months is, in my mind, quite exceptional.
I'm at the Grand Hyatt tonight, but am already looking forward to returning to Hyatt on the Bund tomorrow, and then again two days later. It's part of my "hotel hopping" trip to get some FFNs.
If anyone has any questions re: the hotel, I can check things out and respond here in a few days.
The drive up to the entrance is quite impressive, with a huge glass canopy covering the entire driveway (much like Hyatt Dongguan). The lobby is quite minimalist style, using a lot of dark wood, beige/brown granite, glass, and mood lighting throughout. (Of course, during the daytime, the lobby lets in a lot of natural light.) Checkin was very smooth, and there are double the usual number of attendants on duty. Some of them are probably under training and/or observing. Even the Director of Rooms was there. She explained that only the West Tower is open now, along with the pool, fitness room, and a few restaurants. The East Tower will contain the Regency Club, and over 70% of the rooms in that tower will be Club Rooms (so Gold Passport members should be quite happy). The entire hotel will be functional sometime in October, and the grand opening will only be held after that.
The checkin attendant gave very good service and a pleasant attitude. She asked several times to escort me to my room, but I am always against that (just personal habit). In the end, a team of two escorted me to the elevators. I was placed on the 19th floor. I noticed that the hotel has close to 30 floors (but no 18th floor--at least not accessible from the elevators). The floor I was on had 14 rooms, and looking at the floorplan behind the room door, only one of them was a suite. The other seemed like normal-size rooms.
The view from my room is of the Pearl TV Tower, but cannot see the Bund Street. I think the row of rooms on the opposite side of the corridor would have "better" views.
The room design is like a mix of Park Hyatt Hamburg and Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Dark wood was again used as was a beige/grey granite throughout the bathroom. The bathroom is actually an open layout. Many of you are probably aware of recent trends in bathrooms with a window which can look out into the room. Well, imagine that the window and that wall weren't there, and you get the idea of how open the bathroom is. The vanity, on its own granite-top island, is in the location where the wall separating the bedroom from bathroom should be. So while brushing your teeth, you can watch tv on the LCD TV in the room! Beside the vanity is a small semi-walkin closet. The toilet is in its own glass cubicle behind the vanity. The shower and bathroom are enclosed in another glass cubicle next to the toilet. BUT, don't worry for those wanting privacy...the bathroom can indeed be separated from the rest of the room by a set of sliding wood panels. Once slid out, the bathroom becomes a "traditional" hotel bathroom-bedroom layout, separated from the rest of the room. Toiletries are the usual Hyatt products in China.
The bed was very comfortable, and I particularly liked their choice of linens--a plain beige color with a little texture/pattern.
The only other furniture in the room is a wood desk with two chairs, and then two single-seater sofas and an ottoman by the window.
I've taken some pictures of the room, and will try to post these on flickr later on, after my business trip.
The staff at the hotel really do strive to give good service. Everyone from the bellboy, to the doorboy, to the checkin staff and the concierge, and the waiters in the restaurants all have a very, very good attitude and pleasant image. I used to think that the staff at the Grand Hyatt were quite friendly (they still are), but those at Hyatt on the Bund are much more warm and open.
Some interesting stories to show the good service and attitude of the staff: (1) After checkin, I went down to the lobby to the Tea Room to get some dinner. The reception there said that they were only serving desserts, but she recommended I go to Aroma to get an a la carte dinner. Actually, I would have expected her to only point me in the right direction, and off I would go. But instead, she accompanied me from the Tea Room to the elevator across the lobby, then took the elevator with me to the second floor, then to Aroma. When there, she spoke with that receptionist about my wanting dinner, and also accompanied me to my table before she left to go back to her post at the Tea Room.
(2) midway through dinner, a girl from the Front Desk came to the restaurant and asked me whether I was the guest in room 19XX. I told her yes, and asked if there was any problem. She said no, and then left. Ten minutes later, the Director of Rooms came to my table and said that she had discovered it was my birthday! She offered to send me a cake, chocolates, etc. but I declined. She seemed a little disappointed that I wouldn't take anything, so in the end I agreed that she could send a small box of chocolates to my room.
(3) The waitress, now knowing that it was my birthday, asked the kitchen to prepare a bowl of noodles with barbeque pork. For Chinese people, eating noodles on your birthday is a custom. Then, the chef and all the waiters/waitresses came around the table to wish me happy birthday.
Now, the above might be "normal" if I were a regular guest at a certain hotel, but this kind of level of service for a hotel which has been soft-opened for just two months is, in my mind, quite exceptional.
I'm at the Grand Hyatt tonight, but am already looking forward to returning to Hyatt on the Bund tomorrow, and then again two days later. It's part of my "hotel hopping" trip to get some FFNs.
If anyone has any questions re: the hotel, I can check things out and respond here in a few days.