luxury

The Peninsula Shanghai is located on the Puxi side of the river and is right on The Bund (Zhongshan Road) at Beijing Road. It is a very grand hotel and is probably the most luxe option in Shanghai.

We were booked into a Deluxe room but received a massive upgrade to a Deluxe Garden View Suite, overlooking the gardens of the former British Consulate and Suzhou Creek. The advantage of this view is that it is much quieter and calmer and some may prefer this to the iconic Pudong skyline view that many covet.

It is a large suite with a large entry with powder room opening up into a large living room with large windows overlooking the grounds of the former British Consulate and Suzhou Creek beyond. There is a sofa facing two arm chairs with a large square coffee table in between set in front of an ornamental fireplace; a small round table with 4 seats in the corner; and a work desk. There is a large TV (about 50 inches) on the fall facing the sofa. From the living room, double doors leads you to the bedroom with, in our case, two double beds facing a chaise longue in front of the large picture window. From the bedroom, a sliding door led to the dressing area, standard Peninsula bathroom (tub in the centre, WC and shower on either side of the tub, with two single vanities on opposite sides. Past the dressing area is a large built in luggage rack and a second entrance where the valet box is.

It is, without a doubt, one of the loveliest suites I have seen, and moreso the fortune to stay in. The cream walls, blue carpets and blue tones in the living room, accented by beautiful chinese prints and wallpaper made for a regal setting. Taupe patterned carpets with cream colour in the bedroom made for a soothing respite and the dark blues in the dressing area was a nice contrast. I think it is the suite product in which Peninsula Shanghai shines, though the regular rooms, are very nicely appointed. First time visitors to Shanghai will want the Pudong skyline view and it is worth it. However, returning guests may prefer the quiet of the garden view rooms. Some of the specialty suites are WOW with private terraces and hot tubs overlooking the Bund and Pudong skyline.

Breakfast is served in the Lobby Lounge and is a hybrid buffet where continental items are available on the elegant buffet but main courses are available for order a la carte. Service is disappointing as the servers cannot keep up with the number of diners, nor the turnaround time. I just have changed tables a couple times as the locals kept taking my table each time I went to the buffet to get something. Food quality is good and the concept can work but perhaps not at over 90% occupancy.

Dinner in Yi Long Court was quite good; drinks are a must up on Sir Elly's Terrace for spectacular views, and photos, of the Bund and the Pudong skyline.

The hotel has a great indoor pool with music piped in underwater. A good spa and fitness centre round out the facilities.

Going to dinner in one of the chauffeured Mini-Coopers was a lot of fun (complimentary for suite guests). But the traffic in and around the hotel is crazy -- for a North American it is hard to envision the tsunami of people, that is wave after wave after wave, of people coming to and from the Bund to see, and experience it. These are mostly Chinese nationals from other regions -- you would rarely see a Shanghainese here! It is this congestion of people, and perhaps during the summer, why the Peninsula Shanghai was not my favourite hotel in Shanghai.

Service levels were very good, bordering excellent, but perhaps the grandness of the hotel didn't allow warmth to come out which is a key factor for me.

Still, the Peninsula Shanghai is likely the most luxe option in the city and one where a different experience may be had outside of the crazy summer months.

I think for most travelers, the two best options will be the Peninsula and Four Seasons Pudong.

TOMFORD

Awesome reviews, all very informative. Looking forward to the pics!

Aventine

MO Pudong first impressions

- the road way in is a murderer's row. People driving British style RHD and coming head on (either this should be a one way road or there's so much parked cars and junk on the road that it's become a dangerous one way). The circular road looked like a mix of a film set, shantytown and past traffic accidents. Wish I had taken a photo of the madness. I wonder if there's another route to the hotel but I doubt it or the MO driver would have taken it.
- not the greatest first impression when the driver has to swerve to avoid 2 cars and 1 scooter.
- the lobby is a bit weird without a center piece anchoring it. It's just very long rectangular shape and is just off from other MO lobbies I've been in. Not very welcoming and a bit cold.
- the Mandarin Room is always a go-to room in an MO and this one is no exception with a beautiful tub, silky sheets and plush carpets to pillows.
- There are tons of attendants for everything from the elevator to the Club. Service is decent but somewhat impersonal as luxury also stated. I never had any problems getting servers' attention in the Club
- the room service menu is extensive and they have a TON of choices everything from healthy green menu to caviar.
- the surrounding area is mainly office buildings and it does seem they're going for the urban oasis luxury hotel by the way the property is situated near the Huangpu river
- It's also near enough you can take a river walk if you're so inclined.

moondog

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering how you guys take location into account when making your assessments of hotels. IMO the Penn, fs pudong, and mo are all great hotels, but there is little reason to walk outside in all three cases (Penn being a bit of an exception because the bund is worth seeing for an hour or two).

TOMFORD

Aside from the view, proximity to a subway station gets a big bonus, since I don't like to stay in a hotel unless I'm eating, sleeping, or working out there. FS Pudong is one block away from Dongchang Road station.

Also as someone who has been to Shanghai frequently, proximity to the Bund doesn't have a lot of weight to me.

moondog

I'm with you on the "proximity to the bund is of minimal importance" bit, but in addition to staying near a subway, it's possible to stay in hotels that have places of interest nearby.

moondog

I'm with you on the "proximity to the bund is of minimal importance" bit, but in addition to staying near a subway, it's possible to stay in hotels that have places of interest nearby.

ETA: The "thumbs down" emoji was not intentional on my part.

Aventine

The hotel itself (service, hardware, etc) is more important to me. I just cab or Uber it to where I need to go anyway.

TOMFORD

Why does my post get a thumbs down?

I do this if I'm just going to popular tourist sights.

moondog

That was a complete accident on my part, and I have no idea how to edit it. Please accept my apologies.

TOMFORD

Apology accepted, now the first two rounds are on you at Flair!

Aventine

Update: They were shooting a movie on the road to the MO Pudong according to the management. That's why it looked like a warzone. I guess it isn't Chinese municipal government style to put some sort of sign or have the production crew use speed barriers or the traffic scarecrows/dummies.

gottaluvNW

So what is the consensus on a first time short stay to experience Shanghai - The Peninsula? We are looking for a good pool, excellent service, and a concierge to take the time to help us plan a good 3 days in the city...

TOMFORD

I'd say FS PD or Pen. Not sure what the cost is at the Pen, but the cost of day trips arranged by FS is pretty unreasonable.

Aventine

MO Pudong has an excellent pool and the spa to match. Their service was excellent to us.

Pens are almost always money well spent though.