rayzay28

Hey Team -

Will be my first time visiting Shanghai and will be with my family. Looking to do the more touristic experience but wasn't sure which Four Seasons to stay in. If their is stark difference in quality, I'll stay at whichever one is considered better. Otherwise, which location of more conducive to having a better visiting experience?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Blackbook

Stay on the Bund for tourism... I would recommend not staying at either FS. Shanghai is an interesting case where FS isn't the market leader... Stay at the Peninsula on the Bund or if you want to be in Pudong, the business district, try the Mandarin Oriental. The Mandarin Oriental's facilities are superb. Both are a level above FS in my experience.

The Pen has the best location for sightseeing.

moondog

I would recommend staying in Jing'an or Xuhui, and making a trip or two to the Bund from there because there is far more to see/do in the French Concession than on the Bund. As for hotels, the Puli is quite nice, and there are dozens of others of similar caliber.

quitecontrary

Although the rooms at the Peninsula are very nice I was very disappointed in the public areas - nowhere to sit at all if you want to just relax in a lounge area - the lobby seats are where breakfast/ afternoon tea etc are taken. I counted only 2 sofas I think one of which is by the reception desk. Loads of western designer shops though.
I loved the French Concession area best of all the districts in Shanghai and would probably stay there if I went again. I've seen pictures of a new IC there which looks nice. I definitely wouldn't stay in the Pudong side no matter how nice the hotel was unless I had business there.

bearbrick

If its betwn the old FS and new FS it has to be the new FS ie in pudong .
But the old FS is in a charming neighborhood...But why not consider others ?

Peninsula is a good solid choice in the Bund area and its kids friendly too and very pleasant surroundings in the immediate areas outside the hotel....

In what is now known as West Shanghai in the Jing An area you may consider the brand new Jing an Shangri la.

Both great locations to call home during your stay in SH.

As for East Shanghai ( in Pudong) I like the Park Hyatt.
Actually the two areas east and west shanghai is very accessible nowadays and if you're hiring a limousine for your sightseeing trips it doesn't really matter which side you're on , as long as you avoid the peak traffic hours .

vuittonsofstyle

I second this!^

moondog

"West shanghai"? Did you invent this term?

bearbrick

No

Blackbook

Another reason to stay at the Pen...

http://news.peninsula.com/EN/THE-PEN...8-6b0419d747ee

Kagehitokiri

http://www.shangri-la.com/shanghai/jinganshangrila/ says "West Shanghai" and bearbrick referenced SL

moondog

Okay, beyond the hotel marketing crowd, can you cite a single reliable source that refers to Jing'an as "West Shanghai"? (If you can, name them, and they can count on a small history lesson from me!)

warakorn

Stay away from the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai !!! There is a large Metro station and shopping mall construction site next to it. If you like the sounds of air hammer 24/7, then the Four Seasons is the place to be.

bbcbbc2012

This is referring to the "old" FS on the west side of Huangpu River, and the new FS Pudong is on the east side and in a CBD area, hence surrounded by high-rise office bldgs.

Shangri-La Jing'an has just opened its door or maybe still in its soft-opening period, so a lot of its facilities may still be closed and it definitely carries that "brand new" smell, which is the same case for MO and Banyee Tree.

The new IC rebranded from Ruijing Hotel could be a good choice, if you want to avoid the tourist crowds often seen in the bund area, where Pen, Fairmont Peace Hotel and Waldorf are located. Having said that, all those three hotels are VERY nice ones.

warakorn

Anyways, here is a photo from the construction site from the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai (Puxi, west side). Of course, their greedy hotel manager wont put this info into their website. As you know, Shanghainese only care about money and extracting money from guests who need to purchase a room upgrade in order to not face this massive construction site.
If you complain about the 24/7 noise at midnight, all the hotel will say is: "Its the government, we cannot do anything about it."

mecabq

I agree with staying in "West Shanghai." I don't know whether this is a real term, but that's how the new Shangri-La Jing An, right next to the Puli, markets itself.

I just came from two days there, and have mixed opinions. The neighborhood is great. I had a corner room on a high floor with great views (to the west and north I guess), but the room was tiny and had a few rather strange features. (E.g., they had one of those shower rooms like a lot of hotels nowadays with the bathtub in the same room -- basically the bathtub in the shower. But this room was really dark, as there was no light there, and the lighting in the bathroom was not great anyway. Also there was no closet door, just a bar hanging in the corner.)

The room featured a Samsung 3D Smart TV, and they provided the 3D glasses, although I found no use for this amenity. (There was no DVD player.) They also had Shangri-La branded toiletries, as opposed to the usual L'Occitane shampoo. The service overall at the hotel was very good, although the guy handling my check-in was relatively inept.

They have a great-looking steakhouse (which happened to be written up in China Daily while I was there); I went to the bar, which features a great menu including some custom-blended bourbon, but didn't have a meal.

I switched from the Four Seasons at the last minute to try the Shangri-La (a triple points promotion and RMB 600 dining credit helped), but I plan to stay at FS next time.

P.S. I also had one night at the Andaz at Xintiandi, which was actually superior in some ways to the Shangri-La; as a Hyatt Diamond on my first stay at a new hotel, they really doted on me. If, like this trip for me, you want to be on the Puxi side away from the Bund, it's an option.