I recently returned from a 4-night stay at this fine hotel, and this hotel rates Two Thumbs Up!

As the taxi trundled its way from the Shanghai train station, picking through congested morning traffic into Pudong, my initial impressions were not good. As Tfung007 reported, the hotel appeared to be in the “middle of nowhere” and the ever-increasing drive into Pudong was not reassuring. En route, the taxi driver mentioned that the tunnel connecting Pudong and central Shanghai was closed to taxis during the morning and afternoon rush hours—further increasing my concern over the remoteness of this hotel. A backup plan was to relocate to the Peace Hotel (located on the Bund), if the St. Regis Hotel location proved to be too onerous for sightseeing.

As we drove to the hotel, we passed by other lesser hotels—Intercontinental, Courtyard by Marriott (China’s first Courtyard), and across the street from the St. Regis—a Holiday Inn.

Any concerns over whether the hotel would be sufficiently comfortable dissipated as we entered the grand two-story lobby. Check in took place within our room, which was initially, a Platinum-upgraded, 2-room Executive Suite facing east. When I asked if a westward facing (Shanghai-facing) suite was available--after a brief consultation—we were told that since I had booked two rooms for four nights (the second room was for my mother in-law who also thoroughly enjoyed this hotel), they would be pleased to upgrade us to an even larger suite. We were promptly escorted across the hall to a 2-room, west facing “Mandarin Suite” high atop the 31st floor.

Consistent with the St. Regis brand, both hotel suites were well appointed, tastefully furnished and well maintained—an important consideration as Globehopper has seen all too many hotels deteriorate quickly due to lack of diligent maintenance. The Mandarin Suite is larger and certainly more lavish than many New York City apartments. The living room featured a couch and several side chairs clustered around a coffee table (tea table in China), a very useable work desk, halogen desk lamp, side credenza and those very comfortable Herman Miller Aeron chairs. Of course, there was a sizeable TV with the usual western news and entertainment channels. Artwork decorated the walls and shelves.

Through the double doors beckoned the bedroom, which was similarly and tastefully furnished. The bedroom featured another TV, DVD player, trouser press, a chaise and a walk-in closet. While initially only the TV and trouser press were plugged into the wall as there were only two outlets for three electrical appliances (tsk, tsk!), a call to the butler resulted in a power strip being delivered and now all three electrical items could be used simultaneously.

A nice feature of this hotel suite was the tall ceiling heights which further contributed towards a feeling of spaciousness, as did the curtain wall of windows which provided a panoramic view of considerably less grand dwelling units below.

The bathrooms were temples to the gods of cleanliness and bodily rejuvenation-- marbled covered walls and floors, a separate large bathtub and a separate shower were all softly lit by recessed halogen lights. The “Rainforest Shower” lived up to its name, drenching one so completely that stress and cares would simply drain away into the drainless floor. So relaxing was the experience that it was difficult to muster the desire to emerge from an encounter with that shower and I’m afraid that our long indulgent stays in the shower must have certainly irreparably drained Pudong’s water table.

Should one entertain visitors, they need not sully the master bathroom—a smaller visitor bathroom was available for their use, sensibly located near the entrance.

Shortly after completing the check in formalities, the Butler took drink orders (but did not offer to unpack) and to generally introduce us to the room and hotel. Unlike the palms out attitude of some hotels, complimentary coffee, espresso and cappuccino, tea (Chinese and English) were available at any time by ringing the butler. At times the delivered coffee was bitter—but this was a minor quibble.

As we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, the butler mentioned that the hotel had prepared a special cake to commemorate our happy occasion, and asked us when we would like it delivered to our room. This was certainly a pleasant surprise. The cake was a delicately flavored lemon cake, created by a pastry chef who I later learned from the hotel manager was “stolen” from another five star resort property outside of China—a good “steal.” To further enhance the romantic ambience, our butler pointed out the roses, which were specially bought in. During our stay, they would be replaced with fresh roses.

So relaxing was this stay, that Mrs. Globehopper sometimes could not be persuaded to leave the cocooning comforts of the St. Regis Hotel—and this was detrimental towards city sightseeing but certainly conducive towards romance.

We did manage to visit the conveniently located, venerable Peace Hotel, which is home to the touristy, but enjoyable Old Jazz Band. (How they managed to survive the Cultural Revolution, I don’t know.) However, the contrast between the recently opened, modern St. Regis and the Peace Hotel were considerable and somewhat painful. Outside of the lobby areas, the Peace Hotel appeared to be maintained to considerably lesser standards than the sparkling St. Regis. Mrs. Globehopper also pointed out that the St. Regis too had an evening jazz band, which played more contemporary tunes—so why leave the St. Regis?

Any further thoughts of changing hotels were immediately dismissed.

Indeed, the somewhat remote location of the St. Regis from central Shanghai became a non-issue as taxis were inexpensive and plentiful, and the new Metro was fast and efficient. During rush hours when taxis were banned from using the more direct tunnel route into Shanghai, we used the Metro. Dong Fong Road metro station is a brisk 5-minute walk, or if we were lazy, a quick taxi ride away. About a kilometer would be clocked on the taximeter.

Wishing to express my appreciation for such a splendid stay, on the morning of the third day I wrote a note of thanks to the Hotel Manager. When I asked the Front Desk staff to pass my note to the Hotel Manager, Mrs. Globehopper noted their sudden and serious look of concern cross their face. They needn’t had worry.

Indeed, the Hotel Manager thanked me for my note, and we later met on the 40th floor Executive Lounge where I further expressed my appreciation for a being cosseted with such fine luxury. This top floor lounge was another fine benefit of this hotel. Nightly, between 17:30 and 19:00, the Executive Lounge features a chef preparing a tempting variety of delectable treats, (mostly) free drinks, served by solicitous lounge staff. This was a very relaxing way to wind down a day out sightseeing or on business—and a soothing antidote to the teeming and sometimes less than civilized aspects of life in Shanghai.

I asked the Hotel Manager about the possibility of purchasing another delicious lemon cake since this was a rare taste treat indeed--on the last day of our stay, we were pleasantly surprised by the sight of two butlers delivering another lemon cake to our suite.

The Suite Life indeed! What service! We’re looking forward to future stays at this hotel.