It wasn't a suite I stayed in, it was a Deluxe room as I wanted a better view than an inner court view. I was on 1st floor. I think what you had is a 1-bedroom suite. Bigger suites like one of the Nine-Nation Suites would have a full on Bund view. My gripe is they didn't do a good job at sound proofing and if you know the driving habits of the Shanghainese, they do have a propensity to press on the horns ever so often at any time of the day.
I would agree with you that the Pen and PH would be better hotels but none of these have a sense of history and bona fide heritage value as they're just new buildings. What I wanted to see for myself is what had become of a 3-year complete restoration on this property.