Originally Posted by
luvFclass
All I can say is WOW to the missus & your TR so far SFO777.^ Really looking forward to your JAL FC flights & trip to JPN. Thanks for getting my week-end off to a FAB start.
LFC
PS: 2015 PVG/PEK/HND here I come after seeing your TR.
Thanks very much
LFC for your kinds comments.
Originally Posted by
arlflyer
Interesting review of the Pen. In my book it would be pretty tough to screw up that hard product. Wow - even if I just had to throw up the DND sign the whole stay I think I'd be happy with that setup! But I also do not really dine at on-property restaurants or bars (unless it is free
) so that part of the experience is less important to me. I wonder if the service issues are specific to the property or if it is difficult to find good staff in the area - perhaps the market is very competitive?
Thanks
arlflyer.
Originally Posted by
moondog
Yes. Pretty much anyone who has the charisma and foreign language skills to meet the standards of 5-star hotels in Beijing or Shanghai at the entry level can make a lot more money outside of the hospitality sector. While some stick with it and move up the ranks, turnover is very high.
You might be thinking that the hotels could solve the attrition problem by simply increasing wages, but this just isn't practical for a variety of reasons. As such, the status quo remains: 1) recruit green horns in far flung cities; 2) train them; and 3) try to hang on to them as long as possible... repeat.
Thank you
moondog for the explanation of the hiring issues facing hotels in China. I'm assuming that this a national problem not just in Shanghai. Interesting that the FS Beijing does not seem to have this problem. Indeed, the level of service was as excellent as we have encountered anywhere in the world. I have to think that most of this speaks to the quality and capability of the local hotel management.
Originally Posted by
jcamp028
Oh. My. God. May my wife never see the Shin Kong Place photos!
LOL. You have been warned.
Originally Posted by
offerendum
The suite at the Peninsula looks really nice
Indeed, it was beautiful.
Originally Posted by
quirrow
The bar at the Pen might be empty because most of the people flock to the famous jazz bar at the Fairmont Peace hotel just a block down? As for hotel service in Shanghai, I think they are not as good as other luxury hotels in Asia. The Park Hyatt in Shanghai faces some problems too when I visited a few years back. If your wife enjoys Shin Kong in Beijing, she will also enjoy Plaza 66 in Shanghai!
Mercifully, we are now home and she never found out about Plaza 66.
Originally Posted by
greg99
Fantastic trip report, as always.
I'm curious - how did the dim sum at the Aman Summer Palace compare to the big places in the SF Bay Area, say, Yank Sing/HK Flower Lounge/Joy Luck/et al?
Thanks,
Greg
Thanks
greg99. We aren't big dim sum eaters back home, but the Aman meal was one of the best Chinese meals of the trip.
Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
The air really can be horrible to the point of having public health consequences at certain times of year in these and other Chinese cities - far worse than in LA, to the point where some expats (and perhaps some wealthy Chinese?) are deciding to raise their kids elsewhere. Having said that, I'd take a chance on visiting Shanghai myself -especially after seeing your great pics and getting a reminder of how much it has changed since I was there many years ago! - trying to avoid those times (which I believe are mainly in the winter, though I haven't checked carefully). Anyway, thanks for those great shots and interesting commentary on the Peninsula.
Thank you
Thunderroad. I think we did luck out with the timing of our visit. We had heard stories about people wearing masks and buying bottled air (especially in Beijing), but we didn't see any of this, nor feel the need. Plus we were only there for a few days so I wasn't concerned. Air was good as far as I could tell. Then again, it could have been a seasonal thing.
moondog would certainly know better about this.