escape4

Introduction I recently had a quick 1-night layover and I was curious to check out this new hotel. At 10k points per night, it is very good value for points. In addition I took advantage of the current promo to get 2k points back, and since I expect to get exactly 9 stays during the promo period if not for this stay, then I went a bit out of my way to earn my 10th stay and trigger another 10k bonus. At check-in they said as a Diamond member I could get late check-out until 4pm which is nice to know, but personally I did not need it. I recently had a quick 1-night layover and I was curious to check out this new hotel. At 10k points per night, it is very good value for points. In addition I took advantage of the current promo to get 2k points back, and since I expect to get exactly 9 stays during the promo period if not for this stay, then I went a bit out of my way to earn my 10th stay and trigger another 10k bonus. At check-in they said as a Diamond member I could get late check-out until 4pm which is nice to know, but personally I did not need it. I recently had a quick 1-night layover and I was curious to check out this new hotel. At 10k points per night, it is very good value for points. In addition I took advantage of the current promo to get 2k points back, and since I expect to get exactly 9 stays during the promo period if not for this stay, then I went a bit out of my way to earn my 10th stay and trigger another 10k bonus. At check-in they said as a Diamond member I could get late check-out until 4pm which is nice to know, but personally I did not need it. Location The hotel is quite new and actually the entire neighborhood seems quite new. It is about 10km from the Hongqiao airport and Hongqiao railway station. The main negative about this hotel is location because there is no subway station close to the hotel. If you arrive at the Hongqiao airport then your best bet is taxi for about 40 RMN. However Pudong airport is on the other side of the city so taxi will cost you over 200 RMN and I guess would take 1.5 hour if there is traffic; alternatively there is a bus going between the two airports for 30 RMN but then you still need the taxi between Hongqiao airport and the hotel. There is a subway line between the two airports but it won’t be as comfortable than the bus and it will take even longer time-wise. I had read that the Hilton Garden Inn was “in the middle of nowhere” which might be true in terms of tourist attractions, but because it’s in a new development at least there are tons of restaurants around so location was not as bad as my low expectations. Room From memory this was my first Hilton Garden Inn outside North America. The hotel being new, it is quite clean and modern. There was a suite available on Hilton.com but I was not upgraded to a suite. For a quick layover and on a cheap points stay, I did not mind and I did not ask about an upgrade. There was a fruit basket welcome gift waiting for me in the room. The bathroom has a nice walk-in shower. In terms of amenities, they had toothbrushes available in the bathroom, but no razor and no mouthwash. I found the bed to be comfortable. You can hear a bit of noise from the busy street in front of the hotel so asking for a room on a high floor is recommended. Similar to other HGIs I have been to, the room has an empty mini-fridge. However there was no microwave oven. The room has a few international power outlets including one on each side of the bed, plus USB ports which is convenient. Gym The gym is small and so-so. There is only one elliptical and none of the machines have integrated TV. Amenities This being China, the internet connection was difficult. It was not as bad as Beijing, but still painful. I was able to access my gmail occasionally via VPN but many times my VPN would get kicked out.Like some HGIs in North America, the hotel has self-laundry for 30 RMN which can be useful to some people staying long term. Dining As a Diamond member I had free breakfast. I was not sure what to expect for an Asian HGI but I was pleased. The restaurant is very large and they had a made to order egg station and a made to order noodle soup station. They had a few choices of hot dishes including fried rice and dim sum. They also have a few choices of cold salads. It was a bit light in terms of fruits however. The restaurant has a self-serve cappuccino machine so it’s better than in many North American hotels where you need to pay a surcharge if you want to upgrade from regular coffee. Overall All in all good value especially for a booking on points, but the hotel might not be for everybody. If you need to be in Hongqiao then it’s a no brainer, but if not the location might be a deal-killer for some if you want easy access to the rest of the city by metro.