Check In I’ve read reports about foreigners having issues checking into UrCove hotels. This hotel was no problem; the staff knew exactly what to do. They acknowledged my Hyatt status and upgraded me to a “loft” room on the top (8th) floor. They also explained the benefits of the hotel — free laundry, breakfast from 6:00 - 10:00, umbrella rentals for a ¥50 deposit, late checkout, etc.They told me that I could book directly through their WeChat app for a cheaper rate next time.The staff were friendly but not over the top; for example, they didn’t help with opening / closing car doors, luggage, umbrellas, etc. Location Straight up, the location is the worst part of the hotel. It’s technically in Lujiazui, but it’s far away from everything. The closest metro station is a 10-15 minute walk away, it’s far from both airports and all three train stations, and there’s nothing to do in the area or even a convenience store. It’s a short walk to the riverside where you can see Nanpu bridge, but there’s nothing to do there at all. It worked for me because it’s close to where I needed to be, but was still inconvenient since I had to get a Didi to the metro station.Come to think of it, all of the UrCoves in Shanghai have somewhat undesirable locations, maybe except for the one in Jingan, which is (somewhat) close to Jingan temple and the malls. Room Wow, the room was huge! — was my first impression. It’s a proper two-storey loft.On the first floor, it had a living room with a couch, a working table, a TV, and a half-bath, as well as the closet and an espresso machine (with pods from Peet’s Coffee!) and a mini fridge (with free non-alcoholic drinks and some snacks).On the second floor, it had a bed, one single chair, a small closet, and a full bathroom (with no tub).It seems like all rooms on the 8th floor are lofts.The novelty wore off quickly as I had to climb the stairs multiple times to bring things up and down, since there was nowhere to put things on the second floor. I guess it makes sense to leave all my luggage downstairs since it would be hard to carry a heavy suitcase up, but it got tiring soon.The bathrooms both had a Chinese-branded bidet with no automatic lid opener. Oh, it had a proper Dyson hair drier!!!!!!Instead of a room phone, there was a UrCove-branded smart clock that would let you make calls, play music, and request amenities (which would be delivered by a robot). I thought it was quite cool.There was a cool skyline of Shanghai behind the bed.The room felt quite humid throughout the stay. I didn’t want to set the AC too low, but it felt like it could use a dehumidifier. Dining I had breakfast at the lobby restaurant. It had a pretty wide selection of mostly carbs. The entire dim-sum area was carbs — buns, mantou, gao, yams, everything but protein. There were cold fried noodles and rice, a few types of veggies, an egg bar, some cereal, some porridge, and some salads. There was a fruit juice bar too and an espresso machine. Gym and Laundry The laundry room and the gym were in the same room on the ground floor. There were two washers and two dryers, each capable of 13kg of clothes. There were also plenty of laundry / clean clothes baskets and bags. There was also a handy note that you can stick onto the machines so that people could notify you when your laundry was done.The laundry machine took 45 minutes and the dryer took also around 30 minutes. Oh, did I mention that it was free?! The gym itself was pretty basic, with a few treadmills and some free weights. There was no rack. Service The people at the hotel overall seemed quite friendly and on-par with a regular Hyatt Place / Hyatt House. They were courteous but didn’t go out of their way to do anything. I thought it was a bit odd that they would charge a ¥50 deposit for an umbrella that had to be paid on the spot. Overall Overall, it felt a lot cooler than a Hyatt House / Hyatt Place for a quick stay. The rooms are new, it was really spacious with the loft design, and the price was right. The location makes it very undesirable for first-time visitors.