The Westin Bund Centre
88 Henan Central Rd, Shanghai


A touch of Chrimbo at the Westin

Between both the Westin and the Le Royal Meridien, the Westin was by far my preferred hotel.

For starters, I found the location of the Westin most convenient, especially to the bars and restaurants on the Bund. The hotel is a mere 5 minutes walk down Guangdong Rd to M on the Bund and Glamour Bar at 5 on the Bund, as well as Jean Georges' at 3 on the Bund (even though I fond the latter establishment to be rather overrated). Immediately surrounding the hotel is what was described to me as "Old Shanghai", with dozens of delightful local restaurants and cafes.

I was only SPG Gold for both stays yet got a one category upgrade to the "Crown Deluxe Room", which is in fact a small suite on reasonably high floors. My room was also ready when I arrived at 0830 on the first day. 4pm late checkout was also given both times, although with some bargaining during the latter stay. The lobby was pretty sophisticated with a touch of Oriental, and felt pretty warm and welcoming. They could lose the piano music though but that's just me...





The rooms were a little bit faded, with decor from the early 2000s but were nonetheless well-appointed and comfy with a brand-standard Heavenly Bed. Even though not too new, I found the decor to be rather timeless - it'd probably still work for a few more years yet before looking tacky.









Service was simply flawless. Staff spoke perfect English and couldn't do enough to assist me in various arrangements, be it restaurant reservations, translations from Chinese to English, or giving suggestions on where to go. Yet the rather gracious service was not accompanied by the servility one has to put up with in certain other cities. A handy little guide to the city was also supplied with landmark names in both English and Chinese.

For all the above, I'd not hesitate to return to the Westin Bund Centre for future visits to Shanghai. That is, until the W commences operations but even then I'm not so sure about staying in Pudong - convenient as the metro may be.

[aside]The 2nd stay was amusing as a "Chinese superstar" was at the hotel, and the hotel entrance was clogged with hundreds of screaming teenage girls. I couldn't identify the celebrity until he walked past me with all his bodyguards and the screams got louder. I felt a little guilty as I was going '<software-censored naughty word ?!' when those girls look like they'd kill to be where I was standing (they were cordoned off to a side).[/aside]

Next: Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai