Are they going other places in China?

The Binlong is my current SHA favorite, if I was going to look for a replacement, I would probably check out:
Ruijin Hotel - the grounds and buildings are nice but may be better than the rooms.
88 Xintiandi
Pudi Boutique Hotel
Lapis Casa

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has personal experience with any of those.

As far as time in SHA, I enjoy being a tourist in SHA and always find interesting things to do there even for a week+.

I used to recommend that place back when Face was an in spot because it was cheap and the area was lively, but I've heard that the rooms are unimpressive.

I guess I'd only consider it if I had other options lined up and could make a decision on the spot.

One of my friends is a part owner of the Jia Hotel (though his discounted rate is laughably expensive); it's a pretty neat place, but the taxi situation is among the worst anywhere in town... during peak times, you only stand a chance if you split your party up in order to cover multiple locations.

7 days in Shanghai is a bit long.
3 days is more than enough I feel.

The nice thing about Shanghai is its close proximity to other interesting China cities.
It's a short ride to Hangzhou, Suzhou, watertown(whatever the name is).
They can be day trips or part of a longer itinerary.

1) agreed
2) there around 7 water towns close in, some more touristy than others, but all similar

Personally, I'd use the extra 3-4 days to go somewhere else entirely, maybe flying out of Hangzhou, which definitely warrants a short visit. I was checking out Spring Airlines' website yesterday and was amazed by some of their fares (Air Asia type deals).

My dad used to do quite a lot of business in China and the rest of Asia so this would be a kind of nostalgy tour for him and my mom (who also visited there several times)

I was thinking arrival at Hong Kong, then Shenzhen and Guangzhou (by train), CAN - SHA flight, after a few days there Suzhou, Nanjing, Beijing (again by train), then off to Korea.

Thank you so much. Will do some more research on these.

What are those 7 water towns by the way? If you count Hangzhou, I only know of Suzhou and Xitang...

I can think of these
Luzhi
Zhouzhuang
Tongli
Nanxun
Wuzhen
Xitang
Qibao
Zhujiajiao

Been reading up about them and I'm getting quite fired up with this idea. Thanks. ^

Just an idea for Hangzhou: Check for the new Four Seasons there, or the Banyan Tree Resort. Haven't stayed in one, but visited the latter - looks absolutely amazing.

I know it's not China, but it is a lot of fun and it undoubtedly feels like the center of the world at the moment. ^

I have stayed at 88 Xintiandi and whilst it's a pretty normal (but nice)boutique hotel in most respects, I can confirm that the rooms are amazing.

Nice, thanks!