OP doesn't mention whether he has luggage or not. Except for the smallest of bags or backpacks, I would avoid Line 2 during rush hour in the central part of the city.

I found a site offering the Swissotel for AU$126/night, but that site has reviews which say it isn't very good. :/
Otherwise, I can get an advance rate on the official site for 156AUD/night, a little over my budget for 2 nights, but if everyone here has been recommending it...

Shanghai hotels
 

Another decent option for your price range is the westin bund center. This falls within your price range most of them time. Especially from now until March.

I know others have recommended Jing'an but my recommendation is the bund area. Depending on your interests it has the city's top attraction nearby and is easily accessible to most of the city including Pudong.

If price is a key factor with the current prices in Shanghai I think the westin provides good value.

Otherwise what are your top interests when you visit Shanghai?

Shanghai hotels
 

If you are looking for the best bang for your buck in quality. I think the Sheraton residences pudong is a great deal. I have gotten rooms there (I live in Shanghai, needed one night for spg plat) for $85. The rooms were nicer than westin and got a suite upgrade as spg gold. The downside is there is nothing to do around the hotel. But only a 10 minute taxi to the bund.

Also you could do taxi and maglev in 25 minutes to pudong airport.

The site isn't good? As in, they'll take you're money and you'll be homeless? Or the hotel isn't good?

If the latter, I beg to disagree given the rates you were quoted. Based on current FX rates, that's around Y750. I doubt you could even score the Hilton for that, and the best I've ever done at the Portman is Y900 (on a corporate rate). The Swiss's rooms are substantially bigger than both (because it is a lot newer... hotel rooms in China used to be tiny as a rule), though the property itself doesn't feel nearly as opulent as the Portman IMO.

Saw the same price for 4Points Shanghai Pudong as well, it is beside the Sheraton.

1) Apart for CNY or an airline rate, the Westin for Y750 simply isn't in the cards
2) Even if it was, I would never bite because "center" (in the instant case) is a code word for "center of nothingness". In spite of the image that their namers tried to portray, it's not near the Bund, it's 5 minutes south of NJ Road, and there is nothing of interest nearby
3) I'll concede that bund is the city's single top attraction, but how long does one possibly need to stare at it go get the picture?
-other places nearby, Tianzifang (recreation of actual Shanghai neighborhood, of which there are thousands), Yuyuan (Disnyfied place to grab overrated XLB), NJ Rd Pedestrian Street (a McKinsey driven plan to recreate something that once was something)
4) But, if you go just 3 blocks west of People's Square, you can get a sense of the pulse that truly drives the city
5) We're high on JA in this thread because the OP wants good airport connections, and has them, but anywhere in Xuhui is just as cool

Shanghai hotels
 

Moondog,

OP asked for hotels within $150 AUD which is just under 900 rmb. Oct to Mar I have often found the westin hitting that.

The westin is only two blocks from the riverside part bund. The Bund Center name wasn't chosen to mislead westin customers. It's the name of the high rise that the westin is a part of. While it is not a riverfront hotel like the Waldorf, peace, or peninsula. I wouldn't consider the 3 minute walk to the river inconvenient in any way. And also scenic in itself with the buildings on the way.

Understand your preference is Jing'an. I'm just providing a different perspective. What you classify as the pulse of the city I consider to be high rises and retail which you can tire of very fast. Also I wouldn't consider having an airport bus stop to make it a great airport connection. That criteria makes a level playing field for many of the downtown areas.

Le Royal Meridien ^ Haven't checked the rates but have gotten prices in your range in the past. I understand the J'An love in this thread but I do like this hotel for airport connections, haven't had any issues with transport with a suitcase and small backpack. Usually do the metro to maglev but have done metro alone too.

Either area is good for a short stay though

But then, The Bund hasn't really recovered it's former glories by far, IMHO.

The re-opening of the (Fairmont) Peace Hotel helped somewhat, but to be honest, I don't know of too many local people explicitly wanting to head to that area for shopping or dining.

Local power brokers tend to gravitate to Xujiahui in my experience and then the financial sector of course to Lujiazui. What does that leave the Bund with, travelers and expats?

Shanghai hotels
 

Mosburger,

Agree with you that it is mostly tourists and expats who visit the bund. I don't think that makes it a bad place to visit though.

To your point about the bund returning to its former glories by the re-opening of the peace hotel. When the majority of the bund area (including the non-riverfront ones) buildings are renovated and re-opened as trends would expect I think the criticism will be the opposite with people saying it feels fake, etc and there is no regular people working or living there. One of the best places to walk in my opinion is the backstreets of the bund right now where there are no crowds, no Gucci or Prada, but the same impressive architecture being used for everyday offices or businesses rather than the elite.

My earlier point was that I would recommend the bund area hotels also over to LRM and people's square as a general recommendation until I know more of what a persons interests are. The westin is the most central to the bund, Nanjing rd, Yuyuan, and Lujiazui of most city hotels. Which makes it a basis recommendation until someone specifies other interest to suggest the French concession, Jing'an, xujiahui, or specific properties in other areas.

I've also had LRM in the 900 range. I suspect the same is true for similar chain hotels in the area. If OP has status, there would be an argument for trying to stay in that brand, such as lounge access, free internet, and other elite benefits.

The location isn't as convenient, but it could be interesting to stay in one of the older (art deco?) hotels. One that I've seen is in the middle of the block across from People's Park, along NJ road. Its location is equal to that of LRM, Marriott, etc. I think it's called the Park Hotel. Then there are several in this genre that I've walked past that are just across the creek from the Bund, but I don't remember names. There isn't an obvious subway station in the immediate area AFAIK. Don't expect renovations or all the modern conveniences; I would guess that most rooms are likely to be small with unrenovated bathrooms, but this sort of place could be more fun than a cheap modern chain hotel.

We can agree to disagree on "centrally located", but there's no escaping the fact that the Westin is in a bit of a transportation no man's land (the same goes for most Bund hotels as well, fwiw).

Taking location, transport, reviews on multiple sites etc into account, it seems the Swissotel is going to be the best option.

I just booked Jin Jiang Tower in Xuhui for 2 weeks at a bit over 100 usd per night.
The traveler got stuck in HIE Jinsha Putuo District by a US travel agency and wanted to move to a location where you could walk to places to do things.