PVG / Shanghai arrival advice needed
 

I'm flying into PVG, arriving late evening, first trip to China.

Is is reasonable to assume that taxi drivers could understand simple hotel name, or is there a dispatcher who provides assistance? I don't have reservations yet but expect to stay at any of the major properties.

Should I instead play it safe and try and get a car through the hotel?

I'd have the hotel arrange for a car .... and/or get the name of the hotel and directions written down in Chinese and present that slip of paper to the taxi driver. Also, make sure you know the approximate cost of the trip and have smaller bills. (There's a Citibank ATM right after PVG passport control, but I don't know if it spits out some 20 yuan notes; it certainly defaults to 100 yuan notes.)

Taxi drivers and the majority of Chinese in general are not able to read the latin alphabet or understand spoken non-Chinese names. Names and addresses written in Chinese characters are therefore a must.

All the major hotels have their own booths at PVG but whether the booth of you particular choice is staffed when you arrive is anybody's guess...

which hotel?

Moondog, not sure which hotel yet - I'd like to stay at a Hilton property as I'm just a few stays shy of Diamond, but the reviews for that property are not particularly good.

What is your favorite in the top business class tier?

To arrange a hotel car, I assume I could call up and ask for the concierge? Or do they do well by email?

If you go with the taxi option, you should be able to get the Chinese name and address from the hotel's website. So far as I know, the Citibank ATM right after immigration only gives out 100-yuan notes, but that should be fine for a ride to the city.

For all of its shortcomings, I still like the Hilton because the location is quite good and it has excellent highway access. But, I suggest you tell us where you're going to be spending most of your time.

The reason I asked is because most taxi drivers know the really popular places (Portman, Hilton, Westin, GH, etc).

In any event, I suggest you take a taxi because, regardless of who's footing the bill, hotel car services are needlessly extravagent IMO (a taxi will cost you less than $20; last time I used a car service, the bill was $120).

Printing out the hotel name, address, and phone number is really all you need to do.

Speaking of phone's, a GSM cell phone is pretty much essential in China. PM me if you want to borrow a sim or even a phone; I have lots.

Moondog, thanks for the offer; my office will actually provide one.

I will go with the Hilton - location is important and Hhonors credit too!

I can't find chinese directions though on the website - if anyone knows a link, I'd still like to print it out (will go with the Taxi option).

Taxis and Hilton
 

I would definitely go with the arranged ride option. Not only are their language issues, but I am convinced that many of the Shanghai taxi drivers do not actually know how to drive. You may get the ride of your life if you choose a taxi.

I have stayed at the Hilton, and would classify it as okay. The price is relatively reasonable and a good value. However, there are some really spectacular hotels in Shanghai, and some cost only a bit more. A truly good hotel in Shanghai is a service experience approaching the finest Hong Kong and Singapore hotels.

Well, the location is good in the general sense, but it's possible that your office is nowhere near it. (Though you do seem determined to snag those points.)

If you stay at the Hilton, there is another option; the #2 bus goes straight to Jing'an Temple (~400 meters from the Hilton). Believe it or not, bus + taxi is often faster than taxi (no need to wait in line for the bus).

Anyway, here's the address for the Hilton:

chinese name of hotel: 上海静安希尔顿酒店
street address: 华山路250号
cross street: ( 靠近延安路 ）
phone: 62480000

It's on Huashan Rd. just south of Yan'an Rd (the latter is the main East-West highway in SH). Frankly, I'd be surprised if there was a single taxi driver in Shanghai that didn't recognise it.

Edited to add: I'm amazed that the Hilton people didn't think to provide the above info on their own web site. In case you're curious, I used google:

hilton shanghai "chinese name"

....and found this site.

My browser doesn't seem to recognize the chinese letters - IE or Opera. I'm sure there is something I need to enable so I'll google for a solution (but if anyone has an easy pointer ...!!)

if you're using xp:

-open your control panel using the classic view (as opposed to category view)
-double click on the "regional and language options" icon
-click the "languages" tab
-check the box that says "install files for east asian languages"
-click "ok"

Thanks Moondog, that did the trick!

I think Moondog has already provided you with all the information you need, but just in case you still want it, here is the link to the Chinese website for Hilton Shanghai. As for the tranportations, I think Hotel Shuttle Bus Line B at PVG stops at Hilton.

Thanks, both printed out and in my bag!