Andaz Shanghai REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
 

As promised, I will give a brief report on the hotel.

I moved over to the Andaz Shanghai from my usual Hyatt on the Bund this morning. Arrived at 7:45am and was informed that my room was ready.

The main entrance on street level is via two sets of sliding WOOD doors, one after the other. Then enter into the main lobby, what the hotel calls the Andaz Lounge. Right directly in front is a bar area, and a sunken lounge behind the bar. Apparently, behind this lounge is the restaurant for breakfast, which I will try tomorrow morning.

The check in counters are to the right of the main entrance. The check in area also doubles as a place where you can get drinks and snacks 24 hours of the day. There is a refrigerator which you are free to open and grab whatever you want. I didn't try this yet, so I do not know what's in there.

At checkin, I was informed that, as a Diamond Gold Passport member, I had been upgraded into an Andaz XL King room (I had booked the basic Andaz King room), and was expected un upgrade to a Large room, but was pleasantly surprised when I got the XL (84 sq. metres). Not sure whether this is the standard Diamond upgrade, or just because the hotel is trying to dazzle patrons during its soft opening. Right now, only 58 of 307 rooms are ready. Spa, fitness centre, pool, are not ready.

The hallways on the floor leading to the room are very similar in design to Hyatt on the Bund. A lot of wood throughout.

The room is also like a Hyatt on the Bund room, without carpets! It took awhile for me to figure out the lighting system. The multicolor LED lights (and the bathtub) are fun to fool around with, but the novelty soon wears off.

Room pictures here (sorry, average quality only with my lowly iPhone):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93128774@N00/sets/

I will try to post anything noteworthy in a few days.

Fly me to the moon ...thanks for the quick peek and pics....

Not sure I like the interiors ?!!

Is the bathtub as small as it looks ?

Any comments on the complimentary minibar ?

Is pool etc open ?

And which club have they recommended or can you suggest any ?
;)@:-):)

Thanks for the pics, the toilet seat looks exactly like the one in PH Shanghai and the room layout is very similar to the Hyatt Bund.

Hope I will get a chance to try it out soon!

Further Comments
 

Just some minor points of note:

The room, although not dusty, has probably not been cleaned thoroughly from the construction. My legs are itching like hell. Will have to get Housekeeping to deep-clean the room tomorrow morning.

Complimentary minibar: thanks for the reminder about this; totally forgot. Reception didn't mention anything either, and I just called down to Guest Services now, and they said soft drinks are free, but alcoholic drinks are not. Current inventory of minibar: Sprite (1), Coke Light (1), Coke (1), Heineken (2), Tsing Tao (2), Apple Juice (1), Orange Juice (1), Complimentary water (2), Sparkling water (2), Absolut Vodka (2), Beefeater Gin (2), and Chivas Regal (1).

In the entire room, I cannot find any stationery for writing. Heck, I can't even find a pen.

Hot water in the shower is not hot enough. Bathtub is on the small side. I just went into the bathroom to try it. I can't lie down in the tub comfortably, and my legs have to be bent significantly. I am six feet tall.

Fitness centre, spa, etc. all not open yet.

As for which clubs they recommended, didn't need them to. I am in Shanghai once every two weeks, so I guess...been there, done that. ;);)

Thanks so much for the early review. I am somewhat surprised at how the room and guestroom corridors look so much like the Bund property-- I guess I was expecting something entirely different given the Andaz branding.

Thanks for the pictures! I still look forward to staying there, but I am very underwhelmed by the design. The bathroom looks bizarre. The corridor carpet pattern is not what I would associate with Andaz brand.

Some Final Comments
 

I checked out this morning, but would like to give some last comments regarding my first stay there.

I realize that the hotel is in the soft opening stages, but I did feel that some things were lacking in the room and need to be addressed: (1) no internet cable for wired internet access; (2) no pens, notepads, nor stationery in room; (3) the sinks in the bathroom do not have plugs...you cannot fill up the sink with water; (4) the XL rooms feels quite "empty" and needs more furniture.

In general, the attitude of the staff seem quite impersonal, when compared with Hyatt on the Bund's staff. Maybe the staff have not warmed up to their job yet, and I trust (hope) that this will improve over time. English-speaking ability is also not on par with the Bund property or with some other five-star hotels.

Breakfast in HaiPai is nothing special. In fact, very similar to the Bund Club's breakfast at Hyatt on the Bund: a daily ham, sausages, egg station, pastry and breads, fresh-cut fruit. There is supposed to be a Chinese section on the other side of the restaurant, but I did not try on both mornings I was there. I did have dinner one night at HaiPai, and the food was good...the menu prices are significantly less expensive than those at Hyatt on the Bund property (e.g. RMB 120 vs. 85 for a hamburger).

I will probably stick with Hyatt on the Bund for my future stays, unless there is a specific need to be in the Xintiandi area.

Just checked in for a one-night stay. My preference in Shanghai is still the Hyatt on the Bund, but since I had friends staying at the Langham Xintiandi, decided to give the Andaz another try (since it is just across the street from the Langham).

As Diamond, I got upgraded again to the Andaz XL King room, which does seem to be the standard upgrade for Diamonds. As before, the "usual" amenities are still missing: no pen, no writing paper, no internet cable for wired access, etc.

The checkin and restaurant staff seemed to have warmed up a lot. They were much more friendly on this occasion.

Does anyone remember the brand of toiletries provided in the rooms?

Can't remember the brand name but it was some kind of Italian villa something product that came in nice sealed tubes - was quite happy with the shower gel and lotion

I just noticed that the Andaz Shanghai's website now has more photos uploaded.

Just checked into this hotel.

They seem to have resolved the lack of stationary issue one of the previous posters have highlighted.

I checked in for 2 nights under award (booked the normal King room for 15000 points a night) and was upgraded to corner room XL upon check-in.

There isn't much in the mini bar. (1) diet coke, (1) sprite, (1) coke, (2) bottled waters, (2) flavored bottled water, (2) juices, (2) heineken, (2) tsingdao, (2) mini absolut (2) mini beefeater (1) mini chivas

but aside from alcohol, everything else in the minibar is free. There was also a local brand pack of crackers and a few pieces of candy as well for free but nothing to write home about.

Got a plate of fruit and a box of chocolates (i'm assuming its the diamond welcome gift).

The bath-tub is indeed small (even for me as I am 5'9"). The toilet is exactly like the ones at Park Hyatt Shanghai/Beijing (high tech japanese type w/washer, etc).

The best feature of the hotel room: entire marble floor in the bathroom is heated (including inside the shower area) and it is AWSOME, especially these days when the temperature outside is near freezing. You must try it! I think this alone makes me not want to stay elsewhere next time when I come back to Shanghai - the heated floors make the room very cozy and warm. It is much better than the cold marble floors at the Park or Hyatt on the Bund.

Thanks a lot for the feedback and photos! I love the room decoration. A bit empty as you said but I like the colors and ambiance... bathroom looks huge, bath tub looks super tiny indeed.

I only stayed at the Andaz London but they look totally different. Will definitely give it a try when I head to Shanghai.

I wasn't sure whether or not I should start a new topic altogether since it deals more with Advance Purchase Rate than the actual property. Anyway I booked a Andaz Large for March 1-4 last January 4 for 2,120RMB/night, but was surprised that when I checked today the rate dropped to 1,800RMB a difference of about 320RMB/night. I honestly felt cheated because if it were a regular rate I could have canceled and made a new booking but since I already paid for my stay 2 months in advance, I felt cheated because I expected the Advance Purchase Rate to be the lowest possible rate that normally goes up as the date nears and not the other way around.

There is only one party to blame- yourself. Don't expect. Often times the advance purchase rates are not the lowest.