moondog

钱滩 is even more shameless real estate fibbery than Hyatt "on the Bund".

tailorgiven

The owner does play a fair share on budgeting. The property is long overdue for a full refurbishment, and Jinmao’s hotel portfolio all over China have more or less deteriorated over the past few years thanks to tight budgeting decisions, see HR Chongming, JW Marriott Shenzhen and the once Grand Hyatt Lijiang as prime examples (though Hyatt’s desperation in increasing UBC’s footprint did play a part for the Lijiang case). It’s really, really unfair to say Jinmao is relatively hands off.

GH Shenzhen didn’t have a GM for over a year from April 2021 till summer last year when Richard Li took over, yet everything’s ever so smooth and no discernible deteriorations can be found thanks to an owner (China Resources) with mass financial backgrounds with a reputation of not skimming in hotel operations (their DOR did do a remarkable job as the acting manager).

Hyatt did have a reputation in the region years ago for tight management and in many cases overshadowing owner inputs (which often does great for quality-seeking consumers and Hyatt’s brand image), but sadly that culture has long gone.

Fly Me To The Moon

For me, that is not a relevant part of the stay decision.

SHLTP

It's troubling to hear how bad the service is here for guests staying the night...and how they don't let people check in early. That's bonkers. Absolutely bonkers

My office is next door...so I have been coming here for 20 years to eat regularly. 20 years ago service was incredible w people knowing who I am .

Now, no one seems to have any idea who I am and I don't seem to know who anyone is either. Service is ok but very robotic. But since I'm just eating I'm ok with it

llb09

Breakfast in the club seemed a total joke. No much choices except Chinese food.

Then I went down to the hotel restaurant, many options had ran out already 1 hour before the end of breakfast. The quality is noticeably low.

They don’t serve hot chocolate, and I had to really insist to get chocolate spread for the pancakes. Otherwise it’s just fruit jam. No service to speak of and you have to chase someone anytime you need something.

I ended up at Starbucks as well at the end..

lsquare

I don't mind a Chinese breakfast. Is it high quality?

As a Globalist, can I have breakfast in the restaurant?

Is there a lounge with an evening food spread?

lsquare

Since a lot of you guys have said this hotel has gone downhill, which other Hyatt, or even Marriott should I consider?

moondog

Assuming you value location, the Andaz is the only Hyatt property that is close to downtown. And, with Line 14, now you can get from there to Jing'an Temple or Lujiazui quickly and conveniently. For Marriotts, I suggest posting in the relevant thread.

llb09

Quality is average. Not bad but not the best I’ve seen in Asia (for instance Grand Hyatt Bangkok or Taiwan are way better).

Yes breakfast is allowed for Globalist in the main restaurant! Very large spread. It can get crowded depending on the occupancy as the hotel has 600 rooms.

There is a cocktail hour (5-7 IIRC) in the lounge in the 84th floor. Wine, Vodka and Gin and all the usual drinks. For food: cold cuts, smoked salmon, fresh fruits, nuts, bread and some spreads, and also two hot dishes (noodles and one European dish) that changed every night. Might not be enough for a dinner but the view and the sunset made it an enjoyable moment.

Fly Me To The Moon

The Sukhothai is about 2km away from Andaz. It is not a Hyatt property per se, but can still be booked via Hyatt SLH to enjoy any WOH benefits. The Sukhothai is not a hotel I would frequent that much, but having the need to be around Taikoo Hui during my last two visits, I stayed there. It was good, but overpriced.

moondog

I wasn't aware that the Sukhothai could be booked by SLH, so thanks for that intel. It's difficult for me to get excited about that location (one of my favorite lunch spots is really close to it, so I try to go once a week when I'm in town, and then leave immediately after). But, at least it's west of the Huangpu and south of Suzhou Creek. I have to say the Andaz is the better location of the 2, not because of XTD, but because it's easy to get around town from there (again, Line 14 has been a godsend for that area as well as Yuyuan). And, it still has Line 1, which covers the Former French Concession from west to east and People's Square plus points north.

lsquare

Line 14 is the newest line, right? XTD was really nice on my last visit and I'd love to see what has changed over there.

moondog

Yes. I feel guilty continuing too far along in this tangent here, though I guess it's also relevant to the PH and GH because of the Luiziazui stop. But, a few final comments before moving on:
-like Line 2, it connects Jing'an Temple with Lujiazui, but Line 2 follows NJ Rd, whereas Line 14 dips down to Huaihai Rd (probably Shanghai's second most famous street); Line 14's stations are further apart in this stretch so it is faster
-it also happens to have a stop (Wuding Rd) right next to the Jing'an UcCove, which I note is obnoxiously priced right now, but maybe it could help you get a brand badge
-apart from JA Temple, Huangpi Rd S (Andaz), Yuyuan, and Lujiazui, I like the Xiepu Rd stop because it is at the north end of the river trail at the Yangpu Bridge (enjoyable 15-minute bike ride to Binjiang Park and Luijiiazui)
-some of the stations are really cool
-it's not crowded yet (whereas Line 2 might be the most crowded of all)

With respect to Xintiandi, I lived there for several years around 2015, and it was convenient/comfortable, but I left because it's a little boring, and I received constant guilt trips from Chinese friends about its sordid pre-history and ensuing bad fengshui, but that shouldn't really be a concern for you if you just use the Andaz as a base for several days.

lsquare

Elaborate?

moondog

I did a quick google search because I wanted to confirm how close it was to the subway station and a Y1381 rate popped up on the map next to it. I assume that rate was pushed by a random OTA, and actual rates were at least 20% less, but even Y1000 would be way overpriced for a hotel in that segment and/or location. Basically, if you're paying Y1000 or more, you should be somewhere nice; the broad market isn't especially expensive these days.