Amanyangyun (Shanghai, China): first impressions
Dec 11, 2017, 3:18 am
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
brilliant report, and very good to hear / see !
seems some of the 4+BR villas have 1BR rates / lockoff / etc
it is not owned by aman, and owner has no reason to drop aman
my interest is history : the shanghai villas (and venice palazzo)
biggest residences in inventory can generate high rental revenue
(and selling residences can eliminate even high construction cost)
(plus some aman residences are staffed, buyers cover those costs)
brilliant, somewhat similar to 5khours at amanoi
seems some of the 4+BR villas have 1BR rates / lockoff / etc
it is not owned by aman, and owner has no reason to drop aman
my interest is history : the shanghai villas (and venice palazzo)
biggest residences in inventory can generate high rental revenue
(and selling residences can eliminate even high construction cost)
(plus some aman residences are staffed, buyers cover those costs)
Although not our intention, due to delays in its completion we ended up being the first paying guests at Amangyangyun, Aman's latest property to open in China and my 21st to visit. The resort is currently set to officially open on January 8. We were the only guests during our stay.
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Dec 11, 2017 at 5:13 pm
Dec 12, 2017, 7:35 am
#17
formerly htang333
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso, Top Ranked: Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood, Hyatt Prive, etc.
Posts: 1,455
Was just working on booking a client here and the GM (see correction below), Benoit had graciously extended a nice upgrade for my client...Just reached out to finalize booking and received the below reply....Oooops! That was quick.
"Dear Hao, Mr. Benoit Amado is no longer working for Amanyangyun Resort. Please kindly direct your queries to Franck Chantoiseau (Resort Manager) ...."
"Dear Hao, Mr. Benoit Amado is no longer working for Amanyangyun Resort. Please kindly direct your queries to Franck Chantoiseau (Resort Manager) ...."
Dec 13, 2017, 3:49 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: here and there
Programs: some
Posts: 3,381
Was just working on booking a client here and the GM (see correction below), Benoit had graciously extended a nice upgrade for my client...Just reached out to finalize booking and received the below reply....Oooops! That was quick.
"Dear Hao, Mr. Benoit Amado is no longer working for Amanyangyun Resort. Please kindly direct your queries to Franck Chantoiseau (Resort Manager) ...."
"Dear Hao, Mr. Benoit Amado is no longer working for Amanyangyun Resort. Please kindly direct your queries to Franck Chantoiseau (Resort Manager) ...."
Dec 13, 2017, 3:53 am
#19
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,600
Was just working on booking a client here and the GM (see correction below), Benoit had graciously extended a nice upgrade for my client...Just reached out to finalize booking and received the below reply....Oooops! That was quick.
"Dear Hao, Mr. Benoit Amado is no longer working for Amanyangyun Resort. Please kindly direct your queries to Franck Chantoiseau (Resort Manager) ...."
"Dear Hao, Mr. Benoit Amado is no longer working for Amanyangyun Resort. Please kindly direct your queries to Franck Chantoiseau (Resort Manager) ...."
I have been following this thread but even seeing the pictures does not really make me want to stay. Maybe I’m just not the type for this kind of resort outside of Shanghai. Not my idea of either a city hotel and fairly uninviting location for a resort. Might consider it when heading for Shanghai in summer, if only for a night or two.
Jan 9, 2018, 9:06 am
#20
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NYC, SEA, TPE
Programs: BR Diamond, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 436
Is anyone on at Amanyangyun this "opening" week? I'm booked for a couple nights next week but having second thoughts. I reached out to them to ask for an activity list and they responded:
· Nama is not operational for the time being, and will open until further notice.
· Both outdoor / indoor pools will be open until further notice. (NOT SURE WHAT THIS MEANS)
· Bathhouse in The Spa is not in use for the time being, and limited on Spa and Wellness service
Also, their list of activities are all on-site (ie, tea-tasting, calligraphy, etc) and seems similar to what they have at Amanfayun. I have a feeling I may be more boring than relaxing--especially since I was planning on going alone.
· Nama is not operational for the time being, and will open until further notice.
· Both outdoor / indoor pools will be open until further notice. (NOT SURE WHAT THIS MEANS)
· Bathhouse in The Spa is not in use for the time being, and limited on Spa and Wellness service
Also, their list of activities are all on-site (ie, tea-tasting, calligraphy, etc) and seems similar to what they have at Amanfayun. I have a feeling I may be more boring than relaxing--especially since I was planning on going alone.
Jan 9, 2018, 3:38 pm
#21
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,600
Do they mean "(...) will NOT (be open) until further notice"? Otherwise it does not make too much sense. Who emailed you if I may ask? Management or line staff? Could be language barrier, but from the wording it sounds as the stay will be rather boring -- with all pools out of service and spa not fully operational? As much as I would love to read a review, please reconsider!
Jan 9, 2018, 5:57 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Austin
Programs: AA, AS, WN
Posts: 503
Is anyone on at Amanyangyun this "opening" week? I'm booked for a couple nights next week but having second thoughts. I reached out to them to ask for an activity list and they responded:
· Nama is not operational for the time being, and will open until further notice.
· Both outdoor / indoor pools will be open until further notice. (NOT SURE WHAT THIS MEANS)
· Bathhouse in The Spa is not in use for the time being, and limited on Spa and Wellness service
Also, their list of activities are all on-site (ie, tea-tasting, calligraphy, etc) and seems similar to what they have at Amanfayun. I have a feeling I may be more boring than relaxing--especially since I was planning on going alone.
· Nama is not operational for the time being, and will open until further notice.
· Both outdoor / indoor pools will be open until further notice. (NOT SURE WHAT THIS MEANS)
· Bathhouse in The Spa is not in use for the time being, and limited on Spa and Wellness service
Also, their list of activities are all on-site (ie, tea-tasting, calligraphy, etc) and seems similar to what they have at Amanfayun. I have a feeling I may be more boring than relaxing--especially since I was planning on going alone.
Jan 9, 2018, 7:04 pm
#23
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NYC, SEA, TPE
Programs: BR Diamond, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 436
I simply sent an email to the reservations link on the website. I did follow up to see if they have any excursions in the neighboring areas, but I’m not holding my breath. Leaning towards canceling because it doesn’t seem right to pay full fare for less than a full resort experience. I was completely ready for the growing pains of the soft product, but I expected everything to be operational given all the delays thus far.
Jan 9, 2018, 8:19 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,053
I simply sent an email to the reservations link on the website. I did follow up to see if they have any excursions in the neighboring areas, but I’m not holding my breath. Leaning towards canceling because it doesn’t seem right to pay full fare for less than a full resort experience. I was completely ready for the growing pains of the soft product, but I expected everything to be operational given all the delays thus far.
Jan 10, 2018, 7:59 pm
#25
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NYC, SEA, TPE
Programs: BR Diamond, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 436
So, I've decided to cancel the trip to YY this time. I called them to get a little more insight on what's going on but didn't really learn much. (Just a heads up, it was a struggle to converse with them in English, so I switched to Mandarin pretty quickly.) Basically, a) the outdoor pool isn't ready yet, b) the spa, which includes the indoor pool, isn't ready yet, and c) Nama isn't ready either. They said they do not know when these facilities will be ready. They are offering spa services in room if you book ahead of time. They started receiving guests on Monday and consider this a pre-/soft-opening.
Another note about the cancellation. Originally I said I wanted to think about it for a couple of days. She said that unless I cancel today, I will be charged a night or more because it would be within 3 days of the stay. I might of convinced myself still to go but after being put on the spot like that, it was an easy choice to cancel.
Another note about the cancellation. Originally I said I wanted to think about it for a couple of days. She said that unless I cancel today, I will be charged a night or more because it would be within 3 days of the stay. I might of convinced myself still to go but after being put on the spot like that, it was an easy choice to cancel.
Jan 10, 2018, 8:23 pm
#26
formerly htang333
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso, Top Ranked: Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood, Hyatt Prive, etc.
Posts: 1,455
So, I've decided to cancel the trip to YY this time. I called them to get a little more insight on what's going on but didn't really learn much. (Just a heads up, it was a struggle to converse with them in English, so I switched to Mandarin pretty quickly.) Basically, a) the outdoor pool isn't ready yet, b) the spa, which includes the indoor pool, isn't ready yet, and c) Nama isn't ready either. They said they do not know when these facilities will be ready. They are offering spa services in room if you book ahead of time. They started receiving guests on Monday and consider this a pre-/soft-opening.
Another note about the cancellation. Originally I said I wanted to think about it for a couple of days. She said that unless I cancel today, I will be charged a night or more because it would be within 3 days of the stay. I might of convinced myself still to go but after being put on the spot like that, it was an easy choice to cancel.
Another note about the cancellation. Originally I said I wanted to think about it for a couple of days. She said that unless I cancel today, I will be charged a night or more because it would be within 3 days of the stay. I might of convinced myself still to go but after being put on the spot like that, it was an easy choice to cancel.
So dumb of them to not advise this at the time of booking...I've got a few clients going, scattered across end of Feb and April so I've also wrote to find out if this will remain an issue and if so, will need to cancel as well. No reason to pay full price for half of the experience.
Jan 10, 2018, 8:28 pm
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,053
Another note about the cancellation. Originally I said I wanted to think about it for a couple of days. She said that unless I cancel today, I will be charged a night or more because it would be within 3 days of the stay. I might of convinced myself still to go but after being put on the spot like that, it was an easy choice to cancel.
Jan 11, 2018, 12:52 am
#28
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,600
Most likely line staff, not empowered to waive penalties or instructed not to be flexible. I still wonder who the new GM is. This behavior totally contradicts what I’m used to from Aman and I wonder where it comes from. Rates go up in 2 months from now, wonder if it has to do with completion of facilities.
I wouldn’t know what to do there, an hour outside Shanghai and with not much to do... Spa is crucial!
I wouldn’t know what to do there, an hour outside Shanghai and with not much to do... Spa is crucial!
Jan 11, 2018, 1:48 am
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,053
Most likely line staff, not empowered to waive penalties or instructed not to be flexible. I still wonder who the new GM is. This behavior totally contradicts what I’m used to from Aman and I wonder where it comes from. Rates go up in 2 months from now, wonder if it has to do with completion of facilities.
I wouldn’t know what to do there, an hour outside Shanghai and with not much to do... Spa is crucial!
Needs interesting cultural programs as well.
Jan 11, 2018, 9:08 am
#30
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NYC, SEA, TPE
Programs: BR Diamond, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 436
I did receive the following email from them regarding "off-site" activites . I can tell they're trying, but it's not quite there yet. Nothing really uniquely Aman...
1. General information
Shanghai is an international city; Smithpu river separates Shanghai into Pudong area (east) and Puxi area (west). Our hotel is located in the Minhang area, Puxi . It will take about 60 minutes car distance from Pudong International Airport to our hotel and 40 minutes away from the Hongqiao International Airport(Puxi one).
2. Tour information in Shanghai
Shanghai has lots to offer for both first-timers and re-visitors. Shanghai has become a paradise for both shoppers and diners. Shanghai is studded with restaurants from time-honored eateries to a vast assortment of restaurants serving French, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Famous dishes from every major school of Chinese cooking are served at old villa restaurants. Where to relax after a busy day or a week? Teahouses, bars, pubs, spas and golf resorts await you.
Meanwhile, in order to save your treasure time and energy in our grandiose City, we do have tailor-made private tour available to smooth your trip itinerary with a comfortable vehicle, experienced driver and a bilingual speaking tour guide. Please find below attached file with details for your reference.
3. Restaurant recommendation in Shanghai
Our hotel have three fancy restaurants
The kitchens of Chinese restaurant Lazhu pay homage to Jiangxi province, the original home of Amanyangyun’s camphor trees and Antique Villas, and headed up by the Executive Chef of the resort, Steve Miao, who was born and raised in Shanghai.
At Nama, close to the lake, Executive Chef Keiji Matoba brings the flavour-led simplicity of Japan’s washoku tradition to Amanyangyun.
At lakeside Arva, Master Chef Andrea Torre – fresh from helming the kitchens of Aman Venice – presides over a menu that draws inspiration from Italy’s farm-to-table gastronomic tradition, showcasing signature dishes and sharing plates in a warm and convivial atmosphere.
Amanyangyun guests can head to The Bar for expertly crafted cocktails, afternoon tea and a live jazz soundtrack in front of an antique fireplace, or stroll up the picturesque path to the Cigar Lounge.
And if you need more recommendation for the restaurants in Shanghai city, it will be our concierge team’s honor to assist you make the bookings as your own reference; hope to see you at our concierge desk.
4. Shows and Activities in town
During your stay, there are several performances on show, for your recommendation, I would pronounce the "ERA"-- Intersection of Time, the multimedia theatrical spectacular, and a Broadway Drama "Death Trip" which is worth to see. Should you need more information or assistant with the tickets booking, please do not hesitate to contact us with your exactly requirement .
5. Trip recommendation
For your outing plan, Suzhou and Hangzhou are both good choices.
Suzhou is closer to Shanghai and it's an ancient Chinese commercial town because of its convenient water age, thus it gave Suzhou a good development of urban construction and private garden. Please find details as below attached file for your reference.
Meanwhile, same as the Shanghai city private tour, we also have the tailor-made private tour available for your options.
Shanghai is an international city; Smithpu river separates Shanghai into Pudong area (east) and Puxi area (west). Our hotel is located in the Minhang area, Puxi . It will take about 60 minutes car distance from Pudong International Airport to our hotel and 40 minutes away from the Hongqiao International Airport(Puxi one).
2. Tour information in Shanghai
Shanghai has lots to offer for both first-timers and re-visitors. Shanghai has become a paradise for both shoppers and diners. Shanghai is studded with restaurants from time-honored eateries to a vast assortment of restaurants serving French, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Famous dishes from every major school of Chinese cooking are served at old villa restaurants. Where to relax after a busy day or a week? Teahouses, bars, pubs, spas and golf resorts await you.
Meanwhile, in order to save your treasure time and energy in our grandiose City, we do have tailor-made private tour available to smooth your trip itinerary with a comfortable vehicle, experienced driver and a bilingual speaking tour guide. Please find below attached file with details for your reference.
3. Restaurant recommendation in Shanghai
Our hotel have three fancy restaurants
The kitchens of Chinese restaurant Lazhu pay homage to Jiangxi province, the original home of Amanyangyun’s camphor trees and Antique Villas, and headed up by the Executive Chef of the resort, Steve Miao, who was born and raised in Shanghai.
At Nama, close to the lake, Executive Chef Keiji Matoba brings the flavour-led simplicity of Japan’s washoku tradition to Amanyangyun.
At lakeside Arva, Master Chef Andrea Torre – fresh from helming the kitchens of Aman Venice – presides over a menu that draws inspiration from Italy’s farm-to-table gastronomic tradition, showcasing signature dishes and sharing plates in a warm and convivial atmosphere.
Amanyangyun guests can head to The Bar for expertly crafted cocktails, afternoon tea and a live jazz soundtrack in front of an antique fireplace, or stroll up the picturesque path to the Cigar Lounge.
And if you need more recommendation for the restaurants in Shanghai city, it will be our concierge team’s honor to assist you make the bookings as your own reference; hope to see you at our concierge desk.
4. Shows and Activities in town
During your stay, there are several performances on show, for your recommendation, I would pronounce the "ERA"-- Intersection of Time, the multimedia theatrical spectacular, and a Broadway Drama "Death Trip" which is worth to see. Should you need more information or assistant with the tickets booking, please do not hesitate to contact us with your exactly requirement .
5. Trip recommendation
For your outing plan, Suzhou and Hangzhou are both good choices.
Suzhou is closer to Shanghai and it's an ancient Chinese commercial town because of its convenient water age, thus it gave Suzhou a good development of urban construction and private garden. Please find details as below attached file for your reference.
Meanwhile, same as the Shanghai city private tour, we also have the tailor-made private tour available for your options.