begemot

Hi FT!

We'll be going to Shanghai for the first time ever in July as tourists I don't know anything about Shanghai and was wondering what the differences are between the RCs and if you all had any recommendations?

Thanks,

Bege

simon0809

Without a doubt as a tourist I would say RC Puxi, its in the centre of town not far away from Xintendi, the Bund etc etc, plus its on the main shopping street Nanjing Xi Lu

The RC Pudong is great if your working in Pudong , but whilst close to the bund you would find yourself crossing the river all the time.

Hope the above helps

ChrisLi

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All the happenings are at puxi except the skyscrappers. I will do portman.

sjl

Both are very nice and as stated, the Portman is much more centralized. However, with the extensive metro system in place, it is really easy to get from Puxi to Pudong and vice versa - usually much faster and cheaper too.

begemot

Thanks all for your help. So first of all I figured out puxi=Portman , and second that it's the better place for us. I have booked.

Sjl you mentioned Pudong being cheaper but in my case the puxi was a little cheaper. I'll use my corp rate so maybe they just negoiated better at Portman.

Thanks all again!

Bege

sjl

I was talking about transportation on the Metro getting back and forth from Pudong & Puxi. Taxi's are relatively cheap too but you often get stuck in traffic...

ChrisLi

I think try to avoid traveling from 5pm to 7pm save the day.

We always leave work at 5pm, grab a cab to head back to courtyard puxi and work until 7pm to avoid the traffic issue.

1k650

I have stayed at Portman many times - great service! You will love it.

moondog

I love the Portman (especially back when Shangri-La was its flag), but I feel compelled to advise that it was built during an era when 25 square meter rooms were the standard (same goes for the Hilton). If you desire more modern amenities, the JW Marriott wins (but, the Portman's location is better).

begemot

Thanks again. I'll also check out JW. How would you say they compare in service? I know RCs are supposed to be better but sometimes I find it's not true.

Bege

TravellerOnline

RC Pudong is brand new(one year anniversary coming up) and much more expensive than Portman(the first oasis for expats in Shanghai when international service is non-exist in Shanghai). I used to be able to get $70 rate at Portman about 10 years ago -- things have changed after the Clinton stay at the Portman.

The best corporate rate at RC Pudong is about RMB250 more than the best corporate rate at Portman. However, there is a great corporate promotion going on at RC Pudong that includes the club access(which is very rare at RCs). This is one of the best deals right now in Shanghai. I have been telling my friends on short business trips to Shanghai to stay at RC Pudong to take advantage of this club access offer (to upgrade to club floor if you don't have club access, you will have to pay RMB800+15%).

But for tourists, it's a tough call. I live in Shanghai, in the french concession(near Portman). To me, that's where the action is, where "all the good things in life" are. The real old Shanghai is the quite tree-lined streets with restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, galleries, massage places and night clubs -- all concentrated in and around the french concession, plus the bund area. The real Shanghai is not the skyscrapers around the RC Pudong(they are just office buildings and hotels), although the skyline is always the first thing you see about Shanghai.

So it's a choice between good location at the relative-old-but-still-good-service Portman (perfect base to explore the real Shanghai), and modern comfort at a brand new RC Pudong with easy access to subway which will take you everywhere. In fact, you can take the subway from RC Pudong to Portman (Just 3 stops on Subway Line 2 -- at 2 minutes per stop, that's 6 minutes). The subway station is right underneath RC Pudong's adjacent brand new shopping mall; while it's a short walk from Portman to Nanjing Road W station. Well, if you are staying at Portman, you probably just take cabs everywhere -- taxis are cheap in China. At RC Pudong, you might want to consider taking the subway to cross the river, where there could be traffic jams at the tunnel.

JW Shanghai is centrally located in Shanghai at People Square, the geographic center of Shanghai. It's also one of the most favorite JWs in the world, according to a FT survey. I like this property and have stayed there much more often than both RCs, mostly because of access to club lounges. The club lounge there is great. Platinum members usually get upgraded to a junior suite (used to be full suite) at JW, while not much upgrades at both RCs (no club access for platinum).

Well, it's a tough call. I guess it depends how long you will be in Shanghai, what you intend to do, and whether you value club access.

begemot

Dear TravellerOnline,

Thanks so much for taking the time to give me such a detailed response. I forwarded to the wife and take a look. I think as we probably won't be back soon Portman may be best for the location. Club lounge of course would be very nice but I think we'll be outside most of the time.

Bege

Fly Me To The Moon

Let me resurrect this thread.

Anyone can share any recent stay experience at Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong as a Platinum RC Rewards member? Any suite upgrade or other benefits offered?