Nov 11, 2014, 1:11 am
Twelve at Hengshan, Shanghai, Luxury Collection [Master Thread]
Aug 4, 2013, 9:43 am
#46
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA EXP(.96MM), AMEX Platinum, United Premier Silver, Delta Gold, SPG Platinum 50, Hilton Gold VIP
Posts: 1,744
I stayed there in March earlier this year and wrote a full review of my stay - http://first2board.com/pointssummary...-hotel-review/
Apr 6, 2014, 6:24 am
#47
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: New Orleans/South Korea
Programs: SPG Plat97, AA PLT, Delta SM
Posts: 177
Stayed here for a 2 night stay. I was upgraded before arrival to a courtyard suite, but I'm not sure if I will stay again.
My biggest peeve is with the cleaning staff at the hotel. Today, I've had them ring my door 4 times! First time for cleaning, second time to restock the mini-bar, third time a manager like woman with a clipboard asking if cleaning was done and fourth time (in the evening) a woman asking if I needed towels. You might think this is great service by the hotel, but it's not. If you don't answer the doorbell immediately, the hotel staff just walks into your room! The third and fourth time, they had opened the door by the time I got to the door. That is incredibly annoying and if I was a solo traveller, especially female, I would feel even more disturbed by that.
I'm hoping staff at the hotel see this post, because their policy of intruding into the rooms constantly is highly disturbing.
Some random thoughts about the hotel itself: The room itself is pretty nice. Comparable to a nicer Westin, but it comes up short when it comes to a "luxury" feel you would get at the St. Regis (though it's priced the same). My suite/room is spacious, sparsely decorated with a comfortable bed and awesome bathroom. This is also a hotel where plats get to pick between breakfast or 500 points (I hate that!). Bad thing about the breakfast option, is service is pretty bad in the restaurant as well. Nobody smiles or says hi. When I ordered scrambled eggs from the chef, he handed the finished dish to me with a frown on his face. The hotel itself is located in an awesome location if you're interested in staying in the French Concession area.
My biggest peeve is with the cleaning staff at the hotel. Today, I've had them ring my door 4 times! First time for cleaning, second time to restock the mini-bar, third time a manager like woman with a clipboard asking if cleaning was done and fourth time (in the evening) a woman asking if I needed towels. You might think this is great service by the hotel, but it's not. If you don't answer the doorbell immediately, the hotel staff just walks into your room! The third and fourth time, they had opened the door by the time I got to the door. That is incredibly annoying and if I was a solo traveller, especially female, I would feel even more disturbed by that.
I'm hoping staff at the hotel see this post, because their policy of intruding into the rooms constantly is highly disturbing.
Some random thoughts about the hotel itself: The room itself is pretty nice. Comparable to a nicer Westin, but it comes up short when it comes to a "luxury" feel you would get at the St. Regis (though it's priced the same). My suite/room is spacious, sparsely decorated with a comfortable bed and awesome bathroom. This is also a hotel where plats get to pick between breakfast or 500 points (I hate that!). Bad thing about the breakfast option, is service is pretty bad in the restaurant as well. Nobody smiles or says hi. When I ordered scrambled eggs from the chef, he handed the finished dish to me with a frown on his face. The hotel itself is located in an awesome location if you're interested in staying in the French Concession area.
Apr 6, 2014, 7:02 am
#48
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,990
My biggest peeve is with the cleaning staff at the hotel. Today, I've had them ring my door 4 times! First time for cleaning, second time to restock the mini-bar, third time a manager like woman with a clipboard asking if cleaning was done and fourth time (in the evening) a woman asking if I needed towels. You might think this is great service by the hotel, but it's not. If you don't answer the doorbell immediately, the hotel staff just walks into your room! The third and fourth time, they had opened the door by the time I got to the door. That is incredibly annoying and if I was a solo traveller, especially female, I would feel even more disturbed by that.
Also, no one can just walk into your room if you lock the door.
Cheers,
Apr 6, 2014, 7:15 am
#49
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: New Orleans/South Korea
Programs: SPG Plat97, AA PLT, Delta SM
Posts: 177
Sounds like excellent service to me. If you don't want it, why not just tell front desk? Or put up a DND card?
Also, no one can just walk into your room if you lock the door.
Also, no one can just walk into your room if you lock the door.
Why not just put up some 2x4's and nail my door shut? Or better yet, if I don't want to be disturbed just stay at home? But seriously, after the fourth time I am now locking the door from the inside, just like I did back when I was a college student and living in a shady neighborhood ... except I'm paying over $300 a night for the privilege of feeling unease?
Last edited by luna6; Apr 6, 2014 at 7:22 am
Apr 6, 2014, 7:43 am
#50
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,990
Why not just put up some 2x4's and nail my door shut? Or better yet, if I don't want to be disturbed just stay at home? But seriously, after the fourth time I am now locking the door from the inside, just like I did back when I was a college student and living in a shady neighborhood ... except I'm paying over $300 a night for the privilege of feeling unease?
If you really feel locking a door or putting a DND somehow equates to putting up "2x4s", then yes, I agree you should reconsider staying in hotels.
Cheers,
Apr 6, 2014, 8:13 am
#51
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: New Orleans/South Korea
Programs: SPG Plat97, AA PLT, Delta SM
Posts: 177
If you really feel locking a door or putting a DND somehow equates to putting up "2x4s", then yes, I agree you should reconsider staying in hotels.
Last edited by luna6; Apr 6, 2014 at 8:26 am
Aug 11, 2014, 7:48 pm
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
I do like the Twelve at Hengshan however also definitely do agree the Peninsula is a completely different level of hotel and if it works for location, timing, budget etc I would definitely choose to stay there first without any hesitation.
Nov 2, 2014, 1:46 am
#55
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 44
While it probably doesn't apply to this hotel, for some Shanghai properties, there will be both a Do Not Disturb button and a door tag. In such cases, the button never worked for me: staff will still knock and try to come in. ALWAYS hang the the DND door tag too when it is available and do not rely on just the button. It happened like ... three time to me in a couple different properties.
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I didn't plan well for my visit to Shanghai this time and ended up staying at most SPG properties in Shanghai near the city center (the Sheshan and Taicang ones are just too far away from everything else), mainly one or two-night stays.
I'd consider Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel to be the best choice overall in terms of cost/performance. It is just across the street from the subway station; though it will require a transfer from line 2 (which connects to PVG) to line 10 to get there. Breakfast/Happyhour was good. There isn't much neighboring the hotel, but if you walk in the right direction everything you need is in close distance (>10min walk); the walk is not very picturesque.
Twelve at Hengshan is right above Hengshan subway station. I didn't have time to explore its direct vicinity though. Rooms are nice, but no high-floor views given the hotel itself is 6-story tall. Breakfast/Happyhour were similar to Hongkou, or because I didn't have much appetite recovering from food poisoning back from Hangzhou. When the price at Hongkou is around $130 and Twelve at Hengshan is around $240, I see no point in paying the extra hundred dollar to stay here.
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai has the most central location, the easiest to get to via subway. But breakfast was really bland, and the beds were not that comfy. I would only suggest a stay here for its location (and maybe night views from high above).
Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning is a little far, near one of the subway stations on line 1, the Yanchang Road station, but requires probably a five minute walk. It is mostly what you'd expect from a four points, maybe slightly better than the typical. And the hotel is surrounded by shops and restaurants giving you a lot of choices when you don't feel like commuting.
Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel is, or feels like an older property than the above. Has a nice selection at breakfast, comparable to Twelve at Hengshan and Sheraton Hongkou. The walk from nearest station is quite far, maybe 10-15 minutes. It is not that close to Hongqiao train station or Airport; a taxi ride will probably cost around 30RMB.
The Hongta Hotel is in Pudong and a 10-minute walk from subway. The rooms felt nicer than what has been described in the other post here on flyertalk. Food was good. From my short two night stay, I don't know why it gathered such a bad reputation here. For about the same price as Hongkou, it feels worthwhile if the location turns out to be more preferable, when you want to visit Pudong.
Sheraton Shanghai Waigaoqiao is very, very far from the city center and anything you might be interested in (unless you're planning a visit to Chongming island). It is very cheap; the lowest rate I've seen is around $60. But you will have to take long long subway rides or pay for many taxi trips.
Let me know if there's anything else you want to know.
---
I didn't plan well for my visit to Shanghai this time and ended up staying at most SPG properties in Shanghai near the city center (the Sheshan and Taicang ones are just too far away from everything else), mainly one or two-night stays.
I'd consider Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel to be the best choice overall in terms of cost/performance. It is just across the street from the subway station; though it will require a transfer from line 2 (which connects to PVG) to line 10 to get there. Breakfast/Happyhour was good. There isn't much neighboring the hotel, but if you walk in the right direction everything you need is in close distance (>10min walk); the walk is not very picturesque.
Twelve at Hengshan is right above Hengshan subway station. I didn't have time to explore its direct vicinity though. Rooms are nice, but no high-floor views given the hotel itself is 6-story tall. Breakfast/Happyhour were similar to Hongkou, or because I didn't have much appetite recovering from food poisoning back from Hangzhou. When the price at Hongkou is around $130 and Twelve at Hengshan is around $240, I see no point in paying the extra hundred dollar to stay here.
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai has the most central location, the easiest to get to via subway. But breakfast was really bland, and the beds were not that comfy. I would only suggest a stay here for its location (and maybe night views from high above).
Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning is a little far, near one of the subway stations on line 1, the Yanchang Road station, but requires probably a five minute walk. It is mostly what you'd expect from a four points, maybe slightly better than the typical. And the hotel is surrounded by shops and restaurants giving you a lot of choices when you don't feel like commuting.
Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel is, or feels like an older property than the above. Has a nice selection at breakfast, comparable to Twelve at Hengshan and Sheraton Hongkou. The walk from nearest station is quite far, maybe 10-15 minutes. It is not that close to Hongqiao train station or Airport; a taxi ride will probably cost around 30RMB.
The Hongta Hotel is in Pudong and a 10-minute walk from subway. The rooms felt nicer than what has been described in the other post here on flyertalk. Food was good. From my short two night stay, I don't know why it gathered such a bad reputation here. For about the same price as Hongkou, it feels worthwhile if the location turns out to be more preferable, when you want to visit Pudong.
Sheraton Shanghai Waigaoqiao is very, very far from the city center and anything you might be interested in (unless you're planning a visit to Chongming island). It is very cheap; the lowest rate I've seen is around $60. But you will have to take long long subway rides or pay for many taxi trips.
Let me know if there's anything else you want to know.
Last edited by alex7c; Nov 2, 2014 at 1:20 am
Aug 1, 2015, 9:37 am
#57
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,720
Staying here now. It's an odd hotel, but I quite like it.
It somehow feels more like an extended stay option for China's super wealthy visiting Shanghai. The rooms are almost all unique and packed with "stuff" and it somehow feels a bit less organised than a normal hotel.
I was upgraded to a Grand Suite which the front desk claimed they normally only gave out on SNAs (which would be naughty of them). The Suite is a single room which wraps around a corner to the bed. It's huge and a lot of the rooms on this 6th floor are even bigger. I got walked to my room by one of the receptionists who showed me around. Service as far as I've seen so far has been solid.
The pool and gym area is large and not particularly luxurious, but the upstairs sauna area has some weird and wonderful things to play with. There's a funnel dispensing ice for you to rub on your face and some pod things which you can lie on and get music played in your ear whilst you get a massage. A few other toys as well.
I like the neighbourhood which is mainly low-rise and has a lot of bars and restaurants. There's a nice Cantonese restaurant at #308 on the street which the concierge recommended and a divey whiskey/ beer bar called Full House which was a good way to kill some time.
It somehow feels more like an extended stay option for China's super wealthy visiting Shanghai. The rooms are almost all unique and packed with "stuff" and it somehow feels a bit less organised than a normal hotel.
I was upgraded to a Grand Suite which the front desk claimed they normally only gave out on SNAs (which would be naughty of them). The Suite is a single room which wraps around a corner to the bed. It's huge and a lot of the rooms on this 6th floor are even bigger. I got walked to my room by one of the receptionists who showed me around. Service as far as I've seen so far has been solid.
The pool and gym area is large and not particularly luxurious, but the upstairs sauna area has some weird and wonderful things to play with. There's a funnel dispensing ice for you to rub on your face and some pod things which you can lie on and get music played in your ear whilst you get a massage. A few other toys as well.
I like the neighbourhood which is mainly low-rise and has a lot of bars and restaurants. There's a nice Cantonese restaurant at #308 on the street which the concierge recommended and a divey whiskey/ beer bar called Full House which was a good way to kill some time.
Aug 2, 2015, 8:55 am
#58
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,720
Small addition to my previous review, having now spent the night here. Those of you who don't like creepy crawlies might want to give the hotel a miss for the time being.
My room had a bit of a problem with an odd few centimetre long centipede/ spider type insect I'd never seen before. I had at least two live ones wandering around my room (one joined me in the shower) and there were a couple of dead ones by the main door. I'm used to sharing my room with other creatures in Thailand, but I wasn't that enthusiastic to be doing it in Shanghai.
My room had a bit of a problem with an odd few centimetre long centipede/ spider type insect I'd never seen before. I had at least two live ones wandering around my room (one joined me in the shower) and there were a couple of dead ones by the main door. I'm used to sharing my room with other creatures in Thailand, but I wasn't that enthusiastic to be doing it in Shanghai.
Nov 13, 2016, 7:53 am
#60
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold MM, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,770
There hasn't been any reviews for over a year.
I just spent 1 night at the Twelve. Overall impression is very positive. The hotel is very quiet and relaxing. Location in the former French Concession is excellent, far from the hustle and bustle of People's Square of Le Royal Meridien.
SNA upgrade was to Grand Suite, which had a big bathroom and a powder room. The fancy automatic toilet in the main bathroom had a problem, the seat won't stay up, which is a problem for men.
Platinum happy hour was decent, with a variety of finger foods, good for before dinner appetizers. Breakfast was quite good. Selection is not as extensive as LRM, but had some of the items I prefer, like wontons.
I would definitely return if the price is reasonable.
I just spent 1 night at the Twelve. Overall impression is very positive. The hotel is very quiet and relaxing. Location in the former French Concession is excellent, far from the hustle and bustle of People's Square of Le Royal Meridien.
SNA upgrade was to Grand Suite, which had a big bathroom and a powder room. The fancy automatic toilet in the main bathroom had a problem, the seat won't stay up, which is a problem for men.
Platinum happy hour was decent, with a variety of finger foods, good for before dinner appetizers. Breakfast was quite good. Selection is not as extensive as LRM, but had some of the items I prefer, like wontons.
I would definitely return if the price is reasonable.