margarita girl

I had 2 stays there 10 days ago (with a St Regis stay sandwiched in between), and got a Bund view room, but no suite either time. I got a huge suite at the St Regis, but still prefer LM for location, bed & pillow comfort, lounge offerings, buffet breakfast in restaurant and better internet.

Plus LM calculated exchange correctly when awarding SPG points. I was short changed by St R, so had to write in.

If I go back, it's definitely LM for me, unless I need some mattress hopping of course!

hillrider

Uh, this rings alert bells. I've never checked the number of SPG points (just that each stay gets recorded); does this happen frequently on non-USD stays?

ihdihd

Hey all,

Staying at the westin San Fran hotel right now, and for some reason my brain activated memory/scent receptors associated with the sweet lavenderish smell from the LRM shanghai. When I visit I'm always convinced it is the sand that they have near the elevators and dispersed around the lobbies. Does anyone know what that scent is and how to obtain and consumer equivalent of it?

DFW-SEN

I haven't noticed it yesterday, when i stayed there. But I love the hotel. i used to stay at the JW Marriott before, but during my last 3 trips to Shanghai I booked at the RM. Great Hotel, great location, excellent view. The only let down are the bell boys.
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ihdihd

Last time I was there late last year I booked a massage at the mandara spa at the JW. I was very unimpressed with the hotel, which looked more like a strange combination of mall/office space/high end condos than a high-end hotel.

The spa and massage were nice, but very pricey by Shanghai massage standards.

margarita girl

Sorry, missed this post.

Yes, happens all the time. Since many of my stays are in Cda, I always check the exchange rate. More often than not, the right number of points were not awarded. HOWEVER, now that the Cdn$ is worth more than the US$, this is no longer happening!

DFW-SEN

The areas (meeting rooms, spa, gym...) at the lower level are indeed strange. But the lobby and rooms of the JW are quite nice. I still prefer the RM by a wide margin.
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u2vox

Can anyone who has stayed here comment on what types of power receptacles are typical in the rooms? I'll be heading there in a few days and just want to be prepared for LRM - been a good 7 years since I've been to Shanghai, but I have a memory of the Westin at least possibly having both types. Seems China can use either standard North American and/or the Australia/China ones with the angled bits, per here:

http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/c_china.htm

Any quick advice appreciated. Thanks!

abk

I can't remember how many north american plugs are in the room but their are some. I will say that in the parts of China I go ( Shanghai and Qingdao ) I use almost exclusively a European style plug with the two straight prongs. I have yet to use the angled bits although I do carry one.

PS: I will be there Saturday night.

u2vox

Thanks for the info - hadn't considered taking EU plugs with me but now will for sure. I get in late Sunday, if you still happen to be there...

u2vox

Checked in last night. To clear up some possible confusion in earlier posts (unless I misread), there are indeed jr suites with both bund and city views - I'm in one as we speak. Seems like it's a corner room, as I have views on opposite sides of the room to the Bund and the city (with the Raddisson right in front of me and part of People's Square to the left a bit). Very nice room, all in all - and enjoying the mini French Press coffee as I type this.

As a data point, I inquired about a residential suite - none available. However, I was offered a 1400 RMB per night upgrade to an Imperial suite. I was very tempted to take it, and know it would have been awesome, but it was only available on my first 3 of 4 nights, so I would have had to switch - not worth it that much to me unless it was available the full time.

username

Going to be there soon and sort of excited. I am SPG Plat but not very familiar with the benefits at high end hotels...want to make sure I understand things in advance.

Award stay for 5 nights, checking on on a Saturday.

It seems I will get lounge access - so if I want Bund view, I can just to the lounge and look?

Unless they give me a corner suite (which is probably unlikely), it might be better to get a city view so I can see both?

Internet - wired and wireless - would be available for free as I am plat?

Supposedly the breakfast downstairs is great. Can we eat there for free or only at the lounge?

Also, I know taxi is dirt cheap but hate to take it there. Is there any airport buses or shared ride services that go to PVG from the hotel?

Arriving into SHA, I guess taxi would be the best way and it is not that far?

Thanks.

DFW-SEN

Loung has nice Bund View. And yes you have access. Nice place for pre-dinner drinks.

I usually get upgraded from City to Bund view. I love the rooms, even though they are on the small side. Never got a suite though.

Of course you get free Internet. I am not sure if the rooms have wifi, as I always set up my own wireless network.

The breakfast downstairs is not bad, but much to busy for my taste (the tables are very close and it is always very crowded). I much prefer the lounge breakfast. The spread is nice and it has a relaxed atmosphere. Having said that you can go to either place as a plat.

Except for the maglev from PVG and than connecting to the subway i am not aware off any public transport. Taxi (or Hotel Limo) is the best choice imho. Just make sure that you print the hotel name in chinese. otherwise it will be difficult to explain your destination to the driver.
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tncjoey

Junior Suite upgrade is standard for plats. I spend ~45 nights/year there. The staff in the Royal Club is unsurpassed in Asia. Keith Hardie does a great job. The hotel is physically beginning to show age already, however.

username

From SHA, it took a 40 minute taxi ride on a Saturday afternoon - a little traffic jam on the expressway and lots of traffic once we were off. It was 55 RMB.

I didn't get any significant upgrade either. I tried to see if I could get a better room but no luck - even though I know there are better rooms available for the duration of my stay. Probably because I am on an award stay? So, I ended up with a room with the Pu-Dong view - I guess strictly speaking, the Bund is on this side of the river so there is no bund view from the hotel?

The housekeeping lady told me that my room is pretty standard. It is pretty cool so I wonder what the other better/worse rooms are like. Oh well, won't be SPG Plat next year so I guess I won't find out for a while.

The lounge is beautiful. The staff is good but I have seen much better food offering and better staff elsewhere (e.g. JW Marriott in BKK). My biggest complaint with the lounge - hot food is luke warm at best.

Tried the breakfast downstairs. Plenty of food of all kinds - the make to order noodles are very good. I say if you like to try different Asian foods, downstairs is the place to do it. Otherwise, the lounge has much better atomsphere. Service in the restaurant is sloppy. I got the wrong tea, sent to the wrong table, food taken away while I was still there...and what's the deal with the staff's constant need to fold your napkin for you when you are away?

Definitely see minor maintenance items in the room and lounge.

The gym is sort of small have not tried the amenities in the lockerroom. The SPA wants almost 1000 RMB for a massage while there is a massage parlor right across the street wanting 250. I know they are in different leagues so probably should not compare the prices.

The location is great for subway riders but not so great for car riders because of the heavy traffic around the hotel. It took me a while to figure out the various doors.

Internet service is good although FT seems slow (other sites are fine). Both wired and wireless are available with 1 "account".

After being here for 2 nights, I realize there is a downside (for me) compared to the Westin - the bed is pretty hard. I suppose the Westin's bed would be softer/fluffier.

Overall, my biggest complaint is the lack of initiatives from the staff - especially the attitude of those on the ground floor. You can see most of them are just going through the motions instead of really taking care of you as you would expect in this kind of hotel. I have a few examples/observations.

Going to PVG, I left about 3:25 PM on a Thursday by taxi. The traffic already started (or never ended). Took about 30 minutes to get to the MagLev station - RMB 65. Show your boarding pass/ticket and get RMB 10 off (RMB 40 intead of 50). Probably did not save any time or money but it is something fun to try and also good for the environment.