Thanks - one more question. Will I get all my Marriott Gold benefits at the Portman? Really free breakfast is the biggest perk for us, followed by possible room upgrade. Thanks :)

No re: Portman. The only way you'll get club access/free breakfast at the RC is to pay for it. If free breakfast is important to you, you'll need to stay at full-service brands or CYs in Shanghai.

Cheers.

I feel compelled to give the City Centre and JW a slight win in this column -- you can at least get into a subway station quicker... but, it's a hollow victory.

I haven't stayed there, but in a case where rates are the same I always love to try out a new Ritz, even though I'd be losing elite benefits in doing so.

I was not a fan of the CY Pudong. It was so bad I bailed 4 nights into a planned 10-night stay there and did the rest of it at the St. Regis a couple blocks away. (I'm not sure if that StR is still there or not...it was rather inexpensive for a StR but probably not the finest specimen of that brand in the world.)

Portman is one of the oldest luxury hotels in Shanghai (it was a Shangri-La originally) but it's on a quieter and nicer block of Nanjing Road (with many Western designer stores). If you're doing touristy things (presumably not shopping for Western designer clothes in Shanghai) and like to walk around, it may not be the best location. Sure, subway in Shanghai is very convenient and taxi is cheap, but to get a feel for Shanghai, nothing beats walking around some of its neighborhoods.

I agree with you on this point, and proximity to nice neighborhoods is one respect in which the Portman's area is far better than People's Square. There are interesting spots in all directions.

I agree People's Square is not the best place to explore most of these neighborhoods except, perhaps, the crowded pedestrian-only East Nanjing Road or the Bund. Since RC offers no benefits to Marriott elites other than MR points accumulation, I'd consider other chains as well such as the IC Ruijin or the Andaz.

You probably stayed at the Hongta - was a StR but was re-branded as LC a long time ago, memory fails me. I'm guessing this and the Tianjin Astor have some of the lowest LC rates in the world.

Do note there is a train change even if you take subway direct (I can't remember if you have to change platforms at all, I think you just have to wait for another train). If you do Maglev to subway you do have to go down escalators, walk to another station, and go back up. The Maglev will only get you about 1/3 of the way to People's Square but it is certainly the tourist attraction to try.

Sorry to regurgitate the question on choosing between JW Marriott Tomorrow Square and Shanghai Marriott City Centre - both are close to People's square. Very close to booking one or both for our stay in Shanghai next month. I was going to book 2 nights at JW and 1 night at City Centre - to see which one is better for future stays? But, hubby said he does not want to change hotel - so it has to be just one hotel.

Could you please advise which hotel is better in terms of breakfasts and food in the lounges (we are not drinkers)? We are only gold (not plat) so not likely to get any upgrade. But from experience most Asian hotel beds are fairly comfortable.

Thanks again!

Additional question re room rates at JW. On Marriott website, the tax inclusive cost for 3 nights stay in a basic room was CNY3,805 (or at dealers rate = £440). However, booking.com and tripadvisor had total for same 3 nights at £372. I know if I book through them, my gold with Marriott will not be honoured (breakfast & lounge). Would I be able to email JW to ask them to match? Thanks for any advice.

Looks like a good LNF claim there, if correct Marriott will reduce their rate by another 25% below the tripadvisor rate. Make sure they're exactly the sane rooms and cancel terms...

I agree with him 100%! Changing hotels can be a drag. I only do it when there is a large rate difference.

Both are good hotels. You will have a good stay at either, so don't over worry about this. Choose one, enjoy your stay and maybe plan on staying at the other next time. There is no right or wrong choice: just two good choices.

Are you sure about that? I've never booked through booking.com, but I thought that even when booking through one of the third party sites, even if you were booking through one of the sites from which you would not earn points you still received your elite benefits, even if you might need to contact the hotel to let them know about your third party reservation. It is discussed in this article: http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....lite-benefits/

As for the food in the CL, I can only speak of the JW. The food is good, not as great as some other Asian properties, but better than most American properties. The atmosphere and view or awesome.

If you don't understand the complicated LNF rules and procedures, there are regulars who monitor this thread that can help you.

Thanks to both BrightlyBob and CJKatl, for your replies.

Discussed with hubby tonight and he said to go for the JW.

I did not know about the LNF mentioned by BrightlyBob. I will check it out on Marriott website on how to do it. I read the thread link which CJKatl gave, and there were a lot of requests which I assume someone would reply with a PM?

Yes, that has been my experience. I've done this twice and gotten responses pretty quickly. Good luck!