moondog

The Courtyard on Hengfeng Road is very close (e.g. 250 meters) to Shanghai Stn, but as I mentioned to you via PM, I think the Zhongshan Park Ren would be a much better bet because the area is nicer, and Hongqiao Stn is nicer than Shanghai Stn. It's also a pretty good value because it's on the outskirts of downtown.

FlyerGoldII

Which station serves more of the high speed trains to Beijing - or is it 50:50?

Which hotel is closer to PVG airport? My family will arrive from Canada in the late afternoon on Jan 1, and then by taxi travel to a hotel.

The proximity of Courtyard to Shanghai Station means that one can possibly (if rolling the checked bag, and if one has one additional small bag) walk to the train station from the Courtyard.
But I can be certain that the Courtyard does not have a dedicated concierge - but the Renaissance (Zhongshan Park Ren) would have a dedicated concierge.
Having looked at the Marriott web site, I do not believe either hotel has complimentary breakfast.

SP03

You can search for train schedule on Ctrip. I checked schedule on a random date in Dec. There are 7 departures from SHA station but 36 trains leaving from Hongqiao.

I personally think Ren Zhongshan is in the best location because it's on the same subway line that connects the two airports. So you can just take the train from PVG to the hotel (and the hotel sits right above the subway stop). Then take the same subway to Hongqiao Station.

Hongqiao in the main transport hub, not Shanghai Station

SP03

I will be in Shanghai later this week. Has anyone stayed at the JW Marriott Changfeng Park? It won't be my first choice if I were sightseeing, but since I'll be all over Shanghai, the location looks convenient enough.

1. Anyone know if I can choose breakfast at the restaurant (seems like all the Chinese hotels allow that)?
2. How's the lounge offering in the evening? I like having it as an option for dinner for when I don't want to go out.
3. Is it generous with upgrades? I've spent ~ 30 nights in China this year, mostly in Shanghai and have not gotten a single suite upgrade ;-(

barracuda93

I have stayed there this summer and was somewhat disappointed.

1. As far as I remember, yes, you can. Cannot be 100% sure here though.
2. I was very disappointed with lounge offerings there. Both with choice and quality/taste.
3. They are not. As a Platinum Premier member, I have got a pretty pathetic upgrade.

Staff there are welcoming and polite, no complaints on the service. Views from the lounge and rooms are nice. But food and lack of upgrade left me with no desire to return.

Seriously, I would rather stay at nearby (walkable distance) Courtyard Changfeng. I was extremely impressed by that property. Don't think of it as Courtyard, it's at least on a level of better Marriotts and I do rate it higher than JW Changfeng on every point starting from rooms to lounge food offerings. Courtyard Changfeng is one of the best hotels from Marriott portfolio I ever stayed at.

SP03

Sad to hear about the JW. Will be there tomorrow.

On the other hand, I'm staying at Hongta this weekend. Despite the mediocre to terrible reviews, it's actually not too bad. It is definitely showing ages, with many hardware broken and starting to fall apart. As long as you can look past that, the rooms are spacious, and overall décor quite nice (and very much still feels like a St Regis). The lounge dinner options is one of the best I've had in Shanghai. Breakfast was good on Sat, but disappointing on Sunday. Will see what's it like tomorrow to know if Sunday was a one off.

barracuda93

I have stayed at Hongta and actually liked it – aside from location and breakfast. Great lounge (though quite crowded), solid alcohol choices, very nice rooms and welcoming service.

SP03

I checked into the JW at Changfeng Park yesterday and was so pleasantly surprised. It think it's full (as is all the hotels in Shanghai this week, most places only have expensive suites available for sale), so I didn't get a room upgrade. But even the standard room is pretty spacious. I love the modern feel of the hotel. Rooms are bright and airy. Love the bathtub with a view.

The gym is pretty nice. I didn't use the pool because you need to buy a cap in every pool in China, but they have a very nice steam room, sauna and whirlpool.

The view from the lounge is amazing. I thought the evening offering was very nice, one of the best I've seen. Lots of hot and cold options with sushi and lots of desserts. Everything was tasty. The breakfast selection on the first floor restaurant was very good.

Overall super impressed and this is an incredible value at Cat 2. I assume the cat will jump once the new metro is open? Currently the location isn't bad (if you cab or Didi) but a but far from metro.

moondog

As an avid swimmer who has visited over 50 5-star hotel pools in China, I can assure you that very few require bathing caps. That rule is most common at public pools and lower end hotels.

bergamini

The Ritz Carlton Portman required a bathing cap when I was there this weekend.

Overall, I enjoyed the Ritz. The club lounge (Chase certificate) was really nice and kept me well fed. They did give me a running map to the Bund which wasn't accurate, unless I was supposed to run more than 8 miles round-trip and go through a part of town I didn't want to. I stopped at 3.5 miles out and ran back for a total of 7 and didn't seem to be anywhere near the Bund via the route on their map. But that was the only flaw with the lounge.

The room was comfortable but the HVAC did not cool at all. I had it set at 18 C and it was at least 22 C in there. Good water temperature and pressure plus very comfortable bed. The readily granted me 16:00 check-out. Housekeeping came by at 12 to see if I wanted garment press service but didn't understand my question when I asked if it would be done by 16:00 so I didn't get it.

The fitness area was great, some novel equipment that I really liked for my core work after my run ("Power Plate"). They had personal training session options as well. Couldn't ask for more, it was a private club for some.

I did splurge on some spa services and got the jet lag treatment. Be forewarned, the therapist was clearly fishing around at the end to see if I wanted a happy ending (saying "you like" while rubbing X's around my inner thighs) but I politely declined. I know this is not against the norms in China so I take it with a grain of salt as much as I can, but just prepare yourself. Otherwise the treatment was great and really did improve my jet lag.

Big thumbs up for Ritz Portman. I walked to the West Nanjing Road station (maybe 10 minutes) and took the 2 line to Longyang for like 7 RMB and then bought a Maglev "VIP" ticket (because I had extra RMB) for 80 and got back to PVG within an hour. That's like less than $14 USD I spent on it too.

SP03

That's good to know, although seems like every Marriott hotel I've been to (including the Ritz and St Regis) in China has required a bathing cap.

barracuda93

Wonder if anyone gets upgraded there at all. For me it was the only Marriott/SPG property in Shanghai that did not give me any noticeable upgrade.

dave456

Thoughts on the Marriott City Center vs. JW Marriott Tomorrow Square when prices are relatively similar? I'll be heading to Shanghai for a three night stopover visit next week, and the price difference between the two is only about 70 CNY a day at the JW. Is the extra $10 or so a day worth the service at the JW? Is the lounge significantly better (beyond the library)? I don't mind paying a little extra for the JW, but it also looks like the Marriott City Center might be in a slightly more convenient location. Thanks.

moondog

Since the two hotels are less than 500 meters apart, the location point kind of a non issue.

barracuda93

I have stayed at both.

I liked the lounge much more in JW. I also was offered breakfast in the restaurant at JW, which was great. Service at JW was perfect. At the same time, I have not been impressed with my room there (aside from views from window).

I have liked room and bathroom design at Marriott City Center much more. Direct view of the Pearl Tower was enjoyable. At the same time, lounge, service and food offerings were not as good.

If I were to pick one, I’d go for JW. But why not stay at both?