I recently had a stay at Sheraton Waigaoqiao to check it out.  Overall this is a solid hotel which treats Platinums well.  The regular night rate on points is very low at 4k pts.  However when I showed up at the last minute occupancy was high so I paid 5k pts by calling in to book.  Still reasonable for a last minute booking. 

Room

Not only occupancy was high, but there were no suites available on spg.com so I did not expect one, but I got a pleasant surprise when they told me that I was upgraded to a suite.  The room is in excellent condition, very spacious, two bathrooms, and living room separate from the bedroom.  The hotel is quite recent and has newer technology such as curtains that you can open and close with the wall switch rather than manually, and a TV in the bathroom mirror.  I am not sure if all floors are the same, but on my floor there were 2 suites out of 10 rooms so I would think Platinum suite upgrade chances are good here. 

Location

Location might be the downside of this hotel – I guess it depends what you are in Shanghai for.  It’s quite a bit out of the way and I would not recommend it for a tourist.  However if you need to be in the Free Trade Zone then it’s perfect.  Even though it’s on the same side of the city as PVG airport (east side), it’s quite far north.  It took me almost one hour from the airport by taxi and traffic was not particularly bad.  Cost = 180 RMN.  On the way back I wanted to be a bit adventurous so I tried the subway.  The nearest station is Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone North on line 6, only a 5 minute walk, and you have access from the street with an elevator or escalator.  You need to transfer at Century Avenue station and connect with line 2.  PVG airport is the final station on line 2, however the subway is not direct from Century Avenue to PVG: everybody needs to change train mid way at Guanglam Road station.  So overall not very convenient, and the last portion on line 2 was very crowded despite not rush hour.  The whole ride door to door took almost 2 hours.  It costs only 8 RMN, but unless you want to experience the subway I would not recommend it. 

Dining

Back to the hotel, the Club Lounge is on the top floor (51).  When you get out of the elevators there is a very high ceiling and grandiose effect as you enter the lounge. 

The furniture inside is very posh, great views of the city, and lots of space.  Happy hour is 5:30pm to 8pm.  Food selection was good – I had sushi, fried rice, steamed veggies, margarita pizza, and tasty boiled fish.  Drinks are a bit subpar – only one choice of red and white.  Breakfast in the lounge was not as good as during happy hour, but it was ok. 

Overall

Overall I would say this is a good hotel but only if you need to be in that part of Shanghai.  If you are a tourist, the subway ride to the city center is close to one hour so it would not work for sightseeing in my opinion, but if you are in Waigaoqiao on business then it’s an excellent choice at modest cost point wise, and cash wise too, but to a lesser extent.