1 of 1

Write now Article Tools

For people who have to travel for work, even if they end up in exotic locations like Shanghai, the place they have to stay can be either the bane or the blessing of their trip. My husband just came back from his second work trip to Shanghai where he stayed at the Crowne Plaza Pudong and thankfully for him, it was the latter. This is his review of this hotel, which I'm writing for (and with) him.

When you first enter a five star hotel, you often get a stuffy, perhaps snobbish feeling which makes you feel like if you're not getting out of a fancy car, then you're not welcome. There is no feeling like this here and all guests get a royal welcome, complete with the Chinese bows, smiles and protocol. The lobby, despite being big, manages to be cozy looking by using lots of reds and beige colours with plenty of comfortable couches and chairs. The reception staff are very efficient in general, if their English language skills are a bit on the uneven side. But if there was any kind of communication problem, he was always able to find someone who could understand him. What's more, when he came for the second time, he really felt like he was coming home. The staff recognized him, and greeted him like an old friend. Generally, in such a large hotel this doesn't happen that often - especially one that's as big as this one which has 400 rooms.

That brings us to the rooms themselves. My husband was put in a king-sized deluxe room which provided him with a king-sized bed, a large window (but no balcony), a large comfortable armchair with a footstool, and a desk area with its own Internet, a breakfront with a large television (probably 29") and a mini-bar with coffee and tea making facilities. Guests are provided free with 3 small bottles of mineral water, which is essential since you can't drink the tap water there. There's also plenty of closet space and inside the closet is an iron and ironing board as well as a safe and - strangely enough - bathroom scales! Why that was in the closet is unknown, or perhaps they didn't want you to easily discover how much you'd been overeating on your trip. They also provide you with a bathrobe and slippers. The former is always welcome but unfortunately, due to the small size of Chinese feet, the slippers were woefully small for my husband's western sized feet. No matter - maybe next time he'll bring a pair back for my little tootsies! By the way, if the pillows on the bed aren't comfortable enough, there is a "pillow menu" where

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Hotel reviews: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Pudong, Shanghai, China?
We want to hear your view. Write now!